Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, P...

New York - The Fuller Building, Mar 28, 2007

LOT 328

"Tourbillon Souverain" F. P. Journe, "Invenit et Fecit", "Remontoir d'Egalité - Tourbillon Souverain", No. 091/01T. Made in 2001. Very fine and rare, platinum gentleman's chronometer wristwatch with visible one-minute tourbillon regulator and constant force remontoir, power reserve indicator and a platinum F. P. Journe buckle. Accompanied by the original wooden box, certificate of origin and instruction manual.

USD 55,000 - 65,000

EUR 42,000 - 50,000

Sold: USD 68,440

C. Two-body, solid, polished, transparent case back with 6 screws, winding crown engine-turned with "cordes de Marseille" pattern, sapphire crystals. D. Brushed 18K yellow gold dial plate, at 3 guilloché matte silver ring dial with painted Arabic numerals for the hours and minutes, apertures at 6 for the constant force remontoir and at 9 for the tourbillon regulator under a polished steel bridge, up-and-down indication at 11. Blued steel "Journe" hands. M. Cal. 1498, rhodium-plated, "fausses côtes" decoration, 25 jewels, lateral lever escapement with oneminute tourbillon regulator with "A"-shaped tourbillon frame and polished steel bridge, "Gyromax"-type balance with 4 timing weights, self-compensating free-sprung Breguet balance-spring with Phillips terminal curve, constant-force remontoir with an 18K gold wheel and blade spring, controlled by a spinning vane, armed once a second by the force of the mainspring, insuring a steady flow of power to the balance for a more constant rate. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 38 mm. Thickness: 10 mm. Property of an East Coast collector


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 1

As new
Dial: 1-01

As new

HANDS Original

Notes

The remontoir is a rare horological device, hitherto unknown in a wristwatch, designed to provide a constant force to the balance. It's a supplementary buffer spring that is kept wound by the main power source. Releasing a constant energy directly to the escapement, it aims to counter the fluctuations in the going train and the diminishing power of the mainspring. F.P. Journe's unique version of the remontoir consists of a small blade spring between the going-train and the tourbillon. It is armed once a second by the mainspring. Governed by a spinning vane, it delivers the constant force that the tourbillon escapement needs to perform at its best. In the Tourbillon Souverain, the remontoir ensures that the rate remains the same wheather the watch is fully wound or at the end of its power-reserve. The maximum loss of amplitude is 20° from a flat to a vertical position. Courtesy of the F.P. Journe website, www.fpjourne.com