We are visual animals. As Wilde puts it: 『It’s only shallow people who do not judge by appearance.』 In the spectrum of Haute horology, a unique appearance has never been more indispensable.
Top echelon watchmakers need a signature face, or dial, more than ever to stand for their house aesthetics and revealing the exceptional underlining movement. François-Paul Journe mastered it on this point: 『The dial is the face of a watch and its soul.』 Combining chronometric innovation and artistic sensitivity, his namesake watch brand F.P. Journe functions like no one else, just as it looks like no one else.
The dial creation of F.P. Journe exudes nobility and elegance. Journe’s aesthetic partially roots in his long-lasting penchant for the 18th century’s watchmaking history.
Born in Marseille, France, François-Paul attended a local watchmaking school at the age of fourteen. Afterwards, he went to Paris working in his uncle’s antique timepiece restoration workshop in Saint Germain-des-Près area, where he had the chance to explore many precious timepieces from the history. Among the horological history, the 18th-century horological creations spark the most inspirations to Journe. He was fascinated by masterpieces of Abraham-Louis Breguet and Antide Janvier, who created pocket watches and clocks for royal families.
Unusually, the design process of F.P. Journe doesn’t start with the movement, but the dial.
In order to free his imaginative mind without any concession on aesthetic perfection, François-Paul set up the dial manufacturer Les Cadraniers de Genève in 2000. Since 2012, Les Cadraniers de Genève shares the same building with its sister company Les Boîtiers de Genève in Meyrin, the latter is a watch case manufacturer that also owned by F.P. Journe.
If you don't own your dial, you don't own your soul.
Great insight!