F.P. Journe Chronomètre Optimum

Overall Condition: Excellent condition overall. Case shows only faint signs of wear and retains strong geometry. Dial and handset are in excellent condition with no visual blemishes noted. Factory strap and pin buckle similarly, show faint signs of wear.

So you’ve bought a Patek, maybe an Audemars Piguet, a few Rolexes or a Vacheron. You think you’ve seen it all and are ready to move on to exotic spice collecting, and then you stumble on F.P. Journe. Arguably the father of the modern independent watchmaking renaissance, Journe has paved the road for countless other small manufacturers to make a name for themselves and share their creative eye with the industry.

Leaving school early to study horology, and working in his uncle’s clock repair shop, Journe discovered his knack for all things horology at a young age. Studying the works of Breguet and George Daniels, Journe had an eye for complication and classicism. These influences heavily impacted the look of Journe’s later creations.

After completing his studies and designing a number of commissioned pieces for private clients, Journe decided to set out on his own crafting wristwatches. Never slacking off, his earliest designs were tourbillons with constant force remontoirs, extremely mechanically sophisticated and difficult to execute. The ambitious young watchmaker was already punching above his weight, and by the time he started his own eponymous brand, collectors were already getting excited about Journe’s promise.

When Journe was asked to make a watch that he would personally consider the epitome of his favorite philosophies for watchmaking all encapsulated into one watch, Journe answered with the Chronometre Optimum. The Optimum encapsulated a variety of Journe's signature innovations: twin barrels mounted in parallel, a constant force remontoir, a brilliant biaxial escapement, and a resultant natural deadbeat seconds.

The biaxial escapement divides sliding friction in half, resulting in a requirement of close to no lubrication at the heart of the escapement. Escapements are among the most thirsty of elements of a watch movement. The division of friction on the escapement critically reduces the need for service to re-lubricate the movement. As a consequence of the constant force remontoir, on the caseback, a deadbeat seconds is naturally generated in a unique display viewed through the exhibition caseback.

The Chronometre Optimum is among the most sophisticated and exclusive of Journe's creations, and we are pleased to offer this brilliant platinum cased white gold iteration as a manifestation of the greatest of 21st century watchmaking