An iconic backbone of the brand, the Chronomètre Souverain epitomises F.P. Journe’s undying commitment to cognitive design and precision. Translated from marine chronometers of the early 20th century, the model was introduced in 2005 and received instant recognition at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, winning the Favourite Men’s Watch award of the year. Granted the GPHG is the most prestigious award ceremony in Haute horology, it not only cemented his standing within the industry but further elevated his presence beyond the watch community. With only a small number of pieces produced, along with a handful of custom requests from existing clients, this model has since established itself as one of the brand's most coveted dress watches.
Embodying Journe’s iconic design, the present Chronomètre Souverain is part of the ultra-rare 2015 limited edition boxset that was made to turn heads.
The present example is made apparent by its extraordinary two-toned dial, boasting a distinct Clous de Paris guilloche centre in the most gorgeous golden hue, surrounded by a silvered hour chapter with a smooth granulated finish. Complementing its cool steel case, the dial is topped with blued steel hands with matching Arabic numerals. The power reserve indicator, flanked at 3 o’clock, is an interesting mechanism that indicates upwards towards “0”, rather than reading downwards heading from “0” to “56”. A calculated move by the watchmaker, this feature was borrowed from marine chronometer clocks and is supposed to tell its wearer how many hours have advanced since the watch was wound, instead of the number of hours remaining. Complete by a subsidiary seconds register, strategically placed between 7 and 8 o’clock, the dial is well-balanced and very easy on the eyes.
Because the Chronomètre Souverain has the largest hands of any watch in the set, the dark blue of the dial is more prominent here than on any of the others, making the colour of numerals more prominent. Despite being simple the Chronomètre Souverain includes some clever details, including the shrunken “7” and “8” on the dial. Neither is immediately apparent, but it ensures that the seconds sub-dial does not cut into any of the numerals.
Belonging to the manual-winding Souverain family, the present timepiece is the reflection of independent watchmaking at its finest, driven by the in-house cal. 1304 made entirely of pink gold. On display via its sapphire caseback, the movement has two mainspring barrels in parallel, working in unison to power the wristwatch. Beautifully executed, each component is hand-finished with a combination of perlage and sunburst patterns, further defined by the chamfered edges and Côte de Genève bridges.
Numbered 27 of a limited edition of 38 pieces, the current Chronomètre Souverain from the 38mm Steel Set is a tastefully crafted precision instrument made for the modern gentry. Offered in “like-new” condition, Phillips is deeply honoured to present this rare, exquisite timepiece, alongside other watches from the set, including the Octa Réserve de Marche, the Chronomètre à Résonance, the Chronomètre Souverain and the Tourbillon Souverain in our current auction.