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Fanny Zafraka-Themelidis
One of the most historically important watches in modern independent watchmaking is set to change hands this November. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo has announced that it will offer the F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance 022/99R during the Geneva Watch Auction: XXIV. It is the earliest commercially numbered example of the model, which is widely regarded as one of François-Paul Journe’s greatest horological achievements.
The watch was manufactured in 1999, one year before the official launch of the Chronomètre à Résonance in 2000. It has remained with its original owner for 27 years and is being offered publicly for the very first time, further enhancing its collector appeal. Phillips has estimated the watch at CHF 500,000–1,000,000, and it will be offered during the Geneva Watch Auction: XXIV on 7–8 November.
The significance of this watch lies not only in its age but, above all, in the serial number 022/99R engraved on the caseback. The suffix 99R indicates that the case was ordered in 1999, before the model’s official launch. Even more important is the number 022. The first twenty serial numbers were reserved for supporters of the Tourbillon Souverain Souscription, while François-Paul Journe retained 021 as his personal presentation watch. As a result, 022 became the first Chronomètre à Résonance delivered to a regular client. According to Phillips, the original owner deliberately chose the number 022 because it matched his birth date, unaware that it would one day become one of the most historically significant serial numbers in the history of the model.
The 022/99R also belongs to the legendary Pre-Production series. Only around ten examples are believed to have been produced before the better-known Souscription and Pre-Souscription versions that have occasionally appeared at auction. It also retains all the characteristics most prized by collectors of early F.P. Journe watches, including a glossy pink gold dial with silver-toned subdials, a brass movement, and the distinctive shallow engravings on the caseback.
When it was officially launched in 2000, the Chronomètre à Résonance became the world’s first wristwatch to successfully harness the physical phenomenon of resonance. Drawing on the observations of Antide Janvier and the work of Abraham-Louis Breguet, François-Paul Journe developed a movement with two independent balance wheels positioned close enough to influence each other through microscopic vibrations, ultimately synchronising their rate and improving chronometric stability. More than a quarter of a century later, the Chronomètre à Résonance remains one of the defining achievements of contemporary watchmaking.
The appearance of the 022/99R comes at a time when the market for F.P. Journe continues to reach new heights. In 2026 alone, Phillips achieved three landmark sales of Chronomètre à Résonance watches: Souscription No. 007 sold for US$13.9 million , Souscription No. 18 realised US$6.3 million and the limited-edition Pisa reached US$3 million . The upcoming sale is expected to add yet another milestone to both the history of Phillips and the continuing ascent of independent watchmaking in the auction world.
