125Σ︎
F.P. Journe
Chronomètre à Resonance "Pre Production 022/99"
A ground breaking and historically important pre-production chronometer wristwatch numbered 022/99R with double escapement, power reserve indicator, early pink gold shiny dial and shallow engravings
Estimate
CHF500,000–1,000,000
€530,000–1,060,000
$612,000–1,220,000
Manufacturer
F.P. Journe
Year
1999
Case No
022/99
Model Name
Chronomètre à Resonance "Pre Production 022/99"
Material
Platinum
Calibre
Manual, cal. 1499, 36 jewels
Bracelet/Strap
Alligator
Clasp/Buckle
Platinum F.P. Journe pin buckle
Dimensions
38mm diameter
Accessories
Accompanied by F.P. Joune instructions manual, presentation box and outer packaging.
Full-Cataloguing
Good To Know
- Double Balance Resonating caliber
- Number 022/99 from the original 10 piece Pre-Production Series
- The earliest case number to have been commercially available
- Shiny pink gold dial and shallow engravings
- 38mm case with brass movement
- Original owner
One has to turn the watch over and read the caseback engravings to be able to grasp the sheer greatness and historical relevance of the present watch.
022/99R
022 for the 22nd piece
99 for the year case was ordered, thus 1999
R for Resonance
Now comes the big question: how can a watch date from 1999 when it was officially launched a year later?!
But first we need to understand Journe’s history.
F.P. Journe’s first wristwatch launched under his newly created brand was the Tourbillon Souverain in 1999 rapidly followed by what was then – and remains- an incredibly cutting edge and innovative timepiece: the Chronomètre à Résonance, the world’s first wristwatch to use the resonance phenomenon. The movement is composed of two independent balances, alternatively serving as an “exciter” and “resonator.” This phenomenon was first documented in horology by French royal clockmaker Antide Janvier in the 18th century in his double pendulum clocks, but it was François-Paul Journe who created the world’s first wristwatch using this phenomenon, officially launching in 2000.
To thank the buyers of his original Tourbillon the first 20 pieces of the Resonance were reserved for them with cases bearing numbers 001-20/00R.
Journe retained Resonance number 21 as a piece to be shown during watch fairs to clients and retailers and the watch is still with him.
If the Resonance models 1-20 were delivered starting 2000 and number 21 being with Journe, one can now grasp the incredible historical importance of the present number 22 which would make it the earliest case number of a Resonance to have been made commercially available.
Different Categories for the Chronomètre à Resonance
The earliest F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance examples can be divided into three categories. After the first two years of case production (99R and 00R), the characteristics of the Résonance become more standardized, until the brass movement series is discontinued in its entirety by 2004.
No. 001 – 020: The Souscription watches. These were first offered to those twenty clients of Journe who purchased his Tourbillon Souverain, funding his brand. They bear the suffix /00R for their production year of 2000. They were not necessarily delivered in that order, contrary to previous schools of thought, but many of the clients who purchased a Souscription Tourbillon also ordered a matching Résonance. They have the deeper engravings to the caseback, as Journe used laser-etching for this series.
No. 021 – 03X: The Pre-Production watches, with suffix /99R. These were in fact the first approximately 10 Resonances created by Journe and are numbered after the Souscription watches but produced and sometimes delivered before. About 10 examples. With shallow engravings. The present watch.
No. 03X – 05X: The Pre-Souscription watches, with suffix /00R. Estimated 30-40 examples. These were ordered before the Souscription Resonances and bear the shallow engravings and shiny dials typical of the earliest references R and T.
One could conclude that the “pre-production” watches, ordered in 1999, were delivered to those who attended the Basel Fair wherein Journe presented his creations to the public for the first time. The Pre-Souscription watches, one can hypothesize, were purchased by the first members of the public to be won over by Journe’s horological merits.
The present example number 022/99 is one of the earliest numbered example of the Pre-Production series to be available (considering that number 21/99 is with Journe), it features the coveted shallow engravings, uber rare shiny pink gold dial and silvery sub-dials.
In an interesting twist of fate the consignor (and original owner) of the present Pre-Production number 022 had the choice of whichever number he wanted and ordered number 22 as it was his birth date!
- Double Balance Resonating caliber
- Number 022/99 from the original 10 piece Pre-Production Series
- The earliest case number to have been commercially available
- Shiny pink gold dial and shallow engravings
- 38mm case with brass movement
- Original owner
One has to turn the watch over and read the caseback engravings to be able to grasp the sheer greatness and historical relevance of the present watch.
022/99R
022 for the 22nd piece
99 for the year case was ordered, thus 1999
R for Resonance
Now comes the big question: how can a watch date from 1999 when it was officially launched a year later?!
But first we need to understand Journe’s history.
F.P. Journe’s first wristwatch launched under his newly created brand was the Tourbillon Souverain in 1999 rapidly followed by what was then – and remains- an incredibly cutting edge and innovative timepiece: the Chronomètre à Résonance, the world’s first wristwatch to use the resonance phenomenon. The movement is composed of two independent balances, alternatively serving as an “exciter” and “resonator.” This phenomenon was first documented in horology by French royal clockmaker Antide Janvier in the 18th century in his double pendulum clocks, but it was François-Paul Journe who created the world’s first wristwatch using this phenomenon, officially launching in 2000.
To thank the buyers of his original Tourbillon the first 20 pieces of the Resonance were reserved for them with cases bearing numbers 001-20/00R.
Journe retained Resonance number 21 as a piece to be shown during watch fairs to clients and retailers and the watch is still with him.
If the Resonance models 1-20 were delivered starting 2000 and number 21 being with Journe, one can now grasp the incredible historical importance of the present number 22 which would make it the earliest case number of a Resonance to have been made commercially available.
Different Categories for the Chronomètre à Resonance
The earliest F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance examples can be divided into three categories. After the first two years of case production (99R and 00R), the characteristics of the Résonance become more standardized, until the brass movement series is discontinued in its entirety by 2004.
No. 001 – 020: The Souscription watches. These were first offered to those twenty clients of Journe who purchased his Tourbillon Souverain, funding his brand. They bear the suffix /00R for their production year of 2000. They were not necessarily delivered in that order, contrary to previous schools of thought, but many of the clients who purchased a Souscription Tourbillon also ordered a matching Résonance. They have the deeper engravings to the caseback, as Journe used laser-etching for this series.
No. 021 – 03X: The Pre-Production watches, with suffix /99R. These were in fact the first approximately 10 Resonances created by Journe and are numbered after the Souscription watches but produced and sometimes delivered before. About 10 examples. With shallow engravings. The present watch.
No. 03X – 05X: The Pre-Souscription watches, with suffix /00R. Estimated 30-40 examples. These were ordered before the Souscription Resonances and bear the shallow engravings and shiny dials typical of the earliest references R and T.
One could conclude that the “pre-production” watches, ordered in 1999, were delivered to those who attended the Basel Fair wherein Journe presented his creations to the public for the first time. The Pre-Souscription watches, one can hypothesize, were purchased by the first members of the public to be won over by Journe’s horological merits.
The present example number 022/99 is one of the earliest numbered example of the Pre-Production series to be available (considering that number 21/99 is with Journe), it features the coveted shallow engravings, uber rare shiny pink gold dial and silvery sub-dials.
In an interesting twist of fate the consignor (and original owner) of the present Pre-Production number 022 had the choice of whichever number he wanted and ordered number 22 as it was his birth date!
F.P. Journe
Swiss | 1999Founded by watchmaker François-Paul Journe in 1999, the F.P. Journe brand is relatively young, but already is as highly regarded by collectors as many distinguished manufacturers with centuries-old heritage. In the minds of the world's savviest collectors, Journe is producing some of the finest wristwatches the market has ever seen. Mastering his craft from restoring historical timepieces, he was the first to create a wristwatch incorporating two escapements that benefit from the phenomenon of resonance — the Chronomètre à Résonance.
Key models include the Résonance, tourbillon wristwatches incorporating a remontoir and the limited edition Vagabondage series. Especially sought-after are his earliest "souscription" watches, made in 1999.