F.P. Journe

tahoeblue
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Let's talk some more about the Centrigraphe

The more pics I see the more I am intrigued by this watch.  Love the dial.  Nothing like those subdials/display.  One the one hand definite Journe DNA, on the other unlike anything done before.  The chrono hands would be mesmerizing.

But as I consider ordering my own, there are some issues that create pause.  Doubt it is possible in a mechanical wristwatch to time remotely near 1/100 sec, even if for no other reason than human reaction tiime.  So seems that the flying hand may be more an optical achievement than anything else.  And I wonder if this design which seems to push mechanical limits will present undue service headaches in the future.

I am no movement expert, but I frankly expected to see a more impressive view of the chrono movement.  Call me spoiled by the Datograph, but my expectation was that a revolutionary chrono might be even more impressive from the back than the front.  Love the RG Journe movements, but this one does not draw me in.

Wish I could handle one in the metal to play with the chrono rocker.  Clearly the Centigraphe is not meant to be a classic chrono.  Maybe it is the next step in chronos.  But I also miss the symmetry of chrono pushers surrounding a large crown.  So at the moment this design is exciting, and maybe even easier to use than standard pushers, but I wonder if that excitement will grow or diminish with time.

Some of my concerns may not be fair without seeing the watch in the metal.  I would certainly guess this watch has the legendary Journe fit on the wrist.  All in all I wonder if the Centigraphe is a revolutionary chronograph, partly a gimmick, or somewhere in between.