The Tourbillon was Journe’s very first model made in series and has since then become one of his most coveted signature pieces. He completed his first tourbillon wristwatch, Tourbillon No. 1, in 1991, to little if any fanfare from the industry. He revisited his tourbillon wristwatch in 1999 to fund the launch of his own eponymous brand, taking after Breguet by offering a “Souscription” series: the client would pay a portion up front, without seeing the watch, and Journe would complete and deliver it at a later date. Non-content to create a horological masterpiece Journe set out to improve Breguet’s invention via the addition of a remontoir system - a constant force device used to provide an equal amount of energy disregarding the winding level of the mainspring, thus resulting in greater accuracy and amplitude. This was the very first time this system, invented by John Harrison for the H2 marine chronometer, was ever used in a wristwatch.

The 1st generation Tourbillon Souverain models with brass movements like the present example can be split into four series:
1st Series - Souscription (1999) 20 numbered examples in platinum
2nd Series (1999) estimated run of 17 examples in platinum with rounded remontoir bridge and addition of “Remontoir d’Egalité” on the dial
3rd Series (1999-2001) estimated run of 60 examples in platinum and pink gold, with flat remontoir bridge and larger power reserve numerals
4th Series (2001-2003) estimated run of 320 examples in platinum and pink gold, with smaller dial screws, such as the present example

The present 4th Series example from 2002 is one of the rarer models made in pink gold with silver dial. Interestingly, Journe - never the one to go with the flow- produced more watches cased in platinum than pink gold making the present example one of the rarest models of the 1st generation Tourbillon Souverain and it is the very first in this combination to be sold at Phillips.