A box set of five iconic F.P Journe timepieces

After building bespoke pocket watches in the 1980s, the very first wristwatch that Francois-Paul Journe created in 1991 had a platinum case with a diameter of 38 mm – unheard of at the time when the biggest timepieces measured between 33 and 36 mm. The watch was so large because it was the world’s first tourbillon wristwatch to be fitted with a remontoir d’egalite, a complex constant force device that required a certain amount of space. A decade later, to satisfy increasing demand from his collectors for heftier-sized cases, F.P Journe began offering each of his timepieces in two sizes: 38 mm and 40 mm. Available dimensions subsequently increased to 42mm after he introduced the Grande Sonnerie in a 42mm case in 2006 and clients started requesting watches in this size.

Now Journe has chosen to discontinue making 38mm watches – an event in itself after a quarter century of uninterrupted production of cases of this dimension – and to mark this milestone, the brand has presented a limited and numbered edition of 38 boxed collector’s sets (CHF 290,000/RM1.25 million) in walnut burl wood and grey leather housing five of its most symbolic, historical 38mm steel case wristwatches.

Called “The Historic Size”, the first watch in the series is the Tourbillon Souverain manufactured from 1999 to 2003, which has never featured a gold movement until now. The second model is the Chronomètre à Résonance in its original configuration with two symmetrical analogue display dials, manufactured between 2000 and 2009. The third is the Octa Automatique, the first automatic watch created by F.P. Journe, produced from 2002 to 2014.

Next up, the Octa Calendrier Annuel, crafted from 2003 to 2014, the brand’s best-selling automatic timepiece. Last but not least, the Chronometre Souverain, a watch from 2005 coveted for its minimalist aesthetic and beautiful movement.