F.P. Journe

Hi All, This is my first post. A thank you to all for making this such a wonderful place to learn. I have quietly enjoyed this forum and wanted to pose 2 questions to everyone: 1. Why did Mr. Journe use gold for his dials when he started making his watche...  

But it sure looks beautiful! As to why the dials changes over time could partly be due to a thin layer of lacquer on top of the dial. I have an early white gold dial which looks more like champagne now. A good friend of mine who is a renowned restorer of ... 

Thank you for the reply. Very interesting. I'd love to hear what you find out from the manufacturer!

The top 2 desired elements of early Journes are the grainy dials and brass movements. Part of the appeal of the early dials is its imperfections. They are “unstable” hence the oxidation/patina. You can always have the dials cleaned to remove signs of oxid... 

Exactly like this!

It would destroy the dial. The Patina on these early ones is part of the attraction.

Check out it’s a good resource for all things Journe. He talks about the history of R in more detail.

Thank you. Wonderful site. These early gold dials are magnificent. I'm keen to learn more about them. And beautiful tourbillon!

Also part of the reason why the dials tended to oxidze was because Journe used glue to seal the crystals back then rather than a gasket. It was obviously not a great choice and he has changed since Some collectors really welcome the tarnishing too as some... 

Very interesting, I appreciate the information. I love the learning the history of these pieces.

The perfect, quintessential Journe. Bravo! Daniel

Thank you. Acquired it before it got crazy.