JUNE 8, 2016 - 120’000 EUROS FOR THIS CENTIGRAPHE SOUVERAIN UNIQUE PIECE SOLD AT AUCTION IN FAVOR OF THE ICM.

THE CHARITY GALA FOR THE ICM, BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD INSTITUTE, TOOK PLACE AT THE CONCIERGERIE IN PARIS IN THE PRESENCE OF MANY PRESTIGIOUS GUESTS. F.P.JOURNE HAS CREATED FOR THE OCCASION, A UNIQUE TIMEPIECE OF HIS MODEL THE CENTIGRAPHE SOUVERAIN IN PLATINUM, PRODUCING A DIAL IN BLUE MOTHER OF PEARL FEATURING THE ICM LOGO. IT SOLD FOR 120’000 EUROS AND THE ENTIRE AMOUNT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ICM.

FRANÇOIS-PAUL JOURNE SAID: “I AM PROUD TO SUPPORT THE ICM AND ITS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH SINCE 2004 TO DISCOVER NEW TREATMENTS FOR NERVOUS SYSTEM DISORDERS SUCH AS ALZHEIMER, PARKINSON OR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. WE ALL HAVE SOMEONE IN OUR FAMILY SUFFERING FROM ONE OF THESE DISEASES AND OUR ONLY HOPE IS TO CONTRIBUTE IN FINDING A TREATMENT.”

FRANÇOIS-PAUL JOURNE, INGENIOUS RESEARCHER INTO USEFUL AND ORIGINAL TIMEPIECES, ONCE AGAIN SURPRISED US WITH AN UNPRECEDENTED CHRONOGRAPH. THE ART OF CONVERTING 6KM/H INTO 36'000KM/H.

THE HAND-WOUND MECHANICAL MOVEMENT OF THE CENTIGRAPHE INDICATES ELAPSED TIMES FROM A 100TH OF A SECOND TO 10 MINUTES, VISIBLE ON 3 DIALS, EACH WITH A TIME SCALE IN RED AND A TACHOMETER SCALE IN BLACK.
THE TACHOMETER SCALES CONVERTS TIME UNITS FOR 1 KILOMETRE INTO SPEEDS RANGING FROM 6 KM/H —WALKING PACE — TO 36,000 KM/H, WELL ABOVE THE ESCAPE VELOCITY OF A ROCKET GOING INTO LOW-LEVEL ORBIT.

THE INDICATIONS
THE 100TH OF A SECOND HAND REVOLVES AROUND THE DIAL IN ONE SECOND ON A SCALE MARKED IN HUNDREDTHS OF A SECOND. THEORETICALLY IT IS POSSIBLE TO TIME AN OBJECT MOVING AT 36,000 KM/H WITH THE TACHOMETER ON THE WATCH FACE, ON WHICH 36’000 IS FACING THE 10 ON THE 100TH OF A SECOND SCALE.
ON THE DIAL AT 2 O’CLOCK, THE HAND REVOLVES ONCE EVERY 20 SECONDS ON A TIME SCALE DIVIDED INTO SECONDS. THE EXTERNAL TACHOMETER SCALE INDICATES SPEEDS.
THE THIRD DIAL, AT 6 O’CLOCK, GRADUATED FOR 10 MINUTES, HAS A SIMILAR TACHOMETER SCALE WITH SPEEDS CORRESPONDING TO 20-SECOND MARKERS. THUS, FOR EXAMPLE, A KILOMETRE TRAVELLED IN THREE MINUTES 40 SECONDS REPRESENTS A SPEED OF 16.4KM/H (TO WITHIN A DECIMAL).

PATENTED ERGONOMIC CHRONOGRAPH
THE CHRONOGRAPH IS STARTED, STOPPED AND ZEROED BY A ROCKER AT 2 O’CLOCK IN THE CASE BAND, INSTEAD OF THE USUAL BUTTONS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE CROWN. THIS ERGONOMIC DESIGN, PERFECTLY FITTED TO THE WRISTWATCH, IS PATENTED.

PATENTED CHRONOGRAPH MECHANISM
A SECOND PATENT WAS GRANTED FOR THE MECHANISM’S INGENIOUS CONFIGURATION, WHICH EFFECTIVELY ISOLATES THE CHRONOGRAPH FROM THE TIMEKEEPING FUNCTION. THIS MEANS THE BALANCE AMPLITUDE IS UNAFFECTED WHEN THE CHRONOGRAPH IS RUNNING.

THE HANDS OF THE 100TH OF A SECOND, THE 20 SECONDS, AND THE 10 MINUTES COUNTERS ARE DRIVEN BY TWO DIFFERENT WHEEL TRAINS, THEMSELVES DRIVEN BY THE CENTRE OF THE MAINSPRING (SYSTEM PATENTED FOR THE SONNERIE SOUVERAINE). THE 1-SECOND COUNTER AND THE 20-SECONDS COUNTER ARE DRIVEN BY TWO WHEEL-TRAINS ON EITHER SIDE OF A SINGLE INTERMEDIATE WHEEL DRIVEN BY THE BARREL ARBOR (PATENTED FOR THE SONNERIE SOUVERAINE).
ANOTHER SEPARATE TRAIN OF WHEELS, ALSO DRIVEN BY THE BARREL ARBOR, DRIVES THE 10-MINUTES HAND.

1/100TH SECOND RECORDER HAND
THE 100TH OF A SECOND HAND, RELEASED BY THE WATCH'S ESCAPEMENT, MAKES ONE REVOLUTION OF THE DIAL PER SECOND. A WHEEL MOUNTED ON THE ESCAPE WHEEL (4TH WHEEL OF THE GOING TRAIN) RELEASES THE ARBOR TO WHICH THE HAND IS FITTED. THE SECONDS ARE DRIVEN BY THE GOING TRAIN FROM THE BARREL, AND BY THE ENERGY OF THE CHRONOGRAPH TRAIN, AS TRANSMITTED BY THE BARREL ARBOR.

ONE INGENIOUS FEATURE OF THE 100TH OF A SECOND IS THAT IT MAY BE STOPPED ANYWHERE ALONG ITS ONE-SECOND JOURNEY AROUND ITS DIAL, EVEN BETWEEN TWO 100TH-SECOND DIVISIONS, ENABLING A FRACTIONAL READING.
THIS IS ACHIEVED BY VERTICALLY DISENGAGING THE PINION OF THE 100TH OF A SECOND HAND FROM THAT OF THE ESCAPEMENT, WHICH PRESSES ON THE PIVOT SHANK AND ACTS AS A BRAKE.

RETURN TO ZERO
THE 20-SECONDS HAND AND THE 10-MINUTES HAND ARBORS ARE ZEROED BY HAMMER LEVERS ACTING ON SNAIL CAMS. THE 100TH OF A SECOND HAND IS STOPPED AT ZERO BY A BEAK PROTRUDING FROM ITS PINION, WHICH PRESSES ON A LEVER AND THUS BLOCKS THE CHRONOGRAPH TRAIN.

MAINTAINING POWER AND POWER RESERVE
THE BARREL FEATURES A MAINTAINING POWER SYSTEM IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT THE DRIVING FORCE DOES NOT DECREASE DURING WINDING.
THE MAINSPRING SUPPLIES AT LEAST A 80 HOURS OF POWER RESERVE WITHOUT THE CHRONOGRAPH, AND 24 HOURS WITH THE CHRONOGRAPH RUNNING.

THE CENTIGRAPHE, AN ATYPICAL GODFATHER: JEAN TODT
FOR THE CREATION OF THE CENTIGRAPHE, THINGS HAPPENED SLIGHTLY DIFFERENTLY THAN FOR OTHER CREATIONS. I MET JEAN TODT THROUGH THE ICM FOUNDATION, AND DURING THE COURSE OF OUR MEETINGS WE DISCUSSED THE IDEAL CHRONOGRAPH FOR THE WORLD OF CAR RACING.

RESEARCH I CARRIED OUT OVER 15 YEARS AGO FOR THE CREATION OF AN EXPONENTIAL CHRONOGRAPH QUICKLY SHOWED ME THAT A CHRONOGRAPH WITH 3 HANDS REVOLVING AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS WAS A GOOD STARTING POINT. I FOLLOWED UP WITH RESEARCH ON CHRONOGRAPH PUSHERS, ON QUESTIONS REGARDING THE BALANCE OF POWER IN THE MOVEMENT, REQUIREMENTS, AND ENERGY LOSS, AND I MADE USE OF A PATENT REGISTERED FOR THE SONNERIE SOUVERAINE. I PATENTED TWO ADDITIONAL INNOVATIONS CONCERNING MOTRICITY. I AM PROUD THAT JEAN TODT HAS AGREED TO BE THE CENTIGRAPHE’S GODFATHER.

THE CENTIGRAPHE CONTRIBUTES TO THE MEDICAL RESEARCH OF THE ICM
IN PURCHASING THE CENTIGRAPHE, YOU ARE ALSO SUPPORTING THE MEDICAL RESEARCH CARRIED OUT BY THE ICM – INSTITUTE OF BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD IN PARIS - TO HELP FIGHT DISEASES SUCH AS ALZHEIMER’S, PARKINSON’S, AND MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS...
ALONG WITH PROFESSOR GÉRARD SAILLANT, LUC BESSON, JEAN RÉNO, JEAN TODT, MICHELLE YEOH AND MICHAEL SCHUMACHER, AMONGST OTHERS, FRANÇOIS-PAUL JOURNE HAS COMMITTED TO DONATING 30% OF THE PROFITS FROM THE SALE OF EACH CENTIGRAPHE TO THE ICM, WITH NO TIME LIMIT.
WWW.ICM-INSTITUTE.ORG

CENTIGRAPHE SOUVERAIN

36,000 KM/H AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
THE ART TO CONVERT 6KM/H IN 36.000KM/H

A spectacular watch, the Centigraphe Souverain,
is a mechanical chronograph unlike any other

For the creation of the Centigraphe, things happened slightly differently than for other creations. I met Jean Todt through the ICM Foundation, and during the course of our meetings we discussed the ideal chronograph for the world of car racing. I thus remember research I carried out over 15 years ago for the creation of an exponential chronograph quickly showed me that a chronograph with 3 hands revolving at different speeds was a good starting base. I followed up with research on chronograph pushers, on questions of the balance of power in the movement, requirements, and energy loss, and I made use of a patent registered for the Sonnerie Souveraine. I patented 2 additional innovations concerning motricity. I am proud that Jean Todt has agreed to be the Centigraphe’s Godfather.

The Centigraphe represents a technical achievement in being the first wristwatch in the world equipped with a single hand wound movement allowing to measure elapsed times from one hundredth of a second to 10 minutes on three subsidiary dials. The hand of the first dial at 10 o’clock makes a turn in one second on a scale marked in hundredths of a second, making it theoretically possible to time an object moving at 360,000 km/h, or approximately 1/3000ths of the speed of light. The hand of the second dial at 2 o’clock is making a tour in 20 seconds, and the third hand of the dial at 6 o’clock, makes a tour in 10 minutes. A technical prowess to which can be added a power reserve of 80 hours – and 24 hours with the chronograph running.

The Centigraphe contributes to the Medical Research of the ICM
In purchasing the Centigraphe, you are also supporting the medical research carried out by the ICM – Institute of Brain and Spinal Cord in Paris - to help fight brain and spinal cord diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Multiple Sclerosis… Along with Professor Gérard Saillant, Luc Besson, Jean Réno, Jean Todt, Michelle Yeoh and Michael Schumacher, amongst others, I have committed to donating 30% of the profits from the sale of each Centigraphe to the ICM, with no time limit.
(www.icm-institute.org)

François-Paul Journe