BOUTIQUE
F.P. JOURNE
Sonnerie Souveraine
The Grande Sonnerie with minute repeater is without a
doubt one of the most complex horological creations
in mechanical watchmaking. The making of which
demands not only the ability to engineer and craft
solutions that create a mechanical computer, but also
the hammer & gong systems to chime the time in
passing – or on demand. These masterful machina-
tions are typically delicate affairs that must be cared
for with kid gloves and used only in the exact manner
and order proscribed by the maker.
Then there’s F.P. Journe. As his entry in the
specification book stipulates: “make the watch so that
an eight-year-old child can manipulate it safely without
damaging it. To meet this challenge I had to construct
a movement based on new mechanical principles”. No
less than ten patents attest to his commitment to his
own “Invenit” principles, while the watch was a full six
years in the making “Fecit”.
Journe designed extra-flat gongs only 3/10 of a
millimeter thick. which requires a very specific hammer
strike. In fact the impact of F.P. Journe’s hammers are
a level of magnitude less than the typical strike force
of other modern chiming watches. Working with
the acoustics, the Sonnerie Souveraine F.P.Journe
produces an amazing sound even with a gentle touch
of the striking hammers.
The pusher at 4 o’clock allows you to choose
between three options: Grande Sonnerie, Petite
Sonnerie and Silence, while the actuator at 2 o’clock
activates the minute repeater on demand. For its strik-
ing watches, F.P.Journe has chosen to use steel cases,
claiming that the crystalline structure of steel creates
the optimum transmission of sound.
The Sonnerie Souveraine is scheduled to be discon-
tinued. F.P. Journe invites clients to place their order
until December 31, 2018, when the books will be closed
on the series. Price 714,000 Swiss Francs.
IW RATING
Design: 8 (out of 10)
Iconic minimalism hints at the complex mechanism
inside.
Innovation: 9
Ten patents says it all.
Finissage: 10
Every component beveled, polished, or finished to
perfection.
Legibility: 8
Subdial stands out with no clutter to interfere.
Rarity: 9
Although an exact total is not given, the December
deadline looms.
Value: 9
F.P. Journe complications perform well at auction.
Overall iW rating: 53 (out of 60)
40 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | FALL 2018