Gold Souk, Deira
F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain, reference TN

F.P. Journe

Tourbillon Souverain

Ref. TN

On request

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Case40mm
DialSilver and gold, open tourbillon
MovementManual 1403, solid gold, remontoir
StrapAlligator leather
ConditionSourced to order

The Tourbillon Souverain was Journe's first wristwatch and it carried a remontoir d'égalité, a constant force device almost nobody else attempts. Everything the house is known for begins here.

F.P. Journe's Tourbillon Souverain, 40mm, manual, with the solid gold calibre 1403 and its remontoir.

The reference in depth

The Tourbillon Nouveau, Journe's second generation

Why this one matters

The Tourbillon Souverain line began in 1999 with a subscription series of 20 brass movement pieces, sold to buyers who placed a deposit of roughly half the price. Reference T followed as a catalogue model, and what set the watch apart was not the tourbillon but the remontoir d'egalite beside it, a constant force device rewound every second.

In 2003 the Tourbillon Nouveau replaced reference T: an 18k rose gold calibre 1403 in place of the rhodium plated brass 1498, a redesigned dial with the power reserve at 12 and small seconds at 6, and dead beat seconds driven by the remontoir. Sources differ on whether series production began in 2003 or 2004. The TN was offered at 38 and 40mm in platinum and red gold, and ran to 2018. In January 2019 the Tourbillon Souverain Vertical, calibre 1519, took the top of the collection.

The movement

Calibre 1403 is hand wound, with plates and bridges in 18k rose gold and a power reserve of roughly 42 hours. The tourbillon sits under an aperture on the dial. The remontoir is the part that matters: rearmed once a second, it evens out the torque reaching the escapement and drives the dead beat small seconds at 6, which step in whole second jumps. Overhaul work belongs with the manufacture or an approved watchmaker.

On the wrist

Published figures put the TN case at roughly 10mm tall, slim for a tourbillon though not flat, and no lug to lug figure is published, so measure the example in front of you. The dial is asymmetric, hours and minutes offset to one side, so it reads at a glance rather than as a display of the movement. Platinum carries noticeably more weight than red gold, which makes the gold version the easier daily choice for most wrists.

Questions we are asked about this reference

Is the remontoir just another name for the tourbillon?

No. The tourbillon rotates the escapement to average out positional error. The remontoir d'egalite is a separate constant force device, rewound every second, so the escapement receives even torque whether the mainspring is full or nearly spent. Journe fitted both in the same movement.

What replaced this model?

TN production ran to 2018. The Tourbillon Souverain Vertical, reference TV with calibre 1519, was launched in January 2019. It stands the tourbillon on its side and keeps a remontoir. The horizontal TN described here came before it.

Why do collectors care which generation they are looking at?

The 2003 change was not only a material swap. Reference T with its rhodium plated brass calibre 1498 gave way to the TN with an 18k rose gold calibre 1403, a new dial layout with the power reserve at 12 and small seconds at 6, and dead beat seconds. Both generations work as intended. The earlier brass watches are scarcer, and that distinction moves the value of two otherwise similar watches.

The collection

Tourbillon Souverain

The wristwatch that launched the house in 1999, and still in the collection

This is where the house begins. The line opened in 1999 with the subscription series of 20, and what set it apart was not the tourbillon but the remontoir d'égalité built into the tourbillon carriage, a constant force device rearmed once a second. Reference TN followed in 2004 with dead beat seconds, and by then the calibre was solid 18k rose gold, the house having left brass behind that same year. The Vertical arrived in 2019.

Sizes in the family

38mm, 40mm and 42mm across the generations

Who it suits

For a collector buying into the line the house was founded on, who cares more about the remontoir than the tourbillon.

See every Tourbillon Souverain we have

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