For its third outing supporting the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, F.P. Journe created a unique Chronomètre à Résonance that sold for S$4.00 million – equivalent to US$2.98 million – during the charity’s annual gala dinner in Singapore. As a friend of the Monegasque ruler, François-Paul Journe has long supported his namesake charity.

Now once of the most valuable recent F.P. Journe watches ever sold, the Resonance follows the LineSport Rattrapante of 2018 and the Chronometre Optimum of 2022, which have cumulatively raised several million for the charity that supports environmental causes around the world.

Echoing the livery of the Optimum of 2022, the unique Resonance has a platinum case with a burgundy dial and ruthenium sub-dials. Notably, two forms of Chinese characters: modern simplified Chinese characters on the right sub-dial, while the left register has markings in oracle bone script, the oldest form of written Chinese.

The movement is engraved on the barrel bridge: “S.A.S. Albert II Singapore 2024”

More than double the result of the Optimum in 2022, the big number for the Resonance is no surprise given the recent record-setting sale of the 1993 F.P. Journe tourbillon prototype. This arguably demonstrates that F.P. Journe has gone beyond a watchmaker or even watches, but a brand. This desirability of the F.P. Journe brand is reflected in not just the value, but how easily and quickly it was achieved at the auction during the dinner event.

Thomas Perazzi conducting the auction. Image – Phillips

With Thomas Perazzi of Phillips at the rostrum, bidding opened at S$200,000 but instantly jumped to S$1.00 million, and then swiftly onwards with impressively determined and quick bidding.

The bidding was driven by one bidder in the room at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands casino resort, along with four other international bidders participating on the phone via several Phillips representatives on the floor. Eventually it was a phone bidder who landed the watch with an even S$4.00 million, all of which goes to the charity.

Having unveiled its first Vianney Halter collaboration in 2020, Louis Erard now follows up with the Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Vianney Halter II that’s notably superior in style and details. Modelled on the Antiqua perpetual calendar, the Le Régulateur Vianney Halter II retains the usual Louis Erard regulator format, but smartly tweaked to replicate key elements of the Antiqua, including the rivets on the bezel, case profile, and multi-part dial.

The new regulator is offered in two limited editions of 178 pieces each: the one with a silvered dial and gilt chapter rings is available only on Louis Erard’s online store, while the second edition with an inverted dial finish will only be sold at the brand’s retailers around the world.

The Louis Erard e-commerce exclusive (left), and the retailer edition

Initial thoughts

Louis Erard has rolled out numerous collaborations with independent watchmakers. Most of them are convincing tributes to the original, but of varying levels of customisation. A good number of them employ the stock regulator case but with an edition-specific dial, which was the case for the first Vianney Halter collab.

The new Vianney Halter regulator, on the other hand, features components unique to this model, giving it a distinctive look. The dial, case, bezel, and case back are all made for this edition, with only the movement being stock. As result, this captures the look and feel of the original watch that inspired it much better than past collaborations.

But it is fundamentally a Louis Erard regulator, which means it is relatively large and thick, especially compared to the Antiqua, which, despite its outlandish appearance, is actually a compact watch. All that, however, is forgivable considering the affordability of the watch.

The Vianney Halter regulator is about 15% more expensive than the brand’s prior collaborations with independents (like the recent Kudoke edition). But the extra cost is easily justified by the fact that this isn’t just a reworked dial as with the first Vianney Halter edition. And not only is the case unique to this edition, it has more sophisticated finishing than the typical Louis Erard regulator.

As is often the case with Louis Erard’s limited editions, the Vianney Halter regulator also incorporates subtle humour, reflecting the personality of Manuel Emch, the mastermind behind Louis Erard’s recent revival. Each of the two editions retail for CHF4,444, so a buyer has to purchase both to obtain a bill of CHF8,888 – an auspicious number in Chinese culture.

Vianney Halter (left), and Manuel Emch of Louis Erard

Steampunk

The Vianney Halter regulator takes the classic Louis Erard regulator case middle, but repositions the crown to two o’clock to reproduce the off-centred sub-dials of the Antiqua. The case measures 43 mm and just under 11 mm high, typical for the Louis Erard regulator.

Both the bezel and case back reproduce the style of the Antiqua, both a flat back and a bezel secured by gold-plated rivets. Notably, the rivets continue onto the crown, as on the original.

The same holds true for the dial, which has a two-tone finish. The dial base has a vertically brushed surface, while the applied chapter rings are concentrically brushed. Both are plated in contrasting finishes and matched with blued steel hands in the typical Vianney Halter style.

As an aside, this is also a tribute to Jeff Barnes in some ways, since the distinctive steampunk aesthetic of the Antiqua (and the subsequent Classic and Trio) were conceived by the American industrial designer, and then realised by Mr Halter, who was probably the only watchmaker at the time able to pull it off.

The only bit of the watch that remains identical to the other regulator models is the movement, which is a Sellita SW266-1 plus the Louis Erard regulator display module on top. It’s a basic movement that is functional but not much to look that, although it’s visible through the open back.

Key facts and price

Louis Erard Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Vianney Halter II
Ref. 85246AA02.BVA172 (e-commerce exclusive)
Ref. 85246AA03.BVA172 (retail exclusive)

Diameter: 43 mm
Height: 10.95 mm
Material: Stainless steel with gold-plated rivets
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 50 m

Movement: Sellita SW266-1
Functions: Hours, minutes, and seconds
Winding: Automatic
Power reserve: 38 hours
Frequency: 28,8000 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Strap: Calfskin with pin buckle

Limited edition: 178 pieces each
Availability: Now at Louis Erard online store and retailers respectively
Price: CHF4,444

For more, visit louiserard.com.

The latest from Ressence is a departure from the usual cosmetic variation. Created for its Tokyo retailer Shellman, the Type 8 Indigo features a dial inlaid with indigo-dyed Japanese silk thread that’s been tightly packed into shallow recesses on the dial surface to form a swirling motif.

This watch is one of several editions conceived by Shellman that are cumulatively known as the Indigo project. Each is a collaboration with an independent watchmaker that sports a blue dial, in a nod to the traditional Japanese indigo dyeing technique.

Initial thoughts

The Type 8 was originally the entry-level model within the brand’s catalogue, fulfilling founder Benoît Mintiens’s wish to make his distinctive watches more accessible. At CHF25,000, the Type 8 Indigo cost almost double the basic Type 8. So it is no longer entry level, but the price is justified by the hand-made dial that takes two days to complete according to Ressence.

Importantly, the silk-inlaid dial looks good and complements the brand’s aesthetic perfectly. While the Ressence is not typically known for traditional decoration crafts, the dial decoration adds a little more variety to the brand’s watches, which are typically minimalist and hyper modern. At the same time, this is also more interesting than Ressence’s recent limited editions, most of which have been simple dial variations.

Indigo-dyed silk

Being based on the standard Type 8, the Indigo edition retains the same titanium case that’s 42.9 mm in diameter and 11 mm in thickness. In the usual Ressence style, the case has no crown, giving the case a seamless silhouette, while the rotating case back serves to wind the watch and set the time.

Similarly, the dial retains the signature regulator-like time display, but with a twist. The minutes are displayed on the periphery of the dial, while the hours are indicated on an “orbital” register that makes one revolution every hour.

But in the Indigo edition, the domed dial has been carefully milled to create a shallow recess covering most of its surface. This narrow space accommodates the width of a silk thread – the thread is just 0.2 mm in diameter – allowing the dial to be inlaid with Japanese indigo-dyed silk in a spiral pattern that is meant to symbolise the passage of time. The indigo-dyed thread is a nuanced blue that displays a range of hues, from bright blue to nearly black.

Though the material is Japanese, the dial was inlaid by Swiss Arts & Métiers in a process that requires two days and 2.5 m of silk thread per dial.

Mechanically, the Indigo edition is identical to the standard model. Inside is an ETA 2892-2 base with the brand’s own ROCS time display module. It has 36 hours of power reserve and beats at 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz).

Key Facts and Price

Ressence Type 8 Indigo

Diameter: 42.9 mm
Height: 11 mm
Material: Titanium
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 10 m

Movement: ROCS 8
Functions: Hours and minutes
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 36 hours

Strap: Warm grey Saffiano calfskin strap with a titanium ardillon pin buckle

Limited edition: 8 pieces
Availability: Now at Shellman in the Isetan Shinjuku Watch Shop in Tokyo
Price: 25,000 Swiss francs excluding taxes

For more information, visit Ressencewatches.com.