Tourbillon Souverain Nouveau: 'The gold impulse'.

The transition to the Tourbillon Souverain Ref. TN or "Tourbillon Nouveau" took place in April 2004. It was accompanied by Journe's departure from watches with brass movements and the production launch of movements with rose-gold mainplates and bridges. Therefore, production of the caliber 1498 used in Ref. T was discontinued and replaced by caliber 1403.

Generally speaking, the movement only underwent one significant change from a technical point of view, which frankly allows you to tell the Ref. TN models apart from earlier Ref. T watches at a glance: a small seconds hand appears on the lower half of the dial.

This is an unconventional hand, because it doesn't sweep like a traditional small seconds hand, but makes a jump every second, i.e. in time with the one-second remontoir d’égalité blade spring. This hand is technically an extension of the constant-force mechanism.

This unusual behavior of advancing when the second has already fully passed lent the hand its special name: seconde morte (French for dead-beat seconds). This was accompanied by a name change for the watch: Tourbillon Souveraine d'Egalité avec Seconde Morte.

The position of the hand to indicate the power reserve also shifted. While Ref. T used to have the hand mounted on the left, it's pointed downwards on Ref. TN, which makes the dial's structure look more symmetrical.

Ref. TN was in production for longer: from 2003 to 2018. Unlike the short-lived Ref. T, a number of special releases, limited editions, and unique pieces appeared over these sixteen years. All of this makes the very expensive hobby of collecting Tourbillon Souverain watches even more interesting and appealing.

What's more, there are also differences in the positioning on basic versions, upping the ante even further. It's believed that from 2004, the configuration of standard versions of all models in F.P. Journe's collection, not just Tourbillon Souverain watches, was either a platinum case with a white-gold dial, or a rose-gold case with rose-gold dial.

The brand did still produce different configurations, including contrasting versions made of platinum with rose-gold dials, and ones made of rose-gold with white-gold dials. It's also worth taking into account that they were available in two case sizes up until 2015: 38 mm or 40 mm. In 2015, the ones with 38 mm cases were pulled from production.

The Tourbillon Nouveau Collector’s Guide provided by watch4moi.com indicates that the most common Tourbillon Nouveau model would be a platinum case with a white-gold dial, while the rarest combination might be the rose-on-rose gold version. 

Based on our research, the most common of the standard versions seems to be the monochrome platinum model with a gray dial made of white gold, which accounts for up to 70 % of all standard versions.

Tthe number of monochrome models with rose-gold cases and dials is almost the same as the rose-gold models with white-gold dials: around 12–13 %. The rarest could actually be the platinum model with a rose-gold dial, which is good news for collectors who appreciate the design with salmon dials.

Special Issues

Now let's turn to the special cases. First and foremost, we should note the insanely expensive jewelry models which were introduced shortly after the launch of Ref. TN. Christie's states that around 20 sets of watches were made, including 15 pieces released with leather straps and a diamond-set deployant buckle, while a handful of pieces came with platinum bracelets.

These watches with bracelets were encrusted with diamonds (Christie's notes the existence of two known pieces), emeralds (one known piece) and rubies (one piece believed to have been made).

The existence of other fine jewelry editions of Ref. TN, which have yet to resurface on the market is quite plausible. It's interesting to note that these watches were given a different reference, Ref. TJ, distinguishing them from the basic models.

François-Paul Journe believes it's essential to maintain friendly relations with early clients. The most famous example would probably be the Vagabondage project, where clients who've already bought earlier Vagabondage series watches are prioritized when new releases are made available for purchase.

This strategy was given a new meaning around 2006–2007, when Journe launched the Black Label and Boutique Edition models with black dials, offered to existing owners of F. P. Journe watches. The brand's own boutiques are also given an advantage here, as the editions are sold exclusively through F.P. Journe boutiques.

The Black Label editions were introduced as platinum models with black dials, and the Boutique Edition models were presented in rose gold with black dials. This has largely remained their niche to this day, although a few Boutique Editions have recently appeared with different guilloché dials.

 There are both Black Label and Boutique Edition versions of Tourbillon Souverain Ref. TN watches, and both occasionally resurface at auctions. For instance, a Tourbillon Souverain Black Label was sold for CHF 441,000 by Sotheby's in 2021.

Six years earlier, a similar piece went for CHF 100,000. This is a very convincing example of the rapid growth in prices for watches by F. P. Journe on the pre-owned market which have been observed in recent years. No shortage of interesting versions of Tourbillon Souverain Ref. TN have been introduced for authorized retail partners of the brand F. P. Journe.

It's hard to find information about some of these pieces, and it's almost impossible to see many of them in real life. One example would be the limited series of models in rose gold with black mother-of-pearl dials that were made in 2004 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Singaporean retailer Sincere Fine Watches, which consists of just five pieces.

Another limited series was made for Sincere Fine Watches: fifteen platinum pieces that also had black mother-of-pearl dials. One of these was sold by Christie's in May 2021 for CHF 575,000. In 2006, the brand launched an unusual limited series called the Tokyo Edition. Don't let the name mislead you, these watches retailed as a limited five-piece sub-series through F. P. Journe boutiques in Tokyo, Geneva, Hong Kong and Boca Raton.

The watches were given ruthenium dials with inscriptions rendered using rose-gold powder. The most unusual feature was the case material, titanium, which makes the Tokyo Edition one of the rarest Tourbillon Souverain watches with a case made of a non-precious metal. A Tourbillon Souverain Pisa Edition resurfaced at Ineichen's Geneva auction in 2020: one of a limited edition of five pieces launched for the famous Milanese retailer Orologeria Pisa.

According to Ineichen, this release was a follow-up to the limited series of Chronomètre a Résonance watches, well known to collectors. The 40 mm Tourbillon Souverain Pisa Edition used the same livery as the Chronomètre à Résonance Pisa Edition: a platinum case, matte white-gold dial, and dark gray subdials for the hours and minutes along with the "seconde morte" dead-beat seconds. 

To mark the opening of F. P. Journe's Beijing boutique in 2010, the brand launched the five-piece special edition Tourbillon Souverain "China 2010" with a very unusual composition. The watch was given a dial in the colors of the Chinese flag: a red background with five stars marking the power reserve scale.

At Christie's Hong Kong auction in May 2023, this watch realized HKD 9,450,000 (around CHF 1,100,000), joining the auction millionaires club in F. P. Journe's collection. Another red-dial watch that has every chance of renewing its club membership card if it resurfaces on the market is the rare and charismatic Tourbillon Souverain "Ferrari Red", sold by Christie's in 2016 for HKD 1,000,000.

Another two legendary rare and endangered Tourbillon Souverain models are likely members of the millionaire club. One is a unique piece with a lapis-lazuli dial made for the brand's Parisian boutique in 2017. The other is a special edition for Singapore-based retailer the Hour Glass with an aquamarine aventurine dial and Chinese oracle bone script markings — one of the last Ref. TN models.

When it comes to dials crafted from semi-precious material including mother-of-pearl and aventurine like the Tourbillon Souverain Hour Glass edition, it's always worth keeping in mind that the two large screw holes drilled on the edge of the dial blank leave stress points around corners that can fracture very easily. These hardstone dials can be a nightmare to work with, where plenty of failed attempts are discarded before a flawless dial is created.

The dials for the limited Tourbillon Souverain Sincere Edition was created from a single piece of mother-of-pearl, but other later models use two separate fragments of semi-precious material to decorate the dial. The online resource watch4moi.com indicates that hardstone dials began to be made using two fragments at F. P. Journe in 2010-2011.

This technique is particularly well documented by Tourbillon Souverain watches with jade dials, which began to be produced in 2011. There wasn't a limited edition, although very few pieces were produced, which is why models with jade dials are now among the most expensive watches by F.P. Journe at auctions.

One example would be from May 2023 at the Art of F.P. Journe auction, where Christie's sold one of these pieces with a platinum bracelet for CHF 1,134,000.  The million mark was surpassed by another hardstone piece at Christie's in May 2023: one of the 20 pieces in the limited Tourbillon Souverain Coeur de Rubis series with a Heart of Ruby (hardstone ruby) dial, launched to usher out Ref. TN around 2018 or 2019. 

François-Paul Journe is one of the few watchmakers who always takes an inventive and imaginative approach to creating watches for a charitable cause. For the 2015 Action Innocence, he presented a unique Tourbillon Souverain with a decorative purple dial. It became the brand's most expensive watch ever sold at auction at the time, when it realized a colossal USD 770,000.

As we know, this record has since been trumped by many other Tourbillon Souverain models.  Another unusual Tourbillon Souverain was sold at the Only Watch auction in the same year. It was based on the famous Chronomètre Bleu models with a case made of tantalum and an electric-blue dial.

We wrap up our overview of Ref. TN with a story about a semi-precious watch with a hand-engraved dial from the limited edition Tourbillon Souverain "Régence Circulaire" series. The series was limited to 18 pieces according to Christie's, although F. P. Journe announced that availability was limited to 20 pieces.

Up to ten pieces in the "Régence Circulaire" series had rose-gold cases and white-gold dials, while the remaining pieces used rose gold for both their cases and dials. "Régence Circulaire" Is a very rare example of F. P. Journe's work in the Métiers d'Art genre, and the present series follows on from two other Métiers d'Art models: Tourbillon Souverain "Labyrinthe" (Ref. T) and "Régence Losange" (Ref. TN).

The only information we currently have about last of these models is the fact of its existence. Apart from the inspiration François-Paul Journe drew from historic Regency-era traditions, the launch of "Régence Circulaire" models was fueled by a desire to give Ref. TN a good send-off.

Tourbillon Souverain Ref. TV

In order to mark the 20th anniversary of the Tourbillon Souverain in 2019, François-Paul Journe decided to continue this model's legacy by creating a new version with the tourbillon flipped in a highly unusual vertical position for wristwatches, which was met by surprise by fans and experts.

From this moment on, the watches were referenced TV: Tourbillon Vertical. The watches were simultaneously equipped with caliber 1519, which had an increased power reserve of 80 hours, while the tourbillon carriage became twice as fast, completing one full revolution every 30 seconds.

F. P. Journe offered a number of basic design versions of Ref. TV. The classic collection features 42-mm models in rose gold and platinum with merging white-enamel subdials for the hour/minute and seconds subdials. The only jewelry model has a 44-mm platinum case encrusted with baguette-cut diamonds that weigh a total of 22.5 carats, and a black dial backdrop.

On Ref. TV, this is the surface of the movement's mainplate, decorated with the Clous de Paris hobnail guilloché pattern. The same finish in black for the dial background (base plate of movement) can be seen on Tourbillon Souverain Boutique Edition models with 42-mm rose-gold cases.

And this is where our discussion of the Tourbillon Souverain ends, although the story of the model itself is far from over. As for historic releases, we certainly can't say that the information we currently have at our disposal is exhaustive.

We're still waiting for clarification on some fuzzy details, and we definitely can't rule out the possibility of another special edition or unique piece resurfacing on the market — unknown or only known among a very narrow circle up until that point. We await new discoveries with bated breath.

Previosly (part I) (part II) 

Credits taken from: www.christies.com, www.phillips.com, www.sothebys.com, www.facebook.com/thehourglasswatches, www.fpjourne.com