Available as of autumn 2011 from F.P. Journe boutiques, the brand’s first sports model is part of a concept that is to be enriched by other models unveiled during the traditional January exhibition season. The F.P. Journe Sport Collection stems from an encounter between François-Paul and a major Japanese watch collector who shared his quest for an Haute Horlogerie sports watch. A past master in the art of presenting world firsts, the master-watchmakers duly created the first mechanical Haute Horlogerie chronograph entirely made from aluminium – meaning not only the case and bracelet, but also the movement. The logical choice for this first creation in the sports range was the multi-patented Centigraphe Souverain with its mechanical 100th of a second indication. The decision to use aluminium instead of gold in such accurate and elaborate movements as those of François-Paul Journe gave him much food for thought, as did the development of the techniques to make this metal scratch-proof, anti-allergenic and corrosion-resistant as required for the watch exterior. The result is just as surprising as the original idea, since this version of the chronograph weighs only 55 grams, and bidding for the n°1 piece auctioned by Christie’s on behalf of the victims of last year’s tsunami soared to ten times its retail price. Another striking characteristic of this model is that the 561 components are spread equally between the movement (284 parts) and the case and bracelet ensemble.