F.P. Journe

Hi everyone

I've heard that the winding crowns on Journe's watches are made of platinum, similar to the cases. Is this true or are they white gold like most other platinum watches from other brands?

Thank you
Weng-Ho

As best as I know from being the anal platinum guy that i am, they are crafted in White gold, just like most other brands....

Not many out there matches the crown to be in the same Platinum as the case... Sad to say, but so true to say....

Cheers

Stephen

which one? I don´t know a single one.

Oliver

Thanks guys for your answers. I read Felipe's 2005 article and it indicated that the Resonance's crown was made from platinum. Here is the quote from the article.

QUOTE
The crown has a wonderful knurled effect that really complements the whole ‘look’ of the watch. The only complaint is that as nice as the knurled effect is, it makes winding a little less comfortable. It is a small sacrifice to make for aesthetics though. One interesting point to note is that the crowns on the platinum cased watches are also made of platinum. This is somewhat uncommon in the industry, with most manufacturers using white gold because it is easier to work with. These little details are testament to François-Paul’s commitment to quality.

Rgds
Weng-Ho

Way back when that was written, I had spoken to someone from Journe who said there was a problem with the way the crowns were made, where they oxidized internally (or had bubbles or something like that). This caused the crowns to break. So F.P. Journe took a bunch of crowns and started snapping them and looking at them under a microscope to find out the problem (which he did and corrected). This was a remarkable thing because the crowns were made of platinum and therefore expensive.

Now... whether I misunderstood the story, whether the crowns were once made of platinum, whether they tried making them in platinum and never did, who knows? I defer the most up to date info to someone who currently works at Montres Journe and has recently shared that the crowns are in white gold on the platinum pieces.

for additional in-depth clarification.

Oliver

Always a pleasure having a guest appearance from a master!!!

The upside down from Ludovic Ballouard has a platinum crown. It is the only one I know. The Journes don't have a platinum crown. The article from Felipe has been corrected in the mean time.

Dirk

level of information as well. But you never can be sure in the (crazy) world of watches.

I learn something new, every day

Best
Oliver

it's not only the Upside Down, of which i also was meaning to refer to when i say not many others, but even VC nowadays for their Collection Excellence Platine executes the crown in Platinum. Not only the crown, but the hands as well, and even some bridges!

One day in the future i have confidence that they will work on creating a piece that is 100% Platinum!

Cheers

Stephen

regarding VC I asked them (Management) a few month ago and was told something else.
I know it is written in the "VC special" which is currently available, but it seems to be wrong.

Cheers
Oliver

Because here on the Japanese market it has been said as such, starting from last year's pocket watch from the collection Platine!

But it is really difficult to tell whether the crown is really made out of Pt or not because there isnt enough space to put a hallmark on it, unlike say the buckle which usually have a space behind the brand name.

cheers

Stephen

. . . since Ludovic Ballouard worked as a watchmaker for Montres Journe. I believe that all the Journe crowns in platinum cases have white gold crowns (a recent discussion on another forum).

Best,

Douglas

As confirmed by boutique here in Tokyo

Stephen

When I asked David Zanetta if the crowns were platinum as well he looked almost insulted. Crown is platinum and made by De Bethune.

- SJX

now we know why it is called like that

DeBethune surprised me once more.

SJX, thanks for the additional info.

Oliver

this is a big crown..... that helps also... right?

Cheers