A Week On The Wrist The Search Is Over – This Entry Level F.P. Journe Chronomètre Bleu Is My New Favorite Watch

The Chronomètre Bleu is the product of one of the most famous independent watchmakers in the world, Mr. François-Paul Journe. It's actually the brand's entry-level watch – if you exclude the quartz-equipped Elegante – priced at $37,400 retail (and considerably higher on the secondary market). Did your heart skip a beat? Don't worry, mine did too and I already knew the price. Even at this "entry-level" price point, the watch is extremely difficult to purchase at its retail price. In fact, a lot of pieces from F.P. Journe are hard to get because the independent brand produces less than 1,000 watches per year and out of that batch only a small portion are Chronomètre Bleus, and, of course, there is quite a high demand for almost any watch from F.P. Journe.

Despite the watch's scarcity, I really think the Chronomètre Bleu is worth the chase if your bank account can handle it. The mirror-like chrome blue dial is absolutely mesmerizing, the tantalum (a metal with a similar weight as platinum, but more resistant to corrosion and wear) case at 39mm and only 8.3mm thick sits on my wrist like a dream, and the 18k rose gold in-house movement is one of the most finely finished works of art I've ever seen through a sapphire crystal caseback. The watch isn't too dressy, but you could still easily wear it with a tuxedo. It's not a gaudy design nor is it too complex; it's not another hyped-up sports watch.

Sure, it might have a flaw or two (the exclusion of hacking seconds is still a weird normality in high-end watchmaking), but to me, it's an oddly perfect balance of quirky and simple but still complicated and I love it! Naivety be damned.