Watchmaker and brand founder Francois-Paul Journe created the F.P. Journe Chronomètre Optimum to be “the essence of precision.” The watch, available in 40-mm and 42-mm cases in platinum or 18k rose gold, brings together, for the first time in a single timepiece, a number of notable inventions in its solid gold movement. These include a double barrel in parallel with two springs to ensure the stability of the driving force; a patented constant-force remontoire (the first to be made in titanium) to balance the driving force to the escapement and ensure the isochronism of the balance; and a high-performance bi-axial escapement (also patented), which has two wheels and functions without the need for lubricant. The Chronomètre Optimum also includes a natural “dead beat” seconds function, and a balance spring with a Philips curve for better equilibrium. The movement boasts a power reserve of 70 hours.
The F.P. Journe Chronometre Optimum has an asymmetrical dial (in white gold or rose gold), with hours and minutes on a large subdial at 3 o’clock, small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock, and a power-reserve indicator hand at 6 o’clock. The remontoir device is visible in a small aperture at 11 o’clock. The watch features a sapphire caseback showing off Journe’s manual-winding Caliber 1510, and in particular its dead-beat seconds display via a seconds circle screwed onto the movement’s bridges. Like other F.P. Journe watch movements, this one also features a high level of decorative finishes, including Geneva waves, circular graining, and polished screw heads. The watch comes on either a leather strap or a case-matching bracelet in platinum or rose gold.