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Lot Essay
The current timepiece is one of the highly sought-after early-series examples of F.P. Journe's Chronomètre à Résonance. These early models had rhodium-plated brass movements when they were first introduced to the market in 2000. Journe famously switched to using 18k gold to craft all of his movements starting in 2004. Less than 400 Chronomètre à Résonance models with brass movements are thought to have been produced during its brief three-year production period.
Before the Chronomètre à Résonance was eventually released on the market, it underwent years of development and testing. Like the Tourbillon Souverain, the model was first introduced in 2000 as a line of twenty 'Souscription' timepieces, each numbered 1 through 20 and bearing the year 2000's suffix, 00R. The subscription model for these watches allowed customers to pay in advance, giving François-Paul Journe the funds he needed to create and deliver each piece. The suffixes denoted the year of production and the letter 'R' for 'Résonance'. Following the initial Souscription series, the first production run of the reference 'R' was made between 2000 and 2004 after this first Souscription series. The Résonance, which came in 38 mm. cases and was available in platinum or 18k rose gold, had three different dial options: white, rose, and yellow gold. One of the distinguishing traits of these early, brass-movement watches lies in the construction of the dial frames. Each subsidiary dial is bordered by a frame secured with bell-shaped screw lugs, a design that differs from the more curving, integrated style seen in later pink gold movement models. This subtle but purposeful differentiation made it possible for F.P. Journe himself to recognize a brass-movement example from the first series from later generations.
The Chronomètre à Résonance
The Chronomètre à Résonance is perhaps the best example of the modern watchmaker François-Paul Journe's pure genius. It is the only wristwatch in the world that uses a movement based on resonance, a natural physical principle that was first noticed by Christiaan Huygens in 1665 when he noticed that two pendulum clocks hanging on the same beam would start to beat in perfect synchronization. Great watchmakers like Abraham-Louis Breguet and Antide Janvier, whom Journe greatly admires, were later intrigued by this mysterious exchange. Breguet himself used the resonance principle to create three pocket watches in the early 19th century, but it wasn't until François-Paul Journe that the concept was successfully reduced to a wristwatch. Two balances oscillate in perfect harmony in his Chronomètre à Résonance, which naturally synchronizes with one another and greatly reduces the detrimental effects of wrist and body movement. This made Journe the first watchmaker to bring resonance to the wrist, which is a modern horology triumph and one of the most fascinating mechanical achievements of our time.
Before the Chronomètre à Résonance was eventually released on the market, it underwent years of development and testing. Like the Tourbillon Souverain, the model was first introduced in 2000 as a line of twenty 'Souscription' timepieces, each numbered 1 through 20 and bearing the year 2000's suffix, 00R. The subscription model for these watches allowed customers to pay in advance, giving François-Paul Journe the funds he needed to create and deliver each piece. The suffixes denoted the year of production and the letter 'R' for 'Résonance'. Following the initial Souscription series, the first production run of the reference 'R' was made between 2000 and 2004 after this first Souscription series. The Résonance, which came in 38 mm. cases and was available in platinum or 18k rose gold, had three different dial options: white, rose, and yellow gold. One of the distinguishing traits of these early, brass-movement watches lies in the construction of the dial frames. Each subsidiary dial is bordered by a frame secured with bell-shaped screw lugs, a design that differs from the more curving, integrated style seen in later pink gold movement models. This subtle but purposeful differentiation made it possible for F.P. Journe himself to recognize a brass-movement example from the first series from later generations.
The Chronomètre à Résonance
The Chronomètre à Résonance is perhaps the best example of the modern watchmaker François-Paul Journe's pure genius. It is the only wristwatch in the world that uses a movement based on resonance, a natural physical principle that was first noticed by Christiaan Huygens in 1665 when he noticed that two pendulum clocks hanging on the same beam would start to beat in perfect synchronization. Great watchmakers like Abraham-Louis Breguet and Antide Janvier, whom Journe greatly admires, were later intrigued by this mysterious exchange. Breguet himself used the resonance principle to create three pocket watches in the early 19th century, but it wasn't until François-Paul Journe that the concept was successfully reduced to a wristwatch. Two balances oscillate in perfect harmony in his Chronomètre à Résonance, which naturally synchronizes with one another and greatly reduces the detrimental effects of wrist and body movement. This made Journe the first watchmaker to bring resonance to the wrist, which is a modern horology triumph and one of the most fascinating mechanical achievements of our time.