F.P. Journe Centigraphe Souveraine

In the Pantheon of wristwatch exclusivity, the F.P. Journe Centigraphe Souveraine sits close to the oculus. But compared to this Black Label edition, the “standard” Centigraphe may as well be a Casio. With a maximum theoretical production rate of thirty units per year, the Centigraphe Black Label marries the technical wizardry of its creator with rarity that blurs the line between series production and bespoke horology.

At the Geneva atelier of F.P. Journe, a “good year” in the commercial sense translates to approximately 900 timepieces, or the equivalent of one slow day across town at Rolex. Although Journe and his 30 watchmakers work at a pre-industrial pace, customer access is usually just a matter of contacting the firm, placing an order, and awaiting delivery: not so with the Black Label Collection.

The iron curtain of exclusivity begins its descent with Journe’s restrictive distribution plan. Only the nine worldwide company boutiques and six espaces are eligible to order from the Black Label Collection. Of those fifteen theoretical points of sale, none can order more than two Black Label editions of a given model in a single model year. Finally, this party is members-only, so prior ownership of a Journe watch is a prerequisite for all Black Label purchases.

In other words, F.P. Journe’s Black Label distribution model makes Willy Wonka look downright democratic. But once a collector gets his hands on a Centigraphe in Black Label trim, the watch itself will make Wonka’s factory appear dull by comparison.

A Centigraphe Souveraine in action is an absolute event. It’s a three-ring circus of a chronograph, and each of the three rings highlights a different act.

Journe designed the “Centigraphe” to measure increments as small as a hundredth of a second, hence the name. The foudroyant sub dial at ten o’clock is a true flying second register that completes sixty revolutions per minute. The opposing dial at two o’clock is a twenty-second register that completes three revolutions per minute; the ten-minute register at six o’clock completes the set. In theory, the calibration scales on the three dials permit timing of objects traveling between 6 and 36,000 km/h. So if your idea of fun entails clocking fifty caliber bullets with a mechanical stopwatch, F.P. Journe has your number.

For everyone else, the Centigraphe just exudes techno-cool. Any enthusiast who beholds the fireworks of three hands spinning visibly at three different rates will feel a kind of elemental thrill. The Centigraphe inspires the kind of childish awe that many wristwatch boffins felt when they witnessed James Bond’s magnetized Submariner or Dick Tracy’s wrist communicator in action for the first time. Even the chronograph reset, which cycles each indicator through a full rotation, will keep observers riveted. While many complicated watches can draw a crowd, the Centigraphe is among the select few that can command an audience.

Aesthetically, Journe invests units of the Black Label Collection with the peerless visual punch of white metal and a black dial. In this instance, the combination pairs a 40mm case in platinum – the king of precious metals – with a lacquered black dial from Journe’s in-house dial factory. A white-gold sub dial surround completes the effect. Unlike the general production variants of the Centigraphe, which offer only light colored dial options, the Black Label is a versatile timepiece that wears well with casual and formal dress alike. Simultaneously elegant and sporty, the Black Label is at peace with every sartorial scenario.

Beneath its striking dial, the Centigraphe Soveraine Black Label is the same watch that won the 2008 Aiguille d’Or at that year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie in Geneva. The watch industry’s equivalent of the Oscar for Best Picture, the Aiguille is the highest peer-to-peer honor a watch can receive. Journe conducted a reported fifteen years of research during the course of the Centigraphe’s development. His initial goal of recording miniscule segments of time expanded to include a massive power reserve, an ergonomic system for cycling the chronograph functions, and a methodology for preserving the amplitude of the balance regardless of chronograph engagement (i.e., constant timing precision with or without the chronograph running).

The Journe Caliber 1506 movement is rendered in exquisite 18-K red gold. As an aesthetic traditionalist, Journe specifies precious metal, simple finishing, and manual-wind power that permits an expansive view through the Centigraphe’s sapphire case back. Circular Côtes de Genève, delicate graining, and mirror-quality beveled bridges and balance staff speak to a true craft watchmaking sensibility.

An eighty-hour power reserve (24 with the chronograph running) ensures ample autonomy between windings. The balance is free-sprung for shock resistance, regulated via variable-inertia balance screws, and its stud regulator is screwed into place for security. In the mold of traditional pocket watch and wristwatch chronographs, a relatively lazy 3hz (21,600 bph) balance wheel features a high inertia of 10.10 mg/cm2 for rate stability.

Journe departs from tradition by coupling the drive train of each chronograph indicator directly to the mainspring barrel arbor. In doing so, the Centigraphe is able to increase the amount of power being drawn from the mainspring when operating the chronograph; traditionally, chronographs would be dependent on a single drivetrain shared with the clock time functions. With the traditional arrangement, activating the chronograph increases the load on the drivetrain, decreases the amplitude of the balance, and impedes both timekeeping functions of the watch. On the Centigraphe, activating the chronograph only diminishes the power reserve – a negligible concession on a chronograph designed to measure a maximum elapsed time of ten minutes.

Watchuwant.com is pleased to offer this F.P. Journe Centigraphe Souveraine Black Label with its entire original compliment of accessories, documents, and packaging material. The accessories are as unique as the timepiece itself, and a fascinating DVD chronicles the Centigraphe’s genesis. With this Centigraphe Souveraine Black Label, available immediately through watchuwant.com, a discerning collector with a taste for the exotic and a penchant for rarity can draw the cordon and crash Journe’s Genevoise party.