Continuing with its regular support for various charities around the world, F.P. Journe has created the Élégante 48 mm Titalyt MAMCO that will be sold to benefit the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Geneva (MAMCO) on September 18, 2024.

It’s essentially a variation of the stock Élégante with an engraved bezel and a reproduction of Maurizio Nannucci’s 1994 Art on the dial. While the watch is simple, the number will be big. As an example, the one-off Élégante 48 “Pink” raised over US$400,000 for American breast cancer charity in February this year.

MAMCO 30

F.P. Journe has long been a supporter of MAMCO via its sponsorship of the Prix Solo at artgenève, an annual art fair organised by the museum. The one-off Élégante was conceived to raise funds for MAMCO’s renovation, which is part of the institution’s 30th anniversary commemoration this year.

Founded in 1994 by a group of prominent bankers and lawyers, MAMCO is Switzerland’s largest museum dedicated to contemporary art. Located in a former factory, MAMCO sits across from the Patek Philippe Museum, and a five minute’s walk from F.P. Journe’s manufacture.

The Élégante MAMCO is the larger size of the model, measuring 48 mm lengthwise. It has a titanium case coated in Titalyt, which is essentially a ceramic layer created via chemical oxidation. The case is identical to that on the standard model, save for the bezel that is engraved with “MAMCO” and “30”, a reference to the museum’s anniversary.

The dark grey dial is printed with a reproduction of Art, a 1994 neon-light artwork by Italian artist Maurizio Nannucci. Part of MAMCO’s collection, the artwork “explores the interplay between art, sign, text, and light”.

Like the standard Élégante, the MAMCO edition has a luminous dial, which shows off the artwork on the dial in the dark. Only the “R” is luminous, with the rest of “ART” staying dark against the dial.

The Élégante MAMCO is equipped with the same cal. 1210 found in the regular production model that has a red gold-plated battery cover and solid-red gold tracks on the circuit board.

Developed in house by F.P. Journe – a notable achievement for a small brand – the high-tech quartz movement has incorporates a “sleep” function. If the motion detector rotor visible on the dial is stationary for 35 minutes, the movement begins to hibernate, stopping the hands but continuing to keep time electronically.

When motion is detected, the movement awakes and the travels swivel to show the correct time. This allows the battery to last for up to 18 years in sleep mode, or eight to ten years in regular mode.