Ampurist's detailed report captures the excitement surrounding the Los Angeles debut of F.P. Journe's first women's collection, the "élégante." This article offers a glimpse into the exclusive event, the boutique's unique atmosphere, and the initial impressions of this significant new offering from a revered independent watchmaker. Readers will gain insight into the design philosophy and reception of the élégante collection.
June 10, 2015 marked the Los Angeles premier of Francois-Paul Journe’s first ladies collection, suitably named “élégante”. Consistently named “a legend of modern watchmaking”, Journe’s first step into the ladies’ market now provides a new alternative first-class set of watches for female enthusiasts, and judging by the crowds at the reception, the watch community knows it.
With a red-carpet entrance and a bouncer at the door, FP Journe’s “élégante” reception certainly befitted its location; the boutique is located on the Sunset strip in Hollywood, surrounded by some of the best restaurants, bars, clubs, and boutiques in Los Angeles. Its location was carefully chosen. Steering clear of the well-known Rodeo Drive sidewalks, FP Journe’s team wanted to attract the true fans of his watches, not just any passerby. Those who want FP Journe must seek out FP Journe.
This boutique is designed like most FP Journe boutiques; the theme of the store focuses on the watch-making process itself. The walls are decorated with pictures of watch making, and an ongoing video shows an interview with Francois-Paul Journe interspersed with photos of the process and of his watches.
On this night, the boutique was filled with guests ranging from FP Journe super fans and hardcore collectors, to clients just discovering and testing out their passions. Attentive waiters delivered drinks and hors d’oeuvres. As for the stars of the night, six vitrines were stationed about the room displaying the “élégante” collection. All six rubber strap colors were represented. One vitrine featuring the midnight blue strap also displayed the diamond pave option.
Other color choices include:
Rose
White
Light Blue
Chocolate
and Khaki Green
Around 100 guests attended; many of them hoping to meet Francois-Paul Journe himself. Luckily, even though his flight was delayed, he was able to make it and mingle with his fans. Walking through the reception, one could frequently hear admirers ask to take photos with him.
Francois-Paul Journe’s interest into the women’s side of watches came from the “demand from collectors and their wives for a usable and practical, yet FP Journe quality watch”, said Pierre Halimi Lacharlotte, Journe’s business partner. He then broke down the innovation behind the “élégante” collection into two parts: the time-stopping mechanism that saves battery life on a quartz watch and the two separate engines for the seconds and minute/hours.
A quartz watch is dependent on its battery’s life, as opposed to a mechanical movement, which relies on a wound spring. This has created a divide in the watch community about which movement is better, and a common criticism of the quartz watch is its reliance on batteries. However, Francois-Paul Journe defied expectations in the creation of the “élégante” quartz movement.
It takes a real daredevil to challenge the barriers of the traditional quartz movement and break down the well-known problem surrounding it. If an “élégante” watch is dormant for more than thirty minutes, the watch hands stop moving to conserve battery. However, a microprocessor continues to keep track of the time. If the motion sensor, located visibly on the dial at 4:30, detects motion again, the hands will swing back to the correct time. Using a patented method, the hands will take the shortest route back to the correct time, swinging either forwards or backwards.
The second innovation comes from the two separate electric motors: one for the second hand and one for the minutes and hours. As many watch enthusiasts know, watch gears lead to friction, and friction leads to a loss of power and the need for lubrication. Journe, who did not want to create a watch which needed servicing every four to five years, thus developed the two-motor movement. This eliminates the gears driving the seconds off the hour and minute hands.
In a sly nod to Journe's trandition of using rose gold for his in-house mechanical movement bases, rose gold is used for the circuit traces of the quartz circuit boards, something that turned out to be much more difficult than expected, taking a few years to overcome. The mechanical parts are fabricated in Geneva as they would be for any of his watches, while the electronic components are gracefully created to his unique design.
Thanks to these innovative methods, the “élégante” watch movements have an average battery life of 8-10 years, up to a maximum battery lifespan of eighteen years. The collection is innovative and Journe truly kept the user in mind while designing these watches. Lacharlotte claimed that Journe set back development by two extra years by refusing to compromise on this method. It took eight years to fully develop his creation.
FP Journe, who is already a veritable horology celebrity on the East Coast, is still finding its steady foothold on the West Coast. The Los Angeles boutique has only been open for about two and a half years. However, the enthusiasm surrounding his collections and innovative technology, the turnout for the “élégante” reception, and his steadily increasing fan base truly prove that Journe will quickly gain as much popularity in the West as he has in the East.
This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2015-06-19 16:53:48 
