Almost any product category has its respective pinnacle of luxury, from watches to cars, clothes, and even guns. This F.P. Journe Chronomètre Holland & Holland edition in stainless steel is born of a collaboration of two such masters. For those who might not be familiar, Holland & Holland is a high-end bespoke gunmaker based in London. Since the 1800s, they have specialized in creating some of the most beautiful hand-made shotguns and rifles the world has ever seen. Together with Holland & Holland’s extensive expertise, F.P. Journe has created a masterpiece that perfectly blends the two brands together in one truly unique timepiece.
History
To understand the history of the Chronomètre Holland & Holland, one has to understand the evolution of the F.P Journe’s Chronomètre Souvrain, which was introduced in 2005. During this time, F.P. Journe created a limited edition for the opening of the Tokyo boutique, featuring a unique case and dial. Then a few years later, in 2009, Journe released the Chronomètre Bleu, one of the most sought-after timepieces in the modern era. The striking dial and unique case material set this time-only timepiece apart from the rest of the collections. Then to commemorate the opening of the Beirut boutique in 2014, the limited edition Chronomètre Bleu Byblos was created, which featured the same lacquer blue dial as the original; however, it was cut out to reveal the timepiece’s gold movement through the dial.
This design language has prepared the brand for this interesting collaboration that introduced the Chronomètre Holland & Holland — a simple time-only watch made in new material for the brand with a novel dial choice. After this piece, the brand has continued new limited editions like the latest release in 2020 of the platinum green dial Chronomètre Souvrain released for the opening of the Dubai boutique. Without a doubt, there will be more in the future following this design language. Each one is similar, yet all very thought out and distinctly different.
Design Details
F.P. Journe has an undeniable classic and timeless beauty that is distinctly it’s own. This is achieved by keeping a majority of the design elements consistent even when introducing entirely new aspects. The piece’s dial is unlike anything else in watchmaking, and the stainless steel case also is unlike most Journe watches in the past. These design choices directly tie into the collaboration with gunmaker Holland & Holland. The dial is the true star of this timepiece due to the use of the browned Damascus steel dial made from the barrel of an over one-hundred-year-old Holland & Holland gun barrel. To create this series, two of these barrels were “sacrificed”. One barrel yielded 28 dials, and the other yielded 38. The barrels were produced in 1882 and 1868, respectively.
These barrels were cut and formed into the raw material from Holland & Holland, then shipped to Journe to cut into dials, before being sent back to the gunmaker for their browning process, and then finally returned to Journe to be used in the timepieces. This process leaves every dial pattern unlike any other, ensuring no two dials are precisely the same. The white-painted Arabic numerals, minutes railroad track, and logo pop off perfectly against the brown of the dial. Journe chose to use cream-colored steel hands to continue that white-on-brown theme. The 39mm high polished stainless steel case is a unique material for Journe cases; however, it is formed in the brand’s typically two-body case construction featuring the rounded bezel and simple downturned lugs. The caseback is engraved with Holland & Holland and the F.P. Journe logo. This piece is fitted with a double-sided brown alligator and stainless steel deployant buckle.
Inner Workings
Holland & Holland makes guns that are works of art, just like how F.P. Journe makes movements that are art as well. This piece is powered by the in-house calibre 1304. This is a manual winding movement, so there is no rotor blocking the view of the finer details. This caliber is made in 18k rose gold all the way through to the guilloche base plate featuring a grain d’orge pattern. The two silver-colored spring barrels that power the 56-hour power reserve add a bit of contrast against the surrounding sea of gold. Holland & Holland are engraved into the base plate, hugging each spring barrel. Twenty-two ruby red jewels are sprinkled throughout this 164 parts caliber. The top-level bridges are finished with the Geneva stripes and hold onto the 4-arm balance wheel that beats at 21,600 vph. One of this caliber’s most attractive design aspects is the choice to hide all the drivetrain under the dial, giving more view of the movement decorations.
Versus The Competition
When looking into other pieces comparable to this F.P. Journe, a couple Patek models come to mind for different reasons. First, we have a simple time-only Patek Philippe 5522A-001 Pilot Calatrava New York Limited Edition that, while not as limited as the Journe’s 66 pieces, is limited to 600 pieces. This piece also has a lot of similar design choices, such as the white hands, white Arabic numerals, and surrounding minutes railroad track. Even the simplicity of the stainless steel case is on par with this Journe. It does have a few differences, such as the blue color scheme rather than brown and the choice to use an automatic movement over the classic manual wind; however, this piece will appeal to most collectors who appreciate the F.P. Journe Chronomètre.
Another piece highly worth comparing is the much more complicated Patek Philippe 5326G-001 Calatrava Annual Calendar Travel Time. This model’s aesthetic highlight is the textured charcoal grey and black dial, which gives a similar feel to the browned Damascus steel dial on the Chronomètre. They also feature comparable Arabic numerals and a railroad track surrounding the dial. This Patek is much more complicated as it is an annual calendar and travel time, but the general feel of the timepiece is not too far off the Journe.
Personality
The prominent collector of a timepiece like this will likely be the passionate Journe collector, but this piece also appeals to a broader audience. This could be an exciting addition of a single Journe to a collection showcasing iconic pieces from an extensive range of brands. It also will appeal to those collectors obsessed with smaller independent brands, like F.P. Journe, Kari Voutilainen, or Gronefeld. The most unique collector this timepiece might have attracted is those who collect those rare guns from the likes of Purdy or, of course, Holland & Holland; what better way to show off your passions than to own a piece that brings different ones together?
Final Thoughts
The F.P. Journe Chronomètre Holland & Holland edition is an excellent collaboration between two brands that share similar values of excellence and artistic expression. This piece will be historic for both brands involved and always be highly collectible due to the small amount manufactured. It is beautiful what a brand can create even when it is relatively minimalistic yet truthfully highly thought out.
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