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Photo Essay of Sonnerie Souveraine S'pore launch, Part 1 - last year's preview!
F.P. Journe Invenit et Fecit watches - be it the simplest prize winning Chronometre Souveraine to the most complicated Sonnerie Souveraine, is consistently expected:
- to meet Chronometry standard of mechanical time measurement, even if no F.P. Journe watch has been submitted to COSC for their Chronometer test
- to be thin, or at least elegantly thin enough even in the extremely complicated Grande Sonnerie. F.P. Journe has expressed privately at times to be unhappy with some of the super thick-layer cake complications being introduced in the market by others.
- to be functionally impressive, from the simple and classical Chronometre Souveraine, the very unusual Resonance to the impressive morte Seconds Tourbillon with Remontoir.
(Masaki Saito San presented the Sonnerie Souveraine to the Sincere Haute Horlogerie Team)
The story of this serious independent watchmaker can be told by the 2 interviews we did, the most impressive http://www.thepurists.com/watch/features/interviews/journejan03/index.htm done by our brilliant Alex Ghotbi and a follow up here at http://www.tp178.com/tjn/journe/fpj/fpj2[2].html
(Note the relative thinness of the watch)
When Masaki Saito San gave Singapore a private preview of the Sonnerie Soveraine last year, I was immediately impressed with the arduous effort involved in this technically brilliant piece (see our very impressive technical introduction to this watch by Ian Skellern here at http://www.thepurists.net/Patrons/members/ian_s/journesonsouv/sonsouv.htm )
(Sonnerie Souveraine, note the 2 hammers at window, the unusual consolidated power reserve indicator (11 o'clock) and the 3 positions (7 o'clock) adjusted by the 4 o??clock pushpiece ??G?? for Grande Sonnerie strike ?C Hour strike at each hour, Hour and respective quarter strikes at each quarter, ??S?? for silence and ??P?? for Petite Sonnerie ?C Hour strike at each hour, quarter strikes at each respective quarters. Of course, regardless of position, it can be chimed on demand by the 2 o??clock pushpiece)
Francois-Paul took 5 years to overcome probably his greatest challenge and presented the first true Grande Sonnerie wristwatch in which both the going-train (time) and strike-train (chime) are both powered from a single barrel.
Francois-Paul noted that chiming watches, even the comparatively much simpler Minute Repeaters, are fragile by nature due to its relative complex construction. Striking a Minute Repeater twice a little too fast or adjusting the time during chimes can seriously damage the watch.
(The sapphire-case back view)
Instead of blaming the poor owner for misusing the watch, Francois-Paul believes that the onus is on him to put out a Grande Sonnerie which is safe from unintentional abuse.
The result is the Sonnerie Souveraine with 10 patents pending.
Jaw
Next : The 10 patents