After the Tourbillon Souverain, the Chronomètre à Résonance and the Octa, it is now the turn of the Chronomètre Souverain.
Introduced in 2005 and now the most sought-after model in our collections, the Chronomètre Souverain is a watch with three hands and a power reserve indicator. Apparently simple in design, but embodying great mechanical know-how, this timepiece draws its inspiration from traditional marine chronometers. In the 18th century, the governments of Great Britain and France sought to dominate the seas. The two nations offered substantial rewards in order to incite the greatest horological minds to invent a method that would allow the determination of longitude at sea. Since the safety of ships and their crews were of the utmost importance, these mechanical instruments had to be extremely precise.
The Chronomètre Souverain perpetuates this quest for chronometric excellence. Constructed in the purest horological tradition, it is animated by the 18K rose Gold Calibre 1304, which is extra-flat – only 4 mm thick – and manually wound. The two parallel-mounted barrels deliver a highly linear force to the escapement for over 56 hours.
One telling detail reveals that history: the placement of the power reserve hand on the dial at 3 o’clock is a rare occurrence in horology, for that position interferes with the time-setting mechanism operated by the crown. The choice was inspired by marine chronometers, which measured the time elapsed since the last winding. Conventional displays, however, indicate the remaining power reserve. Here that scale is reversed: it stands at “0” when the springs are fully wound and progresses as they unwind.
In order to create a slim and elegant watch, François-Paul Journe rethought the power reserve mechanism, reducing its thickness by more than half to achieve a mere 0.5 mm through the use of ceramic ball bearings, a patented innovation.
In celebration of this 20th anniversary, F.P.Journe announces the Chronomètre Souverain Collection Boutique, with two blue guilloché Silver dials, exclusively available in F.P.Journe Boutiques and Espaces.
