F.P.Journe FFC
The F.P.Journe FFC is the product of two brilliant minds meeting over dinner and conceiving a new means of indicating the hours. Celebrated watchmaker, François-Paul Journe and acclaimed film director, Francis Ford Coppola have masterminded a watch that employs dactylonomy to enunciate the hours. It also includes a rotating disc for indicating the minutes. Angus Davies looks closely at this remarkable creation.
The perfect birthday present
Every year, at the beginning of August, my wife begins planning my birthday celebrations. She always selects a ‘special card’ with great care and usually books a meal at my favourite restaurant. However, when it comes to buying a present, apparently “I’m difficult to buy for”. To be honest, I’ve now reached an age when I seldom crave additional possessions or at least that was the case until now. Allow me to elaborate.
In 2009, Eleanor Coppola saw an advert in the Wall Street Journal for the Chronomètre à Résonance. She was looking for a gift for her husband, the legendary film producer, Francis Ford Coppola. Mrs Coppola knew little about watches and selected the model because she found it ‘chic and elegant’. Pierre Halimi, François-Paul Journe’s business partner, personally delivered the watch to Mr Coppola in order to explain its intricacies in detail.
Francis Ford Coppola
When presented with the gift, Francis Ford Coppola was understandably delighted. Indeed, he sent a message via Pierre Halimi, inviting its creator, François-Paul Journe, to his Inglenook winery in the Napa Valley. Fond of fine wine, the son of Marseille graciously accepted the invitation.
The two men met for the first time in 2012 and chatted over dinner. During their time together, the men discussed horology at length including various means of indicating time. In passing it was pointed out that the word ‘hand’ is extensively used in watchmaking while also being used to describe a part of the human body. This comment led Mr Coppola to enquire whether François-Paul had ever thought of displaying the hours using dactylonomy. Derived from the Greek words daktulos (finger) and nomia (related to nomos, an area of knowledge), dactylonomy involves using fingers to express numbers.
Dactylonomy
Following his meeting with Francis Ford Coppola, François-Paul reflected on the idea of depicting the hours with a lone human-like hand. In 2014, Monsieur Journe informed the film producer that he was ready to meet the challenge. Mr Coppola, aka FFC, agreed to sketch various ideas for the depiction of the hours using ‘finger positions’.
Throughout his career, François-Paul Journe has relished challenges, inventing new horological mechanisms that deliver horological advancement. Indeed, the motto of the eponymous Maison, ‘Invenit et Fecit’ means ‘invented and made’, a mantra that has become known to legions of watch aficionados around the globe. In this instance, Journe graciously credits FFC with ‘invenit’ and himself with ‘fecit’!
Ambroise Paré
François-Paul Journe’s son, Charles Journe, an historian, suggested his father look at the work of Ambroise Paré (1510-1590). A hugely talented French physician, Paré was one of the most remarkable surgeons of his generation. Indeed, he is regarded by some medical historians as the father of modern surgery.
Paré came to prominence as an army surgeon and ultimately became surgeon to four French kings. He created incredibly complex prosthetic arms and legs, incorporating elaborate mechanisms and it was this area of expertise that served as inspiration for François-Paul.
Ambroise Paré’s detailed drawings of an artificial hand reveal a series of levers and wheels, parts that are very familiar to the famous watchmaker. It is Paré’s anatomical drawings that Journe cites as his inspiration.
F.P.Journe FFC Blue (2021)
With ambition comes pain. Innovation is not an easy route to success. Over the years, François-Paul Journe has created several watches where technical obstacles have hindered his progress. In the case of the F.P.Journe FFC, he expended seven years creating prototypes and refining his concept. After all, the watch had to function reliably in order for it to bear the name of the prestigious marque on its caseback.
Finally, in 2021, the Genevan firm unveiled the F.P.Journe FFC Blue, a unique timepiece created for Only Watch, the charity auction held in support of research on Duchenne Musucular Dystrophy. Featuring a blue gauntlet-like hand, housed in a 42mm case formed of tantalum and equipped with an automatic movement, the Calibre 1300.3, the watch was auctioned on the 6th November 2021. It surpassed the pre-sale estimate of CHF 300,000 – CHF 400,000, fetching a remarkable figure of CHF 4,500,000.
F.P.Journe FFC (2023)
No doubt buoyed by the enthusiasm for the one-off charity timepiece, the Maison has now released the F.P.Journe FFC, a watch that perpetuates the dactylonomy theme but embraces new colours and materials.
Titanium hand
The dial features a silver-toned hand centre stage. Made from titanium, the hand-engraved fingers indicate the prevailing hour, subscribing to FFC’s sketches. The Maison selected ‘raw titanium’ for the hand, seeking to play with contrasts, culminating in a near-black appearance in certain light conditions, accentuating the various details. The fingers have a thickness of between 0.10mm – 0.15mm and have been painstakingly sculpted by an ‘artist engraver’, a process that takes a minimum of 16 hours.
At the beginning of each hour, the finger configuration instantaneously transitions to the next prevailing value. Titanium was selected for its low mass (see later), a characteristic which mitigates energy consumption with every flick of a finger.
Rotating minutes dial
The minutes are presented on a rotating dial or track, hugging the interior of the case. Arabic numerals, arranged at 5-minute intervals are presented in a silvery hue, while ‘60’ is proclaimed in bright red. A static triangular index, positioned above the tips of the fingers, points upwards, indicating the prevailing minutes. This triangular index is black polished, one of the most challenging and protracted finishing techniques to perform.
The anatomy of the dial
Unlike a regular watch equipped with a dial made of solid brass or gold, the dial of the F.P.Journe FFC is openworked revealing an array of wheels and cams in motion. Anthracite bridges, formed of titanium with Titalyt® coating, play a deferential role to the rubies, circular grained wheels, silvery levers and wheels as well as the polished screws. Each component is engaged in a choreographed dance for the delectation of the wearer.
Platinum case
Measuring 42mm in diameter, the case is formed of platinum 950. Interestingly, despite the complexity of the F.P.Journe FFC and its unusual depiction of time, the watch measures just 10.70mm, making it the same thickness as the Classique Automatique.
Journe devotees will note the familiar crown design with rope-style knurling and double indentations on its vertical flank. The arcing sides of the case and curved lugs play with light, creating shadows adjacent areas of brilliance. The shape of the lugs, minimal in length, entices the leather strap to encircle the wrist comfortably, making the watch appear smaller than its stated dimensions.
To the rear of the watch, a pane of sapphire crystal grants sight of the self-winding movement, the Calibre 1300.3.
Octa Calibre 1300.3
The Octa Calibre was unveiled for the first time in 2001 and from the outset it was designed to incorporate complications. Since the inaugural movement was launched some 22 years ago, it has changed very little, testament to the brilliance of the original design. The F.P.Journe FFC is fitted with the Octa Calibre 1300.3, a self-winding movement that has been employed in other F.P.Journe timepieces. Made of 18-carat rose gold, the movement is beautifully finished. The inventory of refinements includes bridges appointed with circular Côtes de Genève, partial circular graining on the mainplate, polished screws with chamfered slots, pegs with polished rounded ends and steelwork with polished chamfers.
Image – Octa Calibre 1300.3. Note the F.P.Journe is fitted with a 22K white gold oscillating mass
Typically, watches equipped with jumping hours, retrograde minutes or other forms of instantaneous display quaff energy. This not only reduces the power-reserve it can also adversely affect the chronometric performance of the watch. However, Journe has surmounted such issues employing a number of strategies.
As stated earlier, F.P.Journe has made the hand of lightweight titanium, mitigating the amount of energy consumed. The fingers freely move with little hint of friction. Moreover, the movement is fitted with a remontoir d’égalité, a mechanism that will forever be associated with François-Paul Journe and employed on some of his other exceptional creations such as the Tourbillon Souverain.
The remontoir d’égalité draws power from the gear train and serves the display. Every 40 minutes, a spring blade is tensioned, storing energy in a barrel-like device. Once per hour, this energy is released, resulting in a series of cams, 10 in total, to rotate, causing the fingers of the human-like hand to move, thereby indicating the hours. After the fingers have moved and the spring blade has relaxed, the recharging phase commences anew.
A characteristic of Journe’s work is that he always seeks to avoid using highly tensioned mainsprings within his watches as the torque curve is too steep, impairing chronometry. By making components especially light, the Octa calibre merely sips energy, culminating in a 5-day power reserve and a linear and stable supply of energy to the escapement (850 grams of torque).
Closing remarks
In the rarefied world of Haute Horlogerie, traditions are respected, but sometimes at the expense of innovation. François-Paul Journe has repeatedly invented new ways of enhancing chronometry and delighting purists. However, the F.P.Journe FFC Blue and subsequently the F.P.Journe FFC represent a significant departure from other timepieces conceived by the watchmaker.
Born of an idea voiced over dinner, the F.P.Journe FFC embraces ingenuity while simultaneously upholding the Maison’s revered standards. The hour display bestows an unprecedented level of dial animation, while the movement is endowed with peerless finishing worthy of the term ‘Haute Horlogerie’. The ingenious use of a remontoir d’égalité ensures that the motion of the human-like fingers, positioned front of house, does not have any adverse effect on the amplitude of the balance and, by default, the precision of the watch.
Back in 2021, when I saw images of the F.P.Journe FFC Blue, I could appreciate its brilliance, but I wasn’t sure about its aesthetic charms. I’ve since seen the F.P.Journe FFC, admired it at close quarters and watched it perform its finger-themed ballet: Mrs Davies, if you’re stuck for ideas this year, can I make a suggestion…….
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: F.P.Journe FFC
- Case: platinum 950, diameter 42mm, height 10.7mm, sapphire crystal to front and rear
- Functions: Instantaneous digital hours indicated by the animated fingers of a Titanium hand, rotating minutes dial
- Movement: Calibre 1300.3, automatic movement; frequency 21,600 vph (3Hz), 63 jewels, power reserve 120 ± 12 hours, 396 movement components.
- Price: CHF 820,000 excluding taxes (RRP as of 3.6.2023)