One of Journe's most exclusive watches, this Tourbillon Souverain Régence Losange* is part of the second series of Tourbillon watches produced by F.P. Journe, and one of only 10 limited edition pieces. A redesign of the original Tourbillon Souverain, this example adds a deadbeat seconds complication. The dial is decorated with a “losange” motif, a pattern of diamond-shaped parallelograms, in tribute to historical geometrical designs.

This Tourbillon Souverain is part of the Tourbillon Nouveau (TN) series, launched by F.P. Journe in 2004. A complete redesign of the original Tourbillon Souverain, only the placement and design of the tourbillon cage was retained, while Journe removed the remontoire from view and added a deadbeat seconds complication in its place at 6 o'clock. This example, a Régence "Losange", is extremely rare, as only 10 watches were created in this configuration,

The dial is undoubtedly the highlight of this watch, as it is decorated with a beautifully engraved surface known as a "Losange" motif. This is a diamond-shaped parallelogram in a repeated motif across the dial, giving the appearance of an intricately woven net. The pattern is part of Journe's wider Regency series, which derives its name from the British 'Regency' Era (roughly spanning 1795 - 1837). Journe's inspiration behind the dial came from his admiration of this period, when watchmaking flourished and new breakthroughs were made. The geometrical designs on the dial are inspired by the patterns popular during this historical period, and require a significant amount of work to create. Multiple artisans are needed to create the dial, from drawing the pattern to engraving them, honing the layered textures, and polishing the dial so that it achieves a beautiful shimmer.

Turning our eye to the rest of the dial, we see that the Tourbillon Souverain TN is quintessentially Journe, both in its design language and movement. The textured dial is a vibrant rose-gold, with a separate silvered guilloche dial that is used for the hours and minutes. The words ‘Invenit et Fecit’ are inscribed below the tourbillon (Latin for ‘Invented and Made’ or more literally 'Designed and built by F.P. Journe') in classic F.P. Journe style - a nod to signing conventions of a century ago. Also inscribed are the words 'avec Seconde Morte', denoting the added deadbeat seconds complication. At 12 o’clock, a power reserve indicator of 42 hours is displayed.

The natural deadbeat seconds is displayed at 6 o’clock, concealing the remontoire, which featured more prominently on the first Tourbillon Souverain. The term ‘Seconde Morte' or ‘deadbeat seconds’, is derived from the way in which the hand remains motionless, until the second has passed.

The Tourbillon Souverain is powered by the FPJ calibre 1403, which is an 18k rose gold movement with Remontoir d'egalité, constructed with 25 jewels and a shock-absorber mechanism. It further features a straight-line lever escapement, and monometallic 4-arm balance with 4 timing weights, adjusted to 5 positions. It includes a self-compensating free-sprung flat balance spring. The movement is engraved 'Chronometre A Tourbillon', decorated with Côtes de Genève.

Closer look

Condition

This F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain Régence Losange is in excellent overall condition, showing only light sign of wear throughout the case and maintaining perfect mechanical functionality.

Warranty

The watch comes with a two-year warranty from A Collected Man, alongside a lifetime guarantee of authenticity.