Independent Allure: The F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance 20th Anniversary

Within F.P. Journe’s selection of fine watches, perhaps no collection better exemplifies the brand’s ethos than the Résonance. Born from Francois-Paul’s personal fascination with clocks made by Breguet and Antide Janvier in the 18th and 19th centuries, F.P. Journe spent many years grappling with the concept of resonance before he was able to successfully extend the principle to wrist watches. Today we are highlighting a pair of special Résonance examples in platinum and pink gold that play an important role in the collection’s short, yet illustrious, history.

F-P-Journe-Chronometre-Resonance-20th-Anniversary — F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance 20th Anniversary

History

In the early 1800s, Breguet began experimenting with the phenomenon of resonance in pocket watches. The principle held that placing two escapements in close proximity affixed to a single mainplate would result in the synchronization of the movements and the increased accuracy of the timepiece (it’s certainly complicated, but when you look at pictures of the resonance movement, it begins to make sense). The same technique was used by Antide Janvier in his famous pendulum clocks. Breguet and Janvier were two of the biggest influencers of F.P. Journe. Since his foundations in the watch space, Journe had wanted to explore the resonance concept and scale it down to fit in a wrist watch.

In 1999 F.P. Journe started his brand with the Tourbillon Souverain, but by 2000, after several unsuccessful attempts, Journe finally completed a Résonance wrist watch. The impact of the piece was monumental. Not only was the Résonance a beautiful watch, it attracted a tremendous amount of needed attention to the Journe brand. During the infant years of the maison, Journe had already successfully achieved a feat no other wrist watch brand had. The release of the Résonance foreshadowed the impending success of the Journe brand and Francois-Paul’s continual quest to create an ever more accurate chronometer. This quest continues to this day.

In 2019, in celebration of the Chronomètre à Résonance’s 20th anniversary and right before a complete overhaul of the Résonance movement — the next generation was entirely reworked— Journe released a “final edition” Résonance maintaining much of the original movement architecture but replacing the once symmetrical subdials with separate 12 hour and 24 hour subdials.

Design Details

The 20th Anniversary Chronomètre à Résonance final edition serves as a blending of many of the attributes of previous Résonance models. A 40mm case remains consistent with the previous generation, which in turn replaced the 38mm Résonances of early Journe history. Similarly, the piece utilizes the rose gold movements of contemporary Journe (after 2004).

With two separate escapements affixed to the same mainplate, on this edition Journe chose to create separate 24 hour and 12 hour subsidiary dials. These subsidiary dials are beautifully guilloched and the seconds subdials are snailed. This blending of textures, juxtaposed with a slate-gray dial, pops in person. This detail is one of the places Journe truly shines, while also calling to mind the heritage of Breguet that helped influence Journe’s tastes (Breguet is attributed with first introducing engine-turned dials on production pieces).

This edition features a slightly stronger bezel, a characteristic of the 40mm Résonance era. Earlier 38mm references have a much larger dial-to-bezel ratio, which some prefer and others dislike. The thicker bezel of modern variants certainly adds visual weight to the design, and gives the illusion of a sportier appeal. Additionally, the 20th Anniversary Final Edition is offered in rose gold and platinum variants, each with matching tang buckles. Both the rose gold and platinum versions have blued signature Journe hands, which pop as one of the few striking colored elements on the pieces.

Another detail that is found on every Journe but often goes unnoticed is the use of curved spring bars on straps. This allows the strap integration to be seamless, with no gap between the strap’s edge and the case flank. Equally praiseworthy, Journe uses double-sided alligator straps as opposed to lining the inside of the strap with calf, as is the more affordable convention of most traditional brands. While these straps are certainly more expensive as a result of these refinements, the curved spring bars and double sided alligator help to join with a series of ultra-fine details on the Résonance execution that make the watch that tiny bit better than the rest.

The watchmaking industry experiences steep increases in watchmaking quality for each added dollar towards the lower end of the market. At the top end, on the other hand, customers are often willing to add a zero to the end of an asking price to have every detail covered. This is certainly the case with Journe. Those that love Journe (I am certainly one), enjoy the fact that the brand has chosen to invest in the marginal improvements that help to separate “the men from the boys”, so to speak.

Inner Workings

As with many Journe pieces, the movement is the focal point of the piece. The 1499.3 is laden with a cornucopia of fine finishing details. Crafted from solid rose gold, the movement adds significant heft to the piece and features a beautiful symmetry as a result of the dual escapements and gear trains. Looking at the movement, what we’re seeing is a case study in what top-tier movement finishing is meant to look like. It’s detailed without being frilly. Placing the two escapements in such close proximity, and requiring two separate timekeeping mechanisms — effectively two movements — produces a unique aesthetic that is unlike other movements. If we wanted to get very fussy, a sharp interior angle or two would have been nice to see, but given the complexity of the piece as a whole, we’ll let that slide.

Since the Résonance collection was updated to the more modern version, this movement was phased out. While the new movement is certainly beautiful and technically better performing, in my opinion, the symmetrical quality has been lost to some extent.

For the two variants of the 20th Anniversary Final Edition Résonance, two very different movement/ case metal interplays occur. The rose gold case on the rose gold movement makes for a very rich look, while the platinum variant certainly calls more attention to the case back, since the movement pops with contrast with the white metal.

Versus the Competition

Since Journe’s perfection of the Résonance, few brands have successfully created rival pieces (Armin Strom has a Résonance piece available with entirely modernist aesthetics). Most of the competition on the Résonance front, as mentioned previously, exists within Journe’s own repertoire.

After the Souscription run of the Résonance, a relatively small production of brass movement 38mm Resonances was produced. These watches have a special desirability as they represent practically the same timepiece as the Souscription models, only available in (relatively) greater abundance. The same rarity applies to early brass Tourbillon models, equally prized for their rarity and significance within the brand’s history.

After Journe’s transition to rose gold movements, a series of pieces were made with a unique “parking meter” dial. The Parking Meter Resonance linked is also part of the black label series, boutique exclusive variants offered only to previous Journe customers.

Finally, the modern 40mm Resonance, with relocated crown and updated movement, provides a slightly more contemporary interpretation of the Résonance, with an aperture display that shows a window into the movement componentry. On the movement side, the new Résonance now supplies power to both gear trains from a single barrel, as opposed to the twin barrels of the previous generation.

There are many variants available of the Résonance, ranging from rose gold cases to platinum, with various solid gold and ruthenium dial offerings. Journe collectors quickly hone in on the generations and specific combinations they prefer, but having an understanding of the evolution of the model over time is a key part of the purchase decision.

Personality

The Journe Chronomètre à Résonance 20th Anniversary Edition is almost certainly not going to be a collector’s first piece. That said, a number of seasoned collectors would love to own this piece. There are a group of collectors out there that are interested in collecting movements. In other words, these connoisseurs are concerned with collecting watches that reflect different complications or mechanical achievements. A collector of this kind would love to own a Resonance of any variety as a result of the uniqueness of Journe’s movement architecture and execution.

Those that love the Résonance understand the significance of this particular reference, as the final edition of the traditional Résonance aesthetic before the shift to the new movement. It is likely that these examples will continue to grow in popularity and desirability as the community recognizes the pivotal period in Journe history that these pieces occupy. No one but Journe knows what the future of the Résonance holds, but the 20th Anniversary will always serve as the final year the Résonance maintained its original format.

Final Thoughts

F.P. Journe has always symbolized the modern manifestation of traditional watchmaking tradition. No other brand has gone as far as Journe in placing the legacy of the classical watchmakers such as Breguet upon its shoulders. The Résonance is arguably the defining piece within the Journe collection, serving as the most recognizable and iconic of designs. The pair of Résonances featured today play an important role in the story of F.P. Journe and its brief yet successful history producing the finest watches in the industry. Today, Journe serves as an inspiration to the rest of the independent watchmaking industry; through his success countless other small brands have begun to share their craft and creativity with the market. Ultimately, this legacy began even prior to the formation of the Journe brand, when Francois-Paul set his sights on perfecting the concept of resonance within watches. Today, collectors have the unique opportunity to own a significant part of this story and the renaissance of the independent watchmaking sub-industry.