Here we go again. It’s been a blue ribbon auction year so far, particularly for rare examples of timepieces from independents, including F.P. Journe. During a record-setting spring auction season marked by a stunning shift in valuations and collector interest in top-notch independent watchmakers, an early Chronomètre à Résonance (no. 007) fetched a record $13.9 million, making it the most expensive F.P. Journe watch ever sold at auction and the fifth most expensive watch of all time.
Mark wrote up a great piece on the record-breaking result that dives deep into the history of the Résonance and why it’s such an important achievement in haute horology, and why it is François-Paul Journe’s signature watch. With the prototype produced in 1998, and with ‘Souscription’ commercial pieces produced and delivered beginning in 2000, Journe’s Chronomètre à Résonance marks the first time that the concept of “résonance,” combining two movements with separate balances into a single case and bringing them into perfect synchronization, was brought to a wristwatch. For many collectors, the model represents the ultimate expression of Journe’s vision and talent as a watchmaker. Just 20 ‘Souscription’ pieces—offered to those who bought Journe’s first watch, a tourbillon—were produced, and collectors have come to covet the series, with the earliest watches fetching a premium. When it comes to the Résonance, the earlier the better, it seems.
That’s why it’s newsworthy and worth noting that what’s likely the earliest commercial example yet is set to hit the auction block this fall. Consigned by its original owner, who personally took delivery of the piece in 1999, Phillips will offer a ‘pre-production’ Résonance with serial number 022/99R at its Geneva auction in November.
With a mirth-inspiringly conservative pre-auction estimate of CHF 500,000 to CHF 1 million, the piece that Phillips says is the earliest numbered commercial example of the Résonance could fetch more. Much, much more if current market conditions persist, and considering recent results, this pre-production model just might be poised to set a new high-water mark for what the market might pay for an F.P. Journe wristwatch.
Housed in a 38-millimeter platinum case, the well-worn watch features a shiny pink gold dial. The finishing on the dial and the brass movement appear slightly rougher and less refined than later examples. For some, this may add to the charm.
Phillips says the original owner has had the watch since he took delivery in 1999, 27 years ago, and a year before the model was even launched. The auction house estimates that just ten or so examples of these so-called pre-production models are believed to exist.
The watch’s serial number – 022/99R – has a curious backstory. According to Phillips, the owner chose the number because it matched his birthday, the 22nd. The R99 represents the year it was made. Journe’s own pre-production Résonance, which is expected to be displayed in his soon-to-open museum, has the serial number 021.
Whether this was the first commercially delivered example of the Résonance remains unconfirmed. Alex Ghotbi, Phillips’ deputy chairman and head of watches in Europe and the Middle East, says he believes it most certainly is. But a conversation with F.P. Journe himself revealed that the watchmaker couldn’t remember and didn’t have any records showing which pre-production model was delivered first for commercial sale.
In addition to the record-breaking Résonance (no. 007) that sold for nearly $14 million in New York in June, Phillips sold, during the same spring season, the $6.3 million Chronomètre à Résonance “Souscription No. 18”, and the $3 million Chronomètre à Résonance “Pisa.”
The concept of ‘resonance’ has been around for hundreds of years and was first achieved in clocks by the Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens, and later attempted in pocket watches by no less a watchmaker than Abraham-Louis Breguet. Journe was the first to successfully produce a resonance wristwatch, creating a movement and case that allowed two separate balances to align in frequency of oscillation through vibration and proximity. Today, just a handful of other watchmakers, including Swiss independent Armin Strom, produce resonance watches.
The pre-production Chronomètre à Résonance No. 022/99R will come to market during Phillips Geneva Watch Auction: XXIV, running November 7 and 8 in Geneva.
For more from Phillips Watch Department, click here.
