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Phillips will showcase one of the earliest F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance wristwatches at an upcoming timepiece sale in Geneva, in association with Bacs & Russo.
The 38-millimeter platinum watch has a shiny pink gold dial and bears the serial number 022/99R, which means it dates back to 1999, a year before the model’s official launch. It is one of only 10 preproduction examples the watchmaker released. The piece will appear for the first time in 27 years at the November 7 and 8 Geneva Watch Auction: XXIV, where it will carry a CHF 1 million ($1.2 million) upper estimate, Phillips said last week.
Introduced in 2000, the Chronomètre à Résonance became the world’s first wristwatch to harness the phenomenon of resonance: a movement with two closely positioned balance wheels that gradually synchronize through the subtle vibrations they generate, resulting in more stable and consistent timekeeping. Inspired by the work of 18th-century clockmaker Antide Janvier and later researched by Abraham-Louis Breguet, François-Paul Journe adapted the principle for a wristwatch, Phillips added.
More than 25 years after its debut, the Chronomètre à Résonance remains one of the landmark creations of contemporary watchmaking, according to Phillips.
During the auction house’s 2026 spring sales, Phillips sold three historic timepieces from the series. These included the $13.9 million Souscription No. 007, the $6.3 million Souscription No. 18, and the $3 million Pisa.
Image: The F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance wristwatches. (Phillips)
