F.P. Journe thumbs his nose at copycats

François-Paul Journe isn’t one to follow the crowd. Nor is he afraid to speak his mind. When it comes to mechanical complications, this independent watchmaker, creator of a Grande Sonnerie, the most complex timepiece in the world, often leads the field. When he sets himself a new challenge then, the result is inevitably much admired, but in certain quarters envied too.

This year is no exception with his latest creation, presented outside the SIHH. A specialist in striking watches, François-Paul Journe set about housing a minute-repeater inside an ultra-slim case. Mission accomplished with the Répétition Minutes Souveraine, a minute-repeater movement with a crystal-clear sound, just 4mm thick and set inside a case barely 8mm high.

Innovation

This feat of achievement comes after three years of relentless effort. François-Paul Journe doesn’t mince his words: “I don’t like copycats. After the first imitations of my watches appeared four years ago, I decided to invent a watch they would find hard to clone.” Knowing that a dial can be more easily imitated than a movement, Journe, at the head of F.P. Journe Invenit et Fecit, indulged his passion. “I’ve always been fascinated by extra-slim watches. Fitting a movement inside such a small space is a huge stimulus in terms of technique.”

No sooner said than done… or almost. Taking the Chronographe Souverain calibre as its base, the new watch’s mechanism benefits from some extremely sophisticated technological innovations, beginning with the flat gong (which produces the sound), the striking racks and the hammer mechanism.

Thanks to these technical innovations, the Répétition Minutes Souveraine movement not only takes up less room inside the case, it also produces a pure sound without any distracting background noise. “This is why I chose steel for this watch,” he explains. “Nothing resonates like steel.”

The rules of the game

This patented mechanism makes the Répétition Minutes Souveraine one of the slimmest watches in its category on the market. Says François-Paul Journe, in typically provocative form, “Now that everyone else is making bigger watches, I thought I’d make mine thinner. We’ll see how long it takes before the copies start.”

Completed barely two weeks ago, and with annual production of just 250, this prestigious watch is four times less complicated to assemble than a Grande Sonnerie, a fact reflected in its price tag: around CHF 160,000 is the price to pay for anyone wishing to wear François-Paul Journe’s latest exploit on their wrist. As for Journe himself, his thoughts have already turned to new challenges for 2009. “I’ve no shortage of dreams although I really can’t see how anyone can do better than the Grande Sonnerie,” he admits. The man whose contemporaries call him “the watchmaking genius” takes a shot at some of the newcomers to the market: “Anything goes in watchmaking today, but the true watchmakers play by the rules, in particular when it comes to respecting technique. Our aim must be to defend and safeguard expertise. We’re not here to make mechanical sculptures or toys.”