robert10
431
I didn’t know, and you probably did not either.
When I discovered FP Journe's watches I could immediately see that they were both very special, fantastic and unlike anything else I have seen before, and I learned what Invenit et Fecit meant and thought it was a fantastic credo that collects the man, his amazing ideas and his sublime craftsmanship.
Later I learned that F.P. Journe probably chose his credo but he did not invent it. However, it takes nothing from F.P.Journe, on the contrary it shows that his work is not only special and amazing but also has deep roots in the horological history.
I found the phrase Invenit et Fecit on dials and calibers dating back to the 1700s.
Now I'm guessing, but F.P. Journe may have seen the term back in the time when he worked in his uncle's watch workshop, I know from the F.P Journe´s book that there were watches made by Jean-Antoine Lépine in the uncle's workshop.
For your pleasure, I have attached four pictures that show the frase Invenit et Fecit used over time
1. Jean-Antoine Lépine -1788
2. George Margetts ca. 1800
3. Urban Jürgensen 1843
4. Derek Pratt 1991 (Pocket Watch for Urban Jürgensen)
I didn’t know, and you probably did not either.
Thanks for sharing. Indeed the direct inspiration for use of the phrase was from other French watchmakers who used the same phrase in the 18th century.
It was used, as Jay says, by watch makers to say they had conceived the movement and manufactured it,
Thanks Christian 😊
