F.P. Journe Chronomètre Bleu Tantalum 2018

There is no other watch quite like the Chronomètre Bleu, and most of the reason is the case. Tantalum is dense, blue-grey, and close to impossible to machine — François-Paul Journe chose it for a watch that was never intended to be shouted about, and the result is a piece that reads as understated from across a room and as something else entirely in the hand.

The dial is chrome blue, mirror-finished, with the small seconds at seven. This is the simplest watch Journe makes, and deliberately so. Thirty-nine millimetres, on a blue alligator strap.

The movement is calibre 1304, self-winding, with a 56-hour power reserve — and like every F.P. Journe calibre it is made in solid 18-carat rose gold rather than brass. That decision costs a great deal and buys nothing measurable in performance; Journe does it anyway, and it is the single detail that tells you most about the maison.

Mint condition, 2018. Supplied with the watch and its certificate; the box is following and will be included.

Journe changes hands quietly in Australia, and where discretion matters the transaction stays between us. Every watch is authenticated by an independent watchmaker, with particular attention to the movement's construction, before any sale completes. Appointments at our Collins Street boutique. We buy F.P. Journe outright and source specific pieces.