F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain 20th Anniversary

A new Tourbillon Souverain to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Tourbillon Souverain.

The innovative and revolutionary horological creator François-Paul Journe has inspired a generation of contemporary watchmakers with the originality of his creations, his quest for precision, his timeless and immediately recognisable style, and his respect for horological ethics and traditions.

Fascinated by the tourbillon since his youth, François-Paul Journe began to make his first watch when he was 20 - entirely by hand. It was a tourbillon pocket watch. In 1991, he created his first tourbillon wristwatch, selling the very small number of examples to a handful of knowledgeable collectors. In 1999, he launched the first Tourbillon Souverain with remontoir d’égalité in wristwatch form. It was sold by subscription and was much sought after by collectors who rival with each other to get on the shortlist of 20 examples.

The year 2003 saw the birth of the new generation of tourbillon souverain, to which François-Paul Journe added natural deadbeats second. Then, to make the watches even more desirable, he produced his haute horlogerie movements in 18ct rose gold, a first in the world of modern mechanical watchmaking.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of this emblematic wristwatch, F.P.Journe has developed a tourbillon whose cage is vertical, rather than the traditional horizontal cage. “I designed this vertical tourbillon so that the tourbillon’s functions remain constant whether the watch lies flat or is placed on its side, and the amplitude is subsequently the same, whether with a deployant clasp lying on the side or with an ardillon buckle lying flat.”

This vertical tourbillon with remontoir d’égalité and deadbeats second makes one revolution every 30 seconds. This is faster than the usual time of one minute, making the technical prowess even more visually astonishing. Surrounding the cage, a cone-shaped mirror-polished ring concentrates light, reflecting the tourbillon cage. A second reflector was created on the movement side to provide light around the tourbillon cage. The 4n rose gold bridges that form the dial are decorated with “clous de paris” guilloche with, for the first time, an enamel hour dial at 3 o’clock. The new Tourbillon Souverain also features an 80-hour power reserve at 12 o’clock and small seconds at 6 o’clock; the remontoir d’égalité is placed at 7 o’clock. The 42 mm case is available in platinum or in 18k 6n gold.