This Chronomètre Souverain* is quintessentially an F.P Journe in both its design language and movement. Distinguished by its black dial, the piece is extremely rare, thanks to the fact that only existing customers of Journe are allowed to order them, and through the official Journe retailers.

A highly coveted example of the Souverain collection, this “Black Label” piece combines extraordinary independent watchmaking with a rare, exclusive black dial. Produced in extremely limited numbers, these pieces were only offered to existing owners of F.P. Journe pieces and were retailed through the brand’s boutiques. It is speculated that each boutique only received 2 pieces each year.

In 2005, the Chronomètre Souverain won the “Favourite Men’s Watch” award the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, the most prestigious award ceremony in the watch industry. Housed in a classical 40 mm dress watch case, this piece also bears Journe’s signature “flat crown” with a rope-like pattern. The black dial is further distinguished by Clous de Paris pattern at the centre.

An interesting aspect of this timepiece lies in the power reserve, as when winding, instead of the indicator heading from 0 to 56, it goes the other way, from 56 to 0. This was deliberate by F.P. Journe, who borrowed this from marine chronometer clocks. The reasoning behind this lies in the idea that the power reserve indicator on this Chronomètre Souverain is not meant to tell you how many hours there are left, but instead how many hours since you have wound the watch.

Journe is perhaps better known for his movements, and as part of this collection, the in-house created, manual-winding Calibre 1304 is made entirely of 18k rose gold, which can be seen through the sapphire caseback. The movement has two mainspring barrels in parallel, which work together to power the watch. What is perhaps most impressive is the chronometric balance fitted into the movement, which helps to provide the accuracy that F.P. Journe has based his watchmaking around.

Closer look

This F.P. Journe Chronomètre Souverain Black Label is in very good condition overall, with a few superficial marks throughout consistent with minimal wear. The watch comes with a two-year warranty from A Collected Man, alongside a lifetime guarantee of authenticity.