Our final live auction of the spring 2026 season, The Phillips New York Watch Auction: XIV, takes place on 13–14 June at our Manhattan headquarters, bringing together more than 150 exceptional watches in a carefully curated sale. Ahead of the auction, we’ll be highlighting some of its most compelling timepieces and stories, including the lots featured in this article.
By Steven Rogers
The F.P. Journe auction market has shown little sign of slowing down over the past 12 months. In December 2025, Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo achieved more than US$19 million across 12 Journe lots during The New York Watch Auction: XIII, led by the unique FFC Prototype, which realized US$10.7 million.
Then, in early May this year, Phillips sold a further nine F.P. Journe watches for more than US$16.6 million during The Geneva Watch Auction: XXIII, setting six world records for Journe references in the process, including US$6.3 million for a rare-configuration Chronomètre à Résonance “Souscription No. 18”.
And most recently, The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XXII saw 15 Journe lots realize almost US$10 million in total, led by a Tourbillon Souverain “Chine 2010 38” Beijing boutique edition that achieved US$4.2 million.
New York Up Next
So where does the market go from here? Phillips’ New York Watch Auction: XIV may offer further clues. No fewer than 17 Journe watches will cross the block during the 156-lot sale, led by another potentially seismic Résonance.
The monster in the room is Lot 10, a Chronomètre à Résonance “Souscription, No. 007,” one of just two known examples combining a platinum and pink gold case with a pink gold dial, believed to be the only publicly obtainable piece.
The Résonance that achieved US$6.3 million in Geneva last month shared the same two-tone case construction, though with the less rare white gold dial.
Rarity Reassessed
For Alexandre Ghotbi, Deputy Chairman and Head of Watches, Europe and Middle East at Phillips, the continued rise of the F.P. Journe market is less about short-term hype and more about a reassessment of rarity itself.
“Nobody bats an eyelid when a Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 or Ref. 2499 keeps going up in price,” he says. “Just because F.P. Journe is modern doesn’t mean it’s not as rare. In fact, some Journe pieces are rarer than a 1518 or 2499.”
Front of Mind for Collectors
Founded by virtuoso French watchmaker François-Paul Journe in 1999, F.P. Journe occupies a distinctive position within independent watchmaking.
Produced in relatively small numbers over more than two decades, the Geneva brand’s watches now inhabit a curious middle ground: established enough to inspire confidence among collectors, yet scarce enough for the rarest examples to generate enormous competition whenever they appear at auction.
“He’s a bit like Picasso,” says Ghotbi. “His name is now ingrained in collector circles. He’s one of the easiest entry points into independent watchmaking because he’s been around long enough to have a history and a legacy, so people feel comfortable buying one of his pieces.”
The Sky’s the Limit
So how high can Journe pieces go? Ghotbi believes there could be an inevitable leveling-off for the broader market, but that the rarest early Journes may continue following a different trajectory, driven by a combination of shrinking supply and growing collector appetite.
“Nothing goes up forever, not at this level. At one point, the market will probably reach a plateau,” says Ghotbi. “But for the early pieces, the ones with special dials, the super rare ones… the sky’s the limit.
“With current prices, whoever is buying these rare pieces is likely to hold on to them. So, we’ll probably begin seeing fewer and fewer of them appearing at auction, and the prices, I think, could continue climbing.”
The 17 F.P. Journe watches heading to New York vary in style, rarity, and estimate, but together they offer a revealing snapshot of the current state of Journe collecting.
Here are five highlights, including the aforementioned Chronomètre à Résonance, the origins-inspired Tourbillon Anniversaire Historique “T30”, and a selection of increasingly sought-after boutique and retailer editions.
F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance “Souscription, No. 007” in 18k Pink Gold and Platinum with Pink Gold Dial
The significance of the Chronomètre à Résonance within the F.P. Journe canon hardly needs explaining. First unveiled in 2000, it was the watch that transformed an experimental horological phenomenon explored by Antide Janvier and Abraham-Louis Breguet into a modern wristwatch reality.
But not all Résonances command the same status in the eyes of collectors. The present “Souscription, No. 007” belongs to the first 20 Résonances reserved for clients who had supported Journe’s fledgling manufacture at the turn of the millennium through the same subscription system that helped finance his early workshops and the Tourbillon Souverain.
Accompanied by its original contract signed by François-Paul Journe himself, the present watch also stands apart thanks to its striking two-tone platinum and pink gold case paired with a pink gold dial.
As mentioned, research indicates that just two examples like this were ever made, and the second is believed to remain with Journe himself. In practical terms, that leaves one obtainable example.
F.P. Journe Tourbillon Anniversaire Historique “T30” in Silver and 18k Pink Gold
The T30 serves as a reminder of where the François-Paul Journe story began. Released in 2014 to mark the 30th anniversary of Journe’s first tourbillon pocket watch, the Tourbillon Anniversaire Historique is less a retrospective reissue than an intimate autobiography rendered in wristwatch form.
The layout of the dial closely mirrors the Marseille native’s original pocket watch, while the unusual use of silver for much of the case harks back to the reality that the young Journe could not afford to craft his early pocket watch entirely in gold. That material decision gives each T30 its own evolving patina over time.
Numbered 93 of 99 pieces, the present example is, of course, fitted with the hinged officer-style caseback that conceals a beautifully symmetrical movement inspired by 19th-century watchmaking, while the engraved lacquer-filled dial has a classicist aesthetic seldom encountered in contemporary haute horlogerie.
F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain Anniversaire “Hong Kong, No. 1” in Titanium and 18k Pink Gold
The rise of boutique and retailer limited editions has become a defining strand of Journe collecting, and this Tourbillon Souverain Anniversaire “Hong Kong, No. 1” captures that phenomenon perfectly.
Produced in 2010 to celebrate the first anniversary of the brand’s Hong Kong boutique, the watch belongs to a tiny series of just 20 anniversary Tourbillons created for the Hong Kong, Tokyo, Geneva, and Boca Raton boutiques – each city receiving five numbered examples. The present watch is numbered “1 of 5”.
Beyond its rare configuration – titanium case, pink gold hands and crown, and ruthenium-treated dial – this watch belongs to the “TN” generation, short for Tourbillon Nouveau, which introduced solid pink gold movements in place of brass calibers while adding a deadbeat seconds mechanism to the remontoir-equipped Tourbillon Souverain.
Two years ago, F.P. Journe announced that its Chronographe FB created for the 20th anniversary of the Tokyo boutique would effectively mark the end of the brand’s limited-edition chapter. That decision has only intensified collector interest in earlier boutique and retailer pieces such as the present Tourbillon Souverain Anniversaire.
F.P. Journe Octa Chronographe “Swiss FineTiming” in Platinum
Among Journe collectors, the Octa Chronographe has long held a special place. Introduced in 2001, it was the brand’s first automatic chronograph, pairing a flyback chronograph mechanism with an oversized date and a substantial 120-hour power reserve.
It was also the first Journe model to be discontinued, eventually giving way to the Centigraphe Souverain in 2007. Produced around that same period, the present “Swiss FineTiming” edition represents one of the final expressions of the Octa Chronographe, taking that already desirable foundation into striking new aesthetic territory.
Made in a run of just seven examples for the Chicago-area retailer Swiss FineTiming – one of several early partners that supported Journe long before the current collector frenzy – this one-owner watch features an unusually graphic dial combining black outer tracks and red lettering with a silver-toned center.
F.P. Journe Chronomètre Souverain “Swiss FineTiming” in Platinum
A sibling to the Octa Chronographe “Swiss FineTiming”, this Chronomètre Souverain “Swiss FineTiming” was produced in a series of just eight examples for the same Chicago retailer, adopting the same stark black, red, and silver-toned livery.
Powered by the twin-barrel Caliber 1304, the watch displays hours, minutes, small seconds, and power reserve with the characteristic clarity of the Chronomètre Souverain. Yet the punchy color scheme gives the watch a more vivid and unconventional character than its toned-down counterparts.
You can learn more about these timepieces, place a bid, and view the entire Phillips New York Watch Auction: XIV catalogue right here.
About Phillips In Association With Bacs & Russo
The team of specialists at Phillips Watches is dedicated to an uncompromised approach to quality, transparency, and client service. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo holds the world record for the most successful watch auction, with its DECADE ONE (2015–2025) sale having realized $83 million in 2025. The annual total for watch auctions in 2025 exceeded $290 million, marking the first time any auction house's Watches department has surpassed US$200 million in annual sales for five consecutive years.
About Steven Rogers
Steven Rogers is Senior Editorial Manager at Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo, with 15 years’ experience in the Swiss watch industry as an editor, copywriter, and communications manager across brands, agencies, and media.