F.P Journe opened its Hong Kong boutique in 2006, located in the Prince’s Building in Central. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of its Hong Kong and Tokyo boutiques in 2016, the brand instituted a new tradition of releasing a limited run of the Centigraphe Anniversaire for the tenth anniversary of each of their boutiques. Thirty percent of the original purchase of each Centigraphe Anniversaire went to the ICM (Institute of Brain and Spinal Cord in Paris), and this includes the profits of future CTTs for the Journe boutiques in Los Angeles, Miami, Beirut, Kiev, and Dubai. Each caseback is engraved with their unique reference number, ‘CTT’, and the boutique’s hometown. Otherwise, they are visually similar though nevertheless spectacularly rendered in an array of colors and finishing.

A 40mm polished titanium case acts as the frame for the magnificent, ingenious, and intricate dial, paired with an 18K pink gold crown and rocker (allowing the user to stop-start-reset the chronograph with a single finger). The subdials are open-worked to reveal the gears and levers powering the chronograph mechanism; each opening covered with a thin layer of translucent sapphire. Each small hand is red-lacquered titanium, with matching numerals within the subdials, while the hour numerals are a muted orange that corresponds perfectly to the handset, pink gold crown, and ergonomic pink gold rocker. The dial is a single disc of white gold coated in ruthenium, a dark contrast to the brightly colored accents.

The Centigraphe Anniversaire features Journe’s innovative, in-house manually-wound chronograph capable of measuring down to one hundredth of a second. When the chronograph function is engaged, the 100th of a second hand at 10 o’clock, released by the watch’s escapement, completes one revolution per second. Once the chronograph is stopped, this hand can be stopped anywhere, allowing even a fractional 100th of a second reading. Along with the high-grade caliber 1506, the case uses a rocker stop/reset button, which allows the wearer’s fingers to stay in the same place to keep time, allowing for more precise use of the chronograph. Each subsidiary dial is marked “S” or “M” and “PR” for Seconds or Minutes Per Revolution.

The Centigraphe Souverain, the regular production Centigraphe, was discontinued in 2018; therefore, the Centigraphe Anniversaire is the only iteration currently being produced outside of the Linesport collection. Preserved in as-new condition with all of its original accessories, the merits of this highly exclusive, vibrant, and innovative timepiece cannot be understated.