Despite being a comparatively young watch brand (it was founded in 1999), F.P. Journe and its eponymous founder have revisited on numerous occasions the technology, materials, and decorative technique of the 18th century ? “the golden age of time measurement” ? in their quest to make modern watches inspired by horology’s rich history and following in the footsteps of giants like Abraham-Louis Breguet and Ferdinand Berthoud. With the newest special edition of its groundbreaking Tourbillon Souverain, the watchmaker pays tribute to 18th century clockmaking artisans with the addition of a hand-engraved Régence Circulaire dial.
The F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain with Régence Circulaire dial is limited to 20 pieces.
The dial’s geometrical motifs are an artistic hallmark of the so-called Regency era of Great Britain, circa 1811-1820, sandwiched between the more widely documented Georgian and Victorian periods. It takes two days for a Geneva-based artisan to hand-engrave each dial, starting with drawing the pattern onto the raw white gold base, then incising the patterns into it with the use of various types and shapes of burins, the latter prepared ahead of time so as to be perfectly suited and sized to the artist’s hands. After roughing out the surface’s grained and champlevé decorations, the dialmaker proceeds to perfect the background texture and to execute a final finishing of all the lines; all the processes require an immense amount o...