Horological Meandering

Guys, I've been really touring the watch world lately and not making very many hard decisions... this can certainly be attributed to the fact that I have sold about ten times the watches I have kept... so I keep 'touring'. I am VERY enamored of the Duometre in, really, all metals, but the pt and rose speak to me the strongest. And then... there's the Centigraphe. Pretty fascinating timepiece, and interestingly, I have never owned either a JLC or Journe... so what say you? there's a big price difference... but in this scenario, let's just dream about the watches themselves for their own sake... which do you prefer.

Which would you rather be wearing right now on your wrist, at this very moment?

Which would you rather own in ten years...? (I always ask myself this.)

Thanks and have a great weekend.

Your friend Mo.

Duometre for me without a shadow of a doubt.

The watch is a marvel,I tried it a few times ,its ingeniously crafted,clever layout and functions.Probably the best foudroyante I've seen.And the magic starts when you stars the Chrono button.Its simply a fascinating watch at a very resonable price IMHO for what it is and the emotions it gives.

As far as the Centigraphe is concerned ,I really dont get it.i don t get the concept and don t understand the point.What s the point of stubbornly try to split the second in whatever hundreds or thousands parts from a mechanical watch?And apparently with poor results!As useless as a diver minute repeater IMHO.Yours Mo.

i just do not understand the Centrigraphe and there's no point owning a watch i dont understand. i've worn the Duometre and it looks and feels fabulous. the detail is A1 and we know the workings will be faultless. its so easy to read and understand that its a winner for me. its actually 1 of my 2 favourite JLC's. you know the game. a bit like word association, someone says a brand name and you immediately name the watch from that brand you most want if money were no issue. i can do it with most brands and the duometre is JLC's (along with the Amvox 2).

i'm rambling i think so i'll have a cup of tea

Graham

...especially as you removed price from consideration.  The value/price ratio would probably tilt this decision secruely in teh camp of the Duometre.

I had the opportunity to try on the Centigraphe this week. It was the first Journe I have ever handled -- what a way to start, right?  It is a pretty amazing piece.  First of all, it is very attractive, with a very well balanced dial, IMHO. The push/reset rocker at 1 oc'clock makes much more sense than the traditional two pusher configuration, which I am guessing is a holdover from the design of stopwatches?   And it feels great on the wrist, and the foudroyante is every bit as mesmerizing as on the Duometre.  The Cenit is also, I think a bit smaller in diameter and in thickness, which is all the more amazing for what it achieves inside.

Journe himself admits that in the time it takes for your brain to send the signal to your finger to stop the chronograph measure, the 1/100th of a second has already passed.  Yes, the measuring capability of the watch is pretty much useless, but that only raises again the old debate we have on here every once in a while about divers and other complications,even about mechanical watches in general. Sure it's all pretty useless in this digital age, but usefulness is not really the point, is it?  How cool is it that a mechanical watch can, if only we humans could keep up, measure something moving as fast as the space shuttle, for instance, to 1/100th of a second. 

Let me say, once again, I ADORE the Duometre in all of its metals. No doubt about it, I would love to be lucky enough to own a Duometre. With my limited understanding of the movements in each, I understand the JLC and Journe each took a very different approach (two "brains" v. one) to addressing the loss of power and accuracy  when operating the chronographs, which is all the more reason why this post is interesting to compare the two watches. Perhaps someone with knowledge of this could elaborate here where I cannot. The Duo and the Centigraphe were launched in the same year, I think, which is pretty interesting. 

I guess, if again money were no object, I would opt for the Centigraphe simply because it is fascinating, a unique design, rare, and a lovely watch. The Duometre is all of these things as well, but just a little less so, perhaps. 

Great topic, and I can't wait to hear wht others have to say.  

respo

 

Another vote for the Duometre :)

Cheers

although I find the Journe really fascinating. I am in the camp that agrees that 'real world applications' of complications do not matter. I will virtually never use any chronograph to measure anything of consequence. It is an aesthetic thing, a fascination with design and detail. So the Journe's real world application do not mater to me. But in the end, I prefer (in pictures) the clarity and classicism of the Duometre, combined with its modernism... I feel 'overwhelmed' looking at the Centigraphe's dial, as though a complex math-problem is facing me.... I do not find the dial relaxing, which is a quality I seek in a watch... however as with all Journe's I find the watch an inspiration to art of watchmaking, and I admire the watchmaker greatly.

...watch from his collection, including the Centigraph, but if asked to choose between the two watches in your post I'd have to go with the Duometre without reservation.  There's an intensity about the dial that I really enjoy.  Some may think the complication display dense, but after a moment of initial study it becomes apparent that the dial layout is well thought out and easy to understand.  The watch displays elements of traditional elegance, but is also fresh and modern.  The Duometre is a watch I personally believe I would never tire of, and one day if it becomes within my means to buy one, I'll put my money where my mouth is (or fingers are on the keyboard, as it were).

To me this watch is amazing.  The picture below says it all IMO.

Gor-jiss.

I've re-posted the pic Daos borrowed.  The watch is amazing -- there is no dispute, but I wish that the hour numerals matched in font the rest of the numerals featured on the dial.  The bold gold applied numerals seem, to me, a bit unrefined and a bit loud.  The dial would be much more pleasing, to me, were those numerals printed on the dial in the same font as the others.  If JLC intended to emphasize them for the primacy of their purpose, i think they could have done so with color and/or size.

As I noted, it's an amazing watch nonetheless, and one I would proudly wear!

Best,

Jed

Don't get me wrong.  I love both these pieces.  Each sits right at the top for me.  But there is something much more special about the Centigraphe--both from the perspective of what it is and from the perspective of how it is made.  Simply put the Centigraphe is a bit more orginal, and for me, nicer to gaze upon.  Then you throw in the Journe factor.  Journe is an artisinal producer.  These are highly original watches made in a very traditional way.  One watchmaker assembles each watch beginning to end.  Francois-Paul has close supervision and these watches are all his babies.  JLC offers great value, but they are an industrialized producer.  One watchmaker does not make the piece beginning to end.  There is no one person at JLC who is the father to the watch.  Being able to associate hand craft with real people matters a lot to me, so I cast my vote for Journe.

So true, so true!!!

that Blanpain does the same thing- one person makes the watch from begging to end.

Cheers

no text

Although the FPJ will probably increase more in value % wise down the road.

Tony

but I hear you, I hear you. Every watch I bought because of it's so-called value now or down the road never led the the destination of Joy.

And would certainly get another one.

But in the choice given, I would have to go with the Duometre.

I much more prefer the layout of the dial as well as looking less busier.

 

Hi Mostel,

I'm not at all the target audience for this question as I really don't find either watch appealing, but if forced to choose, I'd go with the Centigraphe.

I find the Duometre to be a huge amount of complication without much real innovation and little (if any) performance gain for all the trouble. It's like adding an extra engine to your car so that you have more power for passing on the freeway. The game is not worth the candle as my friend Jack likes to say.

The Centigraphe on the other hand is a more whimsical piece that, on some level, knows it cannot do at all what it's name implies, but still attempts to do so with great style. It's beautiful and self-serious in its presentation and, to my eye, much more graceful than the Duometre.

Let us not be confused: I'd take a Speedy or any of several handfuls of other "regular" chronographs over either one, but if I'm choosing at gun-point...

_john

Between a Duometre and a Centigraphe both in Pt ? Think I would go Duometre and then buy the Tourbillon Souverain (one of my fav watches ever) that is the FP Journe watch I really want.

About wearing right now, no doubt, Centigraphe all the way!!!!!

Anyway, JLC or FP, both stunning timepieces. Whatever you chose, you won't be wrong.

Vte

FP.J makes one hell of a watch in limited edition.

Big fan of FP.Journe's masterpieces.