F.P. Journe luxury watches first came into existence in 1976, when F.P. Journe crafted his first watch.  François-Paul Journe was born in France in 1959 and graduated from the acclaimed school of watch-making in Paris in 1976. He created his first watch in 1978 - a sprung-detent tourbillon pocketwatch inspired by the work of Abraham-Louis Breguet. He created several innovative, one-of-a-kind timepieces inspired by Breguet including constant-force tourbillons, an astronomical watch and a self-winding perpetual-calendar pocket-watch with constant-force remontoir. 

 

The F.P. Journe Legacy

 

By 1985, Journe opened his own workshops in Paris and the leading European collectors had learned his name. By the end of the 1980s, the high-end watch-making industry was headquartered in Switzerland. Journe began supplying complex and original designs, prototypes and intricate mechanisms to luxury brands including Cartier, Breguet, Piaget, Corum and Harry Winston. He partnered with a Geneva-based workshop in 1987; and by the mid-1990s he opened his own workshops, TIM S.A.  F.P. Journe watches are renowned for featuring exclusive workings and characteristics.  One example of this is the chronometers used in the F.P. Journe watches.  Designed by Journe himself, the chronometer watches feature silver hour and minute dials that are screwed together using a unique, patented system to the right hand side of the watch face.  Today, F.P. Journe retailers are spread throughout the world, with distributors in Switzerland, Boca Raton, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.  

 

The F.P. Journe Collection

 

There are two primary lines of F.P. Journe watches that are offered within the collection.  Each line has several unique models.  The first is the Souverin line, whose flagship model is the Tourbillon Souverain.  Though this particular F.P. Journe watch has been around for quite some time, the newly revamped model is designed with the modern watch owner in mind.  Not only has the look been modernized, the new Tourbillon Souverain also features an independent seconds system, which was not present on the previous models.  This helps provide a more accurate read-off time.  As of today, there have only been a few hundred of the new Tourbillon Souverain watches produced, making them even more rare and exclusive.  Other F.P. Journe watch models in the Souverain collection include the Chronometre a Resonance and the Chronometre Souverain.  

 

The second line in the F.P. Journe watch collection is the Octa series.  This line features a sleekness and elegance that is also equipped for multi-purpose use.  It is among the most complicated of Journe’s constructions and features several complicated mechanisms built into movement.  The Octa collection also features the first automatic movement with a power reserve that is able to maintain accurate and precision timekeeping for 120 hours (five days) off the wrist.  F.P. Journe watch models in the Octa collection include the Octa Reserve de Marche, the Octa Lune, and the Octa Divine 36.  

 

F.P. Journe at Wingate’s

 

Wingate’s is proud to offer a selection of exclusive FP Journe watches for men, including Octa and Tourbillon models.