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F.P. Journe

Switzerland · Founded 1999

Independent Geneva manufacture founded in 1999 by French watchmaker François-Paul Journe (b. 1957, Marseille), operating under the motto "Invenit et Fecit" (invented and made): every movement is designed and produced in-house, cast in 18K rose gold rather than the brass or nickel alloys most manufactures use, a Journe signature regardless of case metal. Journe introduced the world's first wristwatch resonance chronometer (Chronomètre à Résonance, 2000), the first tourbillon wristwatch with a remontoir d'égalité (from his 1991/1999 Tourbillon Souverain), and the Centigraphe's mechanical hundredth-of-a-second chronograph. Based in a converted 19th-century gaslamp factory in central Geneva; also owns casemaker Les Boîtiers de Genève and dialmaker Les Cadraniers de Genève, both acquired to control the full manufacturing chain. Chanel acquired a 20% minority stake in 2018. Annual production is deliberately capped around 900-1,000 pieces across roughly 150-200 employees.