Property of a Swiss Gentleman

François-Paul was born in Marseille (South of France) in March 1957. He entered watchmaking school at the age of 14 and after two years, moved to Paris to continue his studies, In 1976, he graduated from the Paris Horological School, and two years later he began working in an antique watch restoration workshop in Paris. Journe’s first own workshop was in the rue de Verneuil in Paris. Among his exceptional early creations are: a “tourbillon” pocket watch in 1978; a planetary pocket watch in 1985; a self-winding chronometer pocket watch in 1986; a “sympathique” clock for the Asprey in London.

Only two years after his professional independence, in 1987, he received the honours of the FondationBleustein-Blanchet, created in 1960 to foster and reward outstanding achievement in the professional world. And so, he received the Laureate Prize of the Fondation de la Vocation, a very well recognised and esteemed distinction.

In 1989, he was honoured by the Horological Spanish Academy who delivered him the golden prize of “Balancier d’or” for his global work.

His boundless creativity pushed him to create the same year, with a small group of colleagues, the Manufacture company, Technique Horlogères Appliquées S.A. (T.H.A.) in Sainte-Croix (Canton de Vaud, Switzerland), specialised in developments and manufacturing of complex and innovative products, most of which were conceived by François Paul Journe for several famous brands.

In 1994, he received the Gaia “Watchmaker of the Year” award from the Musée International d’Horlogerie, Fondation l’Homme et le Temps.

Established since then in Geneva, he created in 1998, Montres Journe S.A., located at the rue des Maraîchers 5 in Geneva. He developed and manufactured complex and innovative products for many major companies such as Piaget with “The Grande Sonnerie””, Cartier with the “Mysterious” clocks and watches for Asprey, Breguet, Corum among others.

In 2003, François-Paul Journe established the Japanese branch of “Montres Journe”. He received some awards:

· The special “Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie de Genève” prize of the jury in 2002;

· The “Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève” for men’s watches in 2003;

· The “Aiguille d’Or” of the “Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève” in 2004;

· The “Chronomètre Souverain” won the watch of the year prize in Japan in 2005.

In 2006, he was made “Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres” by the French Minister of Culture.

Journe’s “Sonnerie Souveraine” was awarded the “Aiguille d’Or” award at the “Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève”; that same watch was named watch of the year in Japan in 2007.

All this was the result of his first years of work as an independent watchmaker! The rest you can find on his website and in the publication dedicated to him.

Thanks to his excellence, this infinitely good character remains one of the greatest masters in the history of watchmaking, worthy of being named after a Julien Leroy, an Abraham-Louis Breguet, an Antide Janvier or a George Daniels.