Originally released at the beginning of the millennium, the F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance can certainly be considered as one of the most daring and thought provoking watches of the past 30 years. The model was the world’s first wristwatch to use the resonance phenomenon, whereby the movement is composed of two independent balances, alternatively serving as an “exciter” and “resonator”. When in motion, the two balances create a resonance effect and beat in opposition, naturally evening out each other’s discrepancies and thus permitting greater accuracy. Inspired by the early works of the great 18th century watchmaker Antide Janvier and by Abraham Louis Breguet, Journe in 1983 set off to develop and successfully implement the resonance system into a pocket watch only to further push its boundaries almost 17 years later in creating a wristwatch version.

Made from 2000 to 2004, first generation Chronomètre à Resonance, like the present lot, feature rhodium plated brass movements and a 38mm case. Highly sought-after by collectors, these early Journe combine technical prowess with historical relevance. As a dual-time wristwatch, the two time-zones are presented on separate silver guilloché subdials that show the hours, minutes and seconds in a 12-hour display. In 2004 the second generation models (the RN series for "Resonance "Nouvelle") would introduce rose gold movements to replace brass and housed predominantly in a larger 40mm cases.

Cased in platinum and in excellent overall condition, the present F.P Journe Chronomètre à Résonance is further accompanied by its full set of accessories. Featuring a rare brass movement and possibly being one of the last models to feature one, the present Chronomètre à Résonance is a unique opportunity to obtain a historically important timepiece that has become one of the most important horological breakthroughs of the early 21st century.