Two F.P. Journe Watches Could Sell for $1 Million Each at Auction

The event’s 140 lots span the gamut from classical masterpieces, such as a George Daniels Millennium wristwatch, to a unique AI-designed Casio 40th anniversary G-Shock, which will be sold to benefit charity.  

For one of the sale’s headline watches, F.P. Journe, an independent master based in Geneva, paid tribute to Abraham-Louis Breguet’s famed tourbillon with the Tourbillon Souverain, the first wristwatch tourbillon with a remontoire, a constant force device that enhances timekeeping precision. That piece made its debut at the Baselworld fair in 1999, the same year attributed to the platinum Tourbillon Souverain with a shiny yellow gold dial, numbered 43/99T, that is being sold. 

The second Journe piece is a platinum Resonance “Pre-Souscription,” numbered 43/00R, circa 2000. Both pieces were purchased by the original owner in 2000 from the same Geneva retailer and have never been serviced or repaired, so they remain in pristine condition and come with all the original accessories that accompanied the watches upon delivery.

An extremely rare George Daniels yellow gold wristwatch with a Co-Axial escapement, one of a circa-2000, 48-piece limited edition, is estimated to fetch between US$300,000 and US$600,000. This classical example exhibits the aesthetic cues and eccentricities of Daniels’ famous pocket chronometers and is offered with the original box, documentation and correspondence from Daniels himself.

Completed in 1975, Daniels’ ground-breaking, near-frictionless Co-Axial escapement was more energy efficient than the contemporary Swiss lever escapement, plus it was not reliant on lubrication and boasted significantly longer service intervals. After two decades spent trying to convince Switzerland’s leading brands to adapt his handmade invention for mass production, it wasn’t until 1999 when technicians at ETA and Omega presented the first production models under the Omega badge. 

 Another extremely rare offering is a Patek Philippe Ref. 844, the only known white gold minute repeating perpetual calendar pocket watch with an elegant in-line display, circa 1973, estimated to sell between US$200,000 and US$400,000. The key feature is the linear calendar displaying the day, date, and month on a central aperture at 12 o’clock, enhancing aesthetic purity and balance. The piece comes from the collection of Jean-Claude Biver, a renowned European collector and watch industry legend. 

A more contemporary minute repeater on offer is a circa-2019 Audemars Piguet limited-edition titanium Royal Oak Supersonnerie wristwatch, estimated to sell between US$200,000 and US$400,000. This repeater comes with a blue dial, an alternate salmon dial, warranty and original box. 

In stark contrast to those high-end watchmakers, Phillips teamed up with Casio to mark the 40th anniversary of its popular G-Shock with a unique piece developed using AI for the watch’s exterior design. Human designers created a framework based on over 40 years of G-Shock development data and fed it into the AI system to generate a 3-D model. The watch’s case, bezel, and bracelet are all crafted from 18-karat gold that has been carefully hand polished. One hundred percent of proceeds from its sale, estimated between US$70,000 to US$140,000, will go to a yet-to-be-named charity. 

Additional highlights from artisanal brands include a probably unique circa-2020 Voutilainen platinum wristwatch with a two-tone blue handmade “optical illusion” dial, estimated to sell for between US$70,000 and US$140,000, as well as a circa-2011 titanium MB&F Horological Machine 4, projected to sell for between US$80,000 and US$160,000.

“From the handmade Co-Axial escapement of George Daniels’ Millennium wristwatch to the AI-generated full-metal, shock-resistant structure of the Casio 40th Anniversary G-Shock, we are proud to showcase a curated selection of horological treasures, which offer a glimpse into a market that celebrates both heritage and innovation,” said Paul Boutros, deputy chairman and head of watches—Americas at Phillips, in a news release.