Results for F.P. Journe

Auctions: Auction House Phillips Walks Back Claim Early Résonance Delivered in 1999 After F.P. Journe Statement

Auction house Phillips has walked back and corrected a claim that an early, pre-production Chronmètre à Résonance watch, set to come up for sale in November, was delivered in 1999 after the watchmaker F.P. Journe said it arrived the next year and wasn't the first example of the reference sent to a customer.  "We stand corrected thanks to François-Paul Journe," Phillips said in an Instagram post.  "The "Pre-Production" Chronomètre à Résonance 022/99 to be offered by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo on November 7-8 was not delivered in 1999 as we originally believed. Thanks to F.P.Journe we now know the watch was actually delivered on 8 June, 2000," the auction house added.  The Phillips correction followed the publication of a letter signed by F.P. Journe that disputed Phillips' claim that the watch with serial number 022/99 was likely one of the first Résonance watches commercially sold and delivered. In announcing the sale of the watch, which will hit the auction block in November in Geneva, Phillips had said the consignor and original owner of the watch had taken delivery of the piece in 1999. The auction house also suggested in a press release that the watch could be one of, if not the first, commercially delivered examples of the Résonance, often heralded as the signature watch from the French watchmaker. Phillips did not say it had confirmed that the watch was the first of the reference commercially delivered.  In the letter titled "Correction," ...

The Bravest Watch in History: F.P. Journe’s Chronomètre à Résonance

The Business of Watches Podcast: Christie's Remi Guillemin On The Fundamental Shifts In The Auction Market Driving Record Prices

This week on The Business of Watches, we take stock at the halfway point of the year for watch auctions. Remi Guillemin, Christie's head of watches for the Americas, Europe and Middle East, gives us his take on what's driving the interest of the top watch collectors these days. It's a pivotal time, with the watch auction market setting record sales results at most of the top auction houses despite global economic challenges and geopolitical tensions and conflicts.  Remi Guillemin at the rostrum in Geneva.Photo courtesy Christie's  The last time the market was this hot was in the post-COVID era of 2021 and 2022. Guillemin believes this time is different, and he tells us why references from F.P. Journe and Cartier, and (surprise!) pocket watches, are driving the market these days and how that's a fundamental shift from the hype watch driven boom post-pandemic. He also shows us some of the watches in his personal collection and reveals the grail he's still chasing.  There's plenty of watch business and strategy to discuss, and we hope you enjoy the conversation. Be sure to leave any thoughts or questions in the comments section, and we'll do our best to respond. Want to subscribe so you never miss an episode? This show is being published to the original Hodinkee Podcasts feed, so you can subscribe wherever you find your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or TuneIn. Show Notes 0:36 Remi Guillemin (Christie's website - scroll for bio) 1:00 Auctions: The Five Result...

Auctions: Phillips Announces Sale Of A Pre-Production  F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance In November

Here we go again. It's been a blue ribbon auction year so far, particularly for rare examples of timepieces from independents, including F.P. Journe. During a record-setting spring auction season marked by a stunning shift in valuations and collector interest in top-notch independent watchmakers, an early Chronomètre à Résonance (no. 007) fetched a record $13.9 million, making it the most expensive F.P. Journe watch ever sold at auction and the fifth most expensive watch of all time.  Mark wrote up a great piece on the record-breaking result that dives deep into the history of the Résonance and why it's such an important achievement in haute horology, and why it is François-Paul Journe's signature watch. With the prototype produced in 1998, and with 'Souscription' commercial pieces produced and delivered beginning in 2000, Journe's Chronomètre à Résonance marks the first time that the concept of "résonance," combining two movements with separate balances into a single case and bringing them into perfect synchronization, was brought to a wristwatch. For many collectors, the model represents the ultimate expression of Journe's vision and talent as a watchmaker. Just 20 'Souscription' pieces—offered to those who bought Journe's first watch, a tourbillon—were produced, and collectors have come to covet the series, with the earliest watches fetching a premium. When it comes to the Résonance, the earlier the better, it seems. That's why it's newsworthy and worth ...

Photo Report: Watch Spotting At The Hodinkee Happy Hour [June 2026]

The third time is the charm, as we recently hosted the third edition of what's quickly becoming a regular fixture on the calendar—Hodinkee Happy Hour. Grotta, our local watering hole, was the venue this time around, and the room delivered the same energy as always. Great conversations, great company, and no shortage of great watches to look at—a few of which you'll see below. If you made it out, thank you for coming. If not, we'll be doing it again at the end of July. Follow us on Instagram to be the first to know when RSVPs open.  Blancpain Léman Perpetual Calendar Flyback Chronograph A Cartier Tank Basculante in it's natural form... ... and in motion. Alex Chou wearing his A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1. Katie Penner, of Watches of Switzerland, and Hodinkee Video Editor Max Rosen. A trio of Ressence. A look at a F.P. Journe Chronomètre Souverain (on bracelet, no less) from the front... ... and the back. Vertex M36 Desert Edition. A little two-tone love for the Zenith Chronomaster Sport... And Rolex Datejust. Rolex Submariner. Rolex Cosmograph "Alcaraz" Daytona on an Oysterflex bracelet. Vacheron Contantin 333. A Swiss "Chronographe Suisse" Chonograph... (Swiss, chronograph, Swiss, chronograph, swiss...) Omega Seamaster De Ville and a good ol' pie-pan Omega Seamaster. Panerai Luminor Marina. Right, Editor-in-Chief James Stacey is wearing his DWC Terra. Urwerk UR-120.

The Business of Watches Podcast: Q & A Episode - Your Business Questions Answered By The Hodinkee Team

This week on The Business of Watches, we take your questions on the business of timekeeping. We're joined by a swath of the Hodinkee team, including Editor-in-Chief James Stacey, Senior Editor Mark Kauzlarich, and Hodinkee Editor TanTan Wang.  We're answering your questions and marking 30 episodes of BoW. You submitted some excellent questions, including how changes in 3D printing technology will impact watch movement manufacturing, whether watch brands consider enthusiasts' preferences in their design and release schedules, and what the future of multi-brand watch boutiques looks like.  There's plenty of watch business and strategy to discuss, and we hope you enjoy the conversations. Be sure to leave any thoughts or questions in the comments section, and we'll do our best to respond. Want to subscribe so you never miss an episode? This new show is being published to the original Hodinkee Podcasts feed, so you can subscribe wherever you find your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or TuneIn. Show Notes1:18 F.P. Journe Souscription Chronomètre à Résonance Achieves $13.9 Million – Becomes Fifth Most Expensive Wristwatch Ever Sold (Hodinkee)2:35 Kari Voutilainen 2:47 Marteau: The Heat Wave4:08 The Barrelhand Monolith Has Landed (Hodinkee) 11:45 Ming Polymesh (Hodinkee) 12:40 Seiko Watch Corporation President Akio Naito (The Business of Watches) 13:10 Peanuts Watches by Citizen (collectpeanuts.com) 15:03 Timex 15:50 We Criticize The Wrong Thing When We Attack ...

Breaking News: F.P. Journe Souscription Chronomètre à Résonance Achieves $13.9 Million - Becomes Fifth Most Expensive Wristwatch Ever Sold

It felt inevitable. Just over six months after an F.P. Journe narrowly missed joining a certain historic list of wristwatches dominated by Patek Philippe and Rolex with the $10.75 million sale of Francis Ford Coppola's personal FFC at Phillips New York (a record for the brand), one finally reached that rarified air. François-Paul Journe invented it. He made it. The market made it historic. The F.P. Journe Souscription Chronomètre à Résonance no. 007 is now the fifth-most expensive wristwatch ever sold and the third-most expensive watch sold not for charity. Arguably Journe's most important and emblematic model, a confluence of details made this example—which crossed the auction block on Saturday, June 13—the one to own, at least according to bidders. To the tune of almost $14 million, no less. In some ways, it seems the perfect cap to a wild shift in the market where, in less than a year, F.P. Journe has become more closely watched than other previously preferred blue-chip brands and references. And yet, the market is so hot that there were a number of remarkable results from the New York, Geneva, and Hong Kong auctions.  Not for nothing, but a Patek Philippe 5004 is now a $5 million watch, not only blowing out the previous non-charity record ($1.5 million for Michael Ovitz's platinum example, which was sold last fall), but eclipsing the 5004T for OnlyWatch (which sold for $4 million, give or take, back in 2013). And the fresh-to-market pink gold, satin-cased Pate...

Highlights: Notable Independents at Phillips Hong Kong

Phillips’ spring auction season wraps up with The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XXII on May 30 – 31. As is now the norm, independent watchmakers have carved out a significant section of the catalogue including the usual suspects from F.P. Journe and Philippe Dufour, as well as rare showings from under-the-radar makers like Oscillon and Yosuke Sekiguchi. Lot 878 – Oscillon L’instant de Vérité Despite how hot the indie segment has become, Oscillon has largely stayed under the radar, perhaps due to its intensely cerebral nature, or because the brand only produces about five watches per year. The duo behind the brand, Dominique Buser and Cyrano Devanthey, are collectors of pre-computerised watchmaking machines. Their collection is so extensive that they can produce all movement parts – save for the jewels and shock protection – under their own roof using these machines. Even putting this context aside, the watches themselves are still mechanically interesting. The most striking detail is the bowtie-shaped balance, which is harder to poise and less aerodynamic than a conventional annular balance, but looks much cooler. L’instant de Vérité uses an unusual tensator constant-force spring. To explain this, consider a tape measure. The force required to pull more length from a tape measure doesn’t noticeably increase regardless of the length already paid out. Now imagine hooking the end of the tape to a pulley, so that turning the pulley (winding) pulls tape out, and ...

Highlights: Exotic Mechanics at Christie’s Hong Kong

A menagerie of exotic movements features in Christie’s upcoming Hong Kong auction, Important Watches: Featuring “Kronos: Titans of Time”, “The Eternity” and “The Chronicle” Collections, from Double Splits and double movements to torque management and monitoring. Lot 2352 – F.P. Journe Chronomètre À Résonance (Brass Movement) While the current iteration of the Chronomètre À Résonance is far more elaborate, using a differential to split the trains — each of which contains its own constant force device — this early F.P. Journe Chronomètre À Résonance with its 18k pink gold dial was much more ambitious in its time, developed by an upstart restorationist from Paris in a market that was hostile to independent brands compared to today. Resonance timepieces, or more accurately, those using coupled oscillators, can be traced all the way back to Christiaan Huygens, also known for inventing the pendulum clock and many, many contributions to mathematics and the sciences. He described the coupling of his pendulum clocks as an “an odd kind of sympathy” and sought to exploit this dampening effect to make pendulum clocks viable at sea, though this was ultimately unsuccessful. It would take more than a hundred years for Abraham-Louis Breguet — often hailed as the greatest watchmaker — to bring this phenomena to a watch, and then almost two hundred more for arguably the greatest living watchmaker to bring it to the wrist. That was, of course, François-P...

Introducing: The Baltic x SpaceOne 'Seconde Majeure' - A Jump Hour à Paris (Live Pics)

What We Know French watchmaking is on an absolute tear lately. Even setting aside F.P. Journe (yes, he's based in Switzerland, but he is French), there's a growing list of brands pushing things forward in interesting ways. Two of the more relevant names in this case are Baltic and SpaceOne, the latter a collaboration between Théo Auffret of Auffret Paris and Guillaume Laidet, who has played a major role in reviving some major brands. Both have become important players in the more affordable end of independent watchmaking, but from very different angles. SpaceOne leans heavily futuristic, while Baltic—and Auffret more broadly—tend to stay rooted in classic design. That's what makes the new Seconde Majure from Baltic x SpaceOne so interesting. It feels like the watch someone with more traditional tastes, like me, has been waiting for. The Seconde Majeure might not come as a surprise to everyone. Baltic and SpaceOne were showing the watch around during Time to Watches in Geneva a few weeks ago, and they also sent over a prototype for me to preview ahead of launch. One quick note there: all of the photos I took were with the crown pulled out, so keep that in mind as you scroll through. For everyone else, you might need to catch up pretty quickly, especially since the watch is only available for a very limited time. But what you'll quickly see is that the watch is attractive for something affordable. And remarkably compact. Measuring 38.5mm by 12.5mm with a 47.5mm lug-to-l...

Home-Made Grande Sonnerie Wins 2026 F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition

Shin Ohno is the winner of the 12th F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition. The young Japanese watchmaker clinched the prize with the Fuyu-Geshiki, a small grande et petite sonnerie tourbillon clock inspired by the winter landscape of Nagano, a northern prefecture of Japan. Made by one man with a watchmaker’s lathe, desktop CNC mill, and not a lot of sleep, the ebony-cased timepiece is one of the most impressive works produced by the competition yet. From Nagano Mr Ohno describes Nagano as “defined by the purity of its air, by the flow of spring water, and by melting snow”. It is also the heart of Japan’s watch industry, boasting the country’s largest movement assembly plant (Citizen’s Saku plant) and is home to Mr Ohno’s employer — Seiko Epson. Specifically, Mr Ohno works as an engineer within the company’s watch division, but it should be noted that this timepiece is entirely unrelated to the (now discontinued) Credor Spring Drive Sonnerie and Credor Minute Repeater. Mr Ohno designed the movement from the ground up, citing the creative works of past winner Norifumi Seki and Masahiro Kikuno as key inspirations. A closer look at the tourbillon cage. The teeth are polished to catch the light like slick stones. While he learned how to design watch parts at his day job, it was someone else’s job to manufacture them. With the Fuyu-Geshiki, Mr Ohno had to master production as well as design. He cites his colleague, master watchmaker Ikukiyo Komatsu, as a mento...

Auctions: Previewing The Monaco Legend Spring 2026 Auction

The spring auction season is sneaking up on us quickly. Things start early with Sotheby's Hong Kong auction (with its boatload of Cartier), which slightly edges Monaco Legend Group out of the gate, as their auction starts one day earlier. But on April 25 and 26, MLG will open its spring auction, which promises to be one of the more interesting and eclectic vintage-focused auctions of the season. That's not to say it's all vintage, of course. The auction starts out with a Bamford-modified blackout GMT (that the Parmegiani family behind the auction house seems to have an affinity for), an RM35-02 Nadal, a Journe Répétition Souveraine, and more Patek 5004s than you can shake a stick at, keeping things spicy. Lot 109 – F.P. Journe Répétition Souveraine – €400,000 to €800,000. There are 288 lots, and while the top lots sometimes feel a bit obvious to call out (mostly because everyone likely peers longingly at these watches and wishes they could bid), it's incredibly important to examine what is driving the top end of the market. And if you weren't paying close enough attention, you'd potentially miss the top lot. While it might look like a Rolex Daytona, like the ref. 116509 with a Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial and different indices, this is a whole different ballgame. Lot 78 of the auction is one of the "FAB 4" Daytonas, four unique platinum Zenith Daytonas, each executed with a hardstone dial (one with turquoise, one with lapis lazuli, two mother-of-pearl) made at...

SJX Podcast: State of the Industry 2026

Episode 31 of the SJX Podcast digs into two major industry reports - one from Vontobel on the primary market and one from EveryWatch on the secondary - and what they reveal about where value is concentrating in the watch industry. SJX and Brandon discuss the K-shaped nature of the market, the dominance of F.P. Journe among independents, and Cartier’s remarkable ability to sell across every price tier. The discussion also touches on the role of emotion in driving purchase decisions, the financialisation of the hobby, and why market reports have limited utility for collectors. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.  

Highlights: Independent Watchmaking at Marteau & Co

After its successful indie-focused First Strike auction last October, upstart auctioneer Marteau & Co is back with The Echo, an online-only auction that opens at noon Geneva time on March 12 with a focus on independent watchmaking. Marteau & Co was founded just last year, and one of its cofounders is Arthur Touchot, an industry veteran who spent several years as a journalist followed by a stint at a prominent auction house. Now all-in with Marteau, Mr Touchot brings his insider’s to Marteau, explaining its unique position in the market. The Swiss auctioneer sets itself apart with its intriguing “Maker’s Fee” concept, which rewards the maker of the timepiece with 3% of the hammer price for each watch sold, allowing a brand to benefit from the appreciation of its products. While artists’ resale rights, or droit de suite, is far from a new concept, and has been codified into law in the European Union and United Kingdom, Marteau & Co’s approach is the first instance of its application in watchmaking. Lot 1 – Daniel Roth Chronograph Ref. 2147 When Daniel Roth launched his eponymous brand in 1988, after helping revitalize Breguet, he also created the genre of independent watchmaking we know today, preceding even Franck Muller and F.P. Journe. With his double ellipse case design Roth pioneered the idea of building a brand around a single strong design language, a contrast to the menagerie offered by other high end brands of the time, an approach later followed by ot...

Complicated Collectors: Dr Eugen Gschwind

The dinner in Basel had reached the stage where the porcelain was being cleared, but the tension at the table remained heavier than the silverware. Dr Eugen Gschwind, a man who wore his erudition as comfortably as his tailored suits, watched his guest with the predator’s patience that had defined his four decades of collecting. Across from him sat George Daniels, the English horologist and watchmaker who had single-handedly dragged the concept of the handmade watch out of the grave of history. Daniels was brilliant, notoriously opinionated, and, according to some, firmly convinced that he was the spiritual reincarnation of Abraham-Louis Breguet. François-Paul Journe´s 3/84 pocketwatch, Dr Gscwind´s first commission. Image SJX composite – F.P. Journe Gschwind liked Daniels. He championed the Englishman’s genius, yet remained too dogmatic to ever buy his work. He had famously toasted Daniels at a society dinner as the ‘greatest living watchmaker,’ only to follow it with the dry, smiling addendum: ‘But only the second-best watchmaker who ever lived.’ Tonight, however, was not about jests. It was the culmination of a long-simmering technical argument. For years, Gschwind had chided Daniels about his reliance on the 15-second remontoir d’égalité. To Daniels, this mechanism, which rewound a secondary spring every quarter-minute to smooth out the torque of the mainspring, was the ultimate solution to the problem of isochronism. Gschwind viewed it was a compro...

Ruby Resonance from Armin Strom

Independent watchmaker Armin Strom has upgraded its flagship complication with a precious stone dial. The Mirrored Force Resonance Ruby is a five-piece limited edition with a dial cut from natural ruby. Initial thoughts Armin Strom is arguably the second-most prominent watchmaker (after F.P. Journe) to successfully bring “resonance” watches to market. We extensively covered the subject of coupled oscillator watches recently, which examines Armin Strom’s unique approach to achieving this mysterious effect.  Within this narrow niche, Armin Strom’s Mirrored Force series is certainly the broadest collection of resonance watches on the market, with multiple movements and many variations exploiting the almost magic coupling between two sprung balances. This new limited edition employs the familiar in-house caliber ARF21, which connects the two hairspring by a long, swivelling blade spring - dubbed the Resonance Clutch Spring. While the movement is certainly well known, this particular iteration of the watch is quite surprising: a thin slice of natural ruby serves as the dial, with all the imperfections and liveliness of a natural mineral.  Using a ruby dial is not only aesthetically appealing but poetic for a mechanical watch. The jewels serving as bearings inside every movement are synthetic rubies - a fancy sort of industrial mineral glass. The uneven bright pink and violet shades of the Mirrored Force Resonance Ruby’s dial assure us there is nothing artificial...

In-Depth: Understanding Resonance in Watches

Resonance watches are among the most elusive machines in modern watchmaking. Creations such as F.P. Journe’s Chronomètre à Résonance perform well at auctions, commanding high prices. While their rarity and appeal are undeniable, watches that purport to harness resonance tend to be viewed with a degree of skepticism. A measure of skepticism is understandable - the concept of sprung balances becoming almost magically coupled is anything but straightforward and requires a profound understanding of oscillators in general.   This story seeks to shed some light on the concept of coupled oscillators by explaining the two models of coupling and explore the nuances of each system. Before exploring resonance, the reader is encouraged to review the basics of sprung oscillators and isochronism in order to become more familiar with the hairspring and balance wheel model.  The F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance Souscription No. 2 sold for more than CHF3 million in November 2025. A confusion of terms First, the term resonance itself requires definition. In classical physics (mechanics, electrical engineering, signal processing, etc.) resonance is a phenomenon where a system vibrates under the influence of an external driving force that matches the system’s eigenfrequency (natural frequency). This is to say that a system at rest, which includes mass and spring elements, can be excited into a state of resonance by an external force when particular conditions are met. An imp...

Winners Take All: How a Handful of Brands Dominate the Secondary Market

Industry price data provider EveryWatch has released its annual report on the state of the secondary market for luxury watches. The data confirms what many collectors already sense - the pre-owned watch market is booming, but the gains are concentrated in a small number of brands and references that are capturing the lion’s share of value, while the rest are left fighting over the scraps. Francis Ford Coppola’s personal F.P. Journe FFC prototype (left) sold for US$10.8 million, while his Chronomètre à Résonance sold for US$584,000 in December 2025. Image – Phillips Initial thoughts There are many reasons to be skeptical about much of the information gathered by industry data providers. For one thing, data gathered from dealers, internet listings, and auctions naturally misses the sizable proportion of transactions that happens offline. For another, the asking price is often easier to find than the clearing price, which tends to be lower. That’s not to say the data is unusable. On the contrary, the time series data gathered by data providers like WatchCharts can provide validation (or not) for anecdotal evidence and help collectors and dealers make more rational point-in-time decisions - if there is such a thing as a ‘rational’ watch purchase. What’s interesting is not necessarily that the market is estimated to be about US$20 billion in size, or that it’s growing at a rate in excess of 30% according to EveryWatch. What is more interesting is how the ...

The 38 Best Dress Watches for 2026

Most watch aficionados consider a go-to dress watch to be a necessary addition to any collection, whether it’s a piece designated for wear only on special occasions or one worn daily to the office. Along with sports watches, dress watches represent one of the most sought-after styles, so we’ve curated a list of the best dress watches that offer style, value, and quality at every price range. We sought out as much variety and diversity as possible with options ranging from a Timex that costs a few hundred dollars, one of the best Seiko values out there, a solid gold Rolex Day-Date, and independent options from the likes of Moser and F.P. Journe. So, here are our standout dress watches for 2026 organized from least to most expensive (and with some handy chapters organized for you).  [toc-section heading="Under $2,000"]  Timex Marlin For decades, Timex focused on affordable, mass-produced quartz watches, but recently the company has tapped into the mechanical market with the Marlin Collection. There is a 40mm automatic movement option with a wider array of dial options including eye-catching “Cali Dials”. Timex is light on the mechanical movement specs other than to note they are provided by a Chinese supplier, which isn’t surprising given the $319 price tag, making it one of the more affordable mechanical options available.  Case: 34mm, Thickness 10mm, Lug-To-Lug: 41mm, Lug Width: 18mm Crystal: Acrylic Movement: Hand Winding or Automatic Mechanical, Water-Resist...

In-Depth: A Look Back At 20 Years Of The F.P. Journe Chronomètre Souverain

Examining the broad scope of two decades' worth of design and editions for FPJ's most classic watch.

Insight: F.P. Journe Répétition Souveraine Smoked Sapphire

The Répétition Souveraine is one of the more unusual minute repeaters on the market, combining classical inspiration with an idiosyncratic technical approach that is unmistakably F.P. Journe. Based on the familiar architecture of the Chronomètre Souverain yet fundamentally reworked to accommodate a striking mechanism, it is neither a conventional integrated repeater nor a simple modular add-on. Launched in 2008 with a conventional dial and briefly the thinnest contemporary minute repeater on the market, the latest iteration of the Répétition Souveraine reveals its workings through a smoked sapphire dial, offering a direct view of its flat gongs and strike train while underscoring François-Paul Journe’s distinctive philosophy of clarity, compactness, and mechanical logic. This is our third encounter with the Répétition Souveraine, having already covered the silver-dial variant and the elusive “Black Label” edition. Almost modular Most independents – and many large brands – rely on a handful of external specialists like Le Cercle des Horlogers or decades-old ebauche stocks for their repeaters. As a result, most repeaters take the same, time-tested, approach with only a few exceptions. Most are integrated designs that put the repeater train, hammers, and gongs on the same level as the rest of the movement. The rejuvenation of mechanical matchmaking during the 1980s and 1990s brought with it demand for systems that brands could add to existing movements. Amo...

The Revolutionary List: 24 Technically Brilliant Watches - F.P. Journe Chronomètre Optimum

Hands On: F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain Vertical Joaillerie Rubis

Earlier this year F.P. Journe unveiled its most daring jewellery watch yet, the Tourbillon Souverain Vertical Joaillerie Rubis, set with the largest baguette rubies ever used in watchmaking. Despite the current popularity of high jewellery watches, the Tourbillon Souverain Vertical Joaillerie (TVJ) Rubis is an audacious undertaking that required eight years to accumulate the right gemstones – and the destruction of 61 carats of gem-quality rubies to make this single watch. Initial thoughts Haute joaillerie watches of this sort are not new; the 1980s and 1990s saw significant demand for gem-set complicated watches, especially in Asia. But Over the last decade such watches have shifted from niche offerings to an important (and resilient) pillar of the business for many brands. Coloured stones are seeing marked interest too, as a sort of trend within a trend, as exemplified by Rolex’s “Rainbow” Daytona, one of the brand’s hottest models. Patek Philippe’s 2022 launch of the gem-set Grandmaster Chime trio can also be seen as a milestone for the genre, with one of Geneva’s flagship fine watchmaking brands adorning its flagship watch with diamonds, emeralds and sapphires. A unique Piaguet minute repeating pocket watch that’s a fine example of 1990s gem-setting high horology But with the TVJ, it’s clear that F.P. Journe is not simply following industry trends – this watch is eight years in the making and belongs to a two-decade tradition of high jewellery tour...

Breaking News: Francis Ford Coppola's Personal 'FFC' Sells for $10.755 million, The Most Expensive F.P. Journe Ever Sold

The confluence of watchmaking and cinematic history was the perfect recipe for a record, as the F.P. Journe market shows no sign of slowing.

Francis Ford Coppola’s F.P. Journe FFC Breaks US$10 Million

Francis Ford Coppola’s personal F.P. Journe FFC prototype shattered expectations at Phillips’ New York watch auction today when it achieved price of US$10.8 million including fees. One of the most talked-about lots this auction season, FFC’s FFC is the most expensive watch sold in 2025, and now the most valuable example of independent watchmaking by some margin. Big result in the Big Apple Despite chilly weather in New York, the action in the saleroom quickly turned hot. Auctioneer Aurel Bacs opened at US$1 million, but the bid instantly jumped to US$2 million. Several bidders then piled on, but the contest condensed to just four phone bidders past the US$4 million mark, including bidders represented by Tadzio Nuno and Paul Boutros, of Phillips’ Geneva and New York offices respectively. The action then settled into a head-to-head between bidders represented by Alex Ghotbi and Isabella Proia, once again of Geneva and New York respectively. Mr Ghotbi emerged the winner with a US$9 million bid, which brought the total to US$10.755 million with fees. The bidding was notable for being entirely on the phone – though one bidder was in the room but bidding on the phone – and also for being driven by clients outside of Asia. A record The result makes Mr Coppola’s prototype - one of only two made, and the only one in private hands - the most valuable wristwatch from an independent watchmaker ever sold at auction, exceeding the US$8.36 million achieved by the landm...

In-Depth - Exploring the F.P. Journe Chronomètre Souverain 20th Anniversary, and What it Means (Incl. Video)

François-Paul Journe, a talented watchmaker and the founder of the brand F.P. Journe, is mostly known for his Tourbillon Remontoire d’Egalité – it was his first watch – and his take on the resonance phenomenon. We can also mention the Octa, his automatic watch introduced in 2001, and, of course, the fantastic Chronomètre Bleu. But […]

The Revolutionary List: 30 Pioneering Watches - the F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance