- Year
- 2026
- Condition
- Unworn
- Set
- Box and papers
- Movement
- Manual winding
- Size
- 39 mm
Set and condition
Complete set
This Chronomètre Bleu is accompanied by its original presentation box, warranty card and supporting documentation. The watch and included items are inspected by an expert watchmaker before sale. Additional photographs and video of this piece are available on request.
Original presentation box
Original presentation box and packaging.
Original papers
Warranty card and supporting documentation.
Inspected prior to sale
Reviewed for condition, completeness and functionality. Additional details and photographs are available on request.
Condition photography
Additional close-up images of specific areas are available before purchase.
Overview
Tantalum
The F.P. Journe Chronomètre Bleu, reference CB, in tantalum on a leather strap with the chrome blue dial and ivory-coloured steel hands. 39 mm and 8.3 mm high; manually wound calibre 1304 in 18K rose gold with two barrels in parallel, central hours and minutes and small seconds at 7:30.
The Chronomètre Bleu is the Classique collection's time-only watch in tantalum, a dark grey metal with a blue cast that the brand names for the torment of Tantalus. It is seldom used for watch cases because it is hard and difficult to work: F.P. Journe gives a melting point of 3016° and a density of 16.65 g/cm3, and notes the metal's resistance to corrosion and wear and its biocompatibility. The case is 39 mm and 8.3 mm high. The dial is chrome blue to sit with the case, with large Arabic numerals and cream-coloured hands, and the brand describes it as redesigned; the display is hours, minutes and small seconds at 7:30, with no reserve indicator.
Calibre 1304 is the brand's hand-wound chronometer movement, 4 mm high, with base plate and bridges in 18K rose gold. Its two barrels are set in parallel, which the brand describes as the classic arrangement of precision watches: both drive the train together, so the torque reaching the escapement stays close to even over most of the 56-hour reserve instead of tailing off as a single spring unwinds. The balance is free-sprung, rated by four inertia weights on its rim, on a flat micro-flamed Anachron spring laser-welded to a Nivatronic collet, and is adjusted dynamically in six positions. It beats 21,600 vibrations an hour through a pallet escapement with a 15-tooth wheel.
For collectors
What sets this watch apart is the case rather than the movement. Tantalum's hardness, the reason the brand gives for its rarity in watchmaking, is also why the case resists the wear a softer metal shows, and the chrome blue dial and ivory hands were chosen to go with the metal's colour rather than against it. The calibre is the Chronomètre Souverain's 1304, but here without a reserve indicator: the dial gives hours, minutes and small seconds and nothing else.
Key details
Design and engineering
- Tantalum case39 mm and 8.3 mm high. Hard, dense at 16.65 g/cm3 and with a melting point of 3016°, tantalum is difficult to fashion, which is why it is seldom seen in cases; the brand also values it for resistance to corrosion and wear and for biocompatibility.
- Twin barrels in parallelBoth barrels drive the train together, so the torque at the escapement stays close to even for most of the reserve. Full wind takes 38 turns of the crown.
- Free-sprung balanceNo regulator index: four inertia weights on the rim set the rate and leave the flat Anachron spring undisturbed. Amplitude 320° dial-up at full wind and 280° after 24 hours; adjusted dynamically in six positions.
- DialChrome blue, with large Arabic numerals and ivory-coloured steel hands. Central hours and minutes, small seconds at 7:30; no reserve indication.
- DecorationPartly circular-grained base plate with barleycorn guilloché, polished screw heads with chamfered slots, pegs with polished rounded ends.
Calibre 1304
- Manual winding, 38 turns of the crown
- Movement in 18K rose gold
- Two mainspring barrels in parallel; pallet escapement with 15-tooth escape wheel
- 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz), 22 jewels
- Power reserve 56 ± 2 hours
- 30.40 mm overall diameter, 4 mm high, 129 parts (166 cased on a leather strap)
The reference
Technical specifications
| Reference | CB |
|---|---|
| Collection | Classique |
| Calibre | Calibre 1304 |
| Movement | Manual winding |
| Movement material | 18K rose gold |
| Functions | Central hours and minutes, Sub-second at 7:30 |
| Case dimensions | 39 mm |
| Case thickness | 8.3 mm |
| Case material | Tantalum |
| Dial | Chrome blue |
| Hands | ivory color Steel |
| Strap | Leather strap |
| Jewels | 22 |
| Power reserve | 56 ± 2 hours |
Buying with HYPA
Purchase with confidence
- Original warranty card included, dated 2026
- Free insured delivery within Australia · international quoted
- Payment by bank transfer
- Registered Australian dealerHYPA International Pty Ltd · Registered Victorian second-hand dealer, Registration No. SHD-0018017.
- Direct specialist supportSpeak with the HYPA team before, during and after the purchase.
- Rated 5.0 on Google · 6 reviewsFrom clients of HYPA International on Google. Read the reviews
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