F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain TN
Movement
Manual winding
Size
40 mm

Overview

Constant force and a deadbeat second

The F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain, reference TN, in platinum on the platinum bracelet with the white gold dial and whitened guilloché silver sub-dials. 40 mm and 9.9 mm high, manually wound calibre 1403 in 18K rose gold: tourbillon, remontoir d'égalité and deadbeat seconds.

F.P. Journe launched its brand in 1999 with the Tourbillon Souverain, the first model of the Souveraine collection, which the brand describes as the only tourbillon wristwatch with a remontoir. Calibre 1403 is the later construction that added deadbeat seconds to the remontoir and replaced the original; F.P. Journe gives its production as 2003 to 2018. Journe's own history of the constant-force device runs from Jobst Bürgi's clocks in the 15th century through Thomas Mudge and Robert Robin, and he counts the Tourbillon Souverain as its first appearance in a wristwatch.

A remontoir d'égalité puts a small secondary spring between the mainspring and the escapement. The mainspring rearms it in short, regular steps and the escapement is driven by the secondary spring alone, so the force reaching the balance does not follow the mainspring as it runs down. To this calibre 1403 adds an independent deadbeat second: the hand at 6 o'clock stays still until a full second has passed, then jumps, the seconde morte of French watchmaking. Hours and minutes are read off-centre at 3 o'clock and the 42-hour reserve at 12, and the movement is seen through a sapphire case back.

For collectors

The amplitude specification shows what the remontoir is for: 280° dial-up at full wind and the same 280° after 24 hours. It also helps to place a piece in the model's history. The earlier Tourbillon Souverain with remontoir alone, which this construction replaced, is the one F.P. Journe calls a collector's timepiece, with about a hundred made; deadbeat seconds at 6 o'clock mark the calibre 1403 watch.

Key details

Case materialPlatinum
MovementCalibre 1403, manual winding
CollectionSouveraine

Design and engineering

  • Remontoir d'égalitéThe escapement is driven by a secondary spring that the mainspring rearms, which keeps the balance clear of the fall in mainspring torque across the 42 ± 2 hours of reserve.
  • Deadbeat secondsThe seconds hand advances once per second and stands still between steps, so it shows a second only after it has elapsed. F.P. Journe presents it as a means of reading time more exactly.
  • Balance and escapementFree-sprung balance with four inertia weights, flat Anachron balance spring with Breguet overcoil, pinned stud; 15-tooth escape wheel with a 90° anchor fork.
  • DialSteel circles screwed to the face, a patented F.P. Journe feature, frame the guilloché silver dials for the hours and minutes at 3 o'clock, the seconds at 6 and the reserve at 12.
  • FinishingCircular stripes on the bridges, Geneva waves on the base plate, polished and bevelled screw heads, pegs with polished rounded ends.

Calibre 1403

  • Manual winding, 20 turns of the crown, two-position crown
  • 18K rose gold, 26 jewels
  • Tourbillon with remontoir d'égalité and deadbeat seconds
  • 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz)
  • Power reserve 42 ± 2 hours
  • 32.40 mm overall diameter, 7.20 mm high
  • 193 parts in the movement, 218 cased on leather strap

The reference

Technical specifications

Tourbillon Souverain
ReferenceTN
CollectionSouveraine
CalibreCalibre 1403
MovementManual winding
Movement material18K rose gold
FunctionsHours and minutes at 3h00, Sub-seconds at 6h00, Power reserve at 12h00
Case dimensions40 mm
Case thickness9.9 mm
Case materialPlatinum
Dialwhite Gold and whitened guilloché Silver
Handsblued Steel
BraceletPlatinum
Jewels26
Power reserve42 ± 2 hours
Frequency21'600 VPH, 3 Hz
StatusNo longer in the current collection

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