F.P. Journe

François-Paul Journe is one of the few watchmakers to have developed a wristwatch with a twin movement and resonance effect. Resonance is a physical phenomenon of interaction between two independent systems, characterized by oscillations at frequencies close to each other. In the case of strong resonance, both systems begin to vibrate at the same frequency, i.e. in the case of watch movements, the two movements move synchronously. Mechanical resonance in clocks was discovered in the 17th century by the famous Dutch scientist Christian Huygens, before the French clockmaker Antide Janvier was able to use this effect for the first time in a pendulum clock in 1780 and Abraham-Louis Breguet incorporated it into a pocket watch in 1814. François-Paul Journe began experimenting with resonance in his early pocket watch in 1983, but success in applying this physical phenomenon did not come until later, when he developed the Chronomètre à Résonance wristwatch in the late 1990s. Its resonance caliber uses the aerodynamic interaction of the balance wheels of the twin movement. This is currently the only brand to offer wristwatches with an aerodynamic resonance system.

The unlimited production of the Chronomètre à Résonance watch series began in 2000 featuring the caliber 1499 (1st generation) with a rhodium-plated brass mainplate and bridges. At the end of 2004, F. P. Journe began production of the caliber 1499.2 (2nd generation), in which the mainplate and bridges are made of solid 18k gold. The second-generation watch was nicknamed Résonance Nouveau, which is why the reference is called RN. 

The Chronomètre à Résonance in platinum No. 248RQ is the most complex member of the F.P. Journe line of resonance wristwatches, which in our opinion promises excellent collector's prospects for this watch. It features a beautiful hand-wound caliber developed to a high standard and finished by hand in all parts, including chamfering and polishing, with a solid 18k rose gold mainplate and bridges finely decorated with Côtes de Genève and perlage. The symmetrical dial with blued steel ‘hands and Arabic numerals, designed by François-Paul Journe himself, reflects the functionality of the intricate mechanical resonance movement with differentiated energy distribution and two built-in remontoirs d’egalite. This is a true masterpiece of complex micromechanics that will always be held in high esteem by true connoisseurs of luxury watchmaking.