Double Take

FP Journe’s new linesport Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante may be inspired by the brand’s creation for the 2017 Only Watch auction, but Nicolette Wong is of the opinion that it stands on its own

ost horological connoisseurs will be familiar with Only Watch, the biennial charity auction held in Monaco to benefit the Monaco Association against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Participating brands create one-of-a-kind timepieces that will go under the hammer, hence the name. Many brands choose to re-dress existing pieces in their arsenal in special materials or different dial colours, but occasionally, a brand debuts a piece that has never been seen before. In 2017, that brand was FP Journe. Its Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante in tantalum, with the brand’s characteristic blue chrome dial, was a stunning piece that closed at CHF1.15M, well over the initial estimate of CHF200,000. And while only one lucky collector went home with the unique piece, FP Journe has decided to delight the rest of the watch world with a new Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante—only there isn’t only one, this time. The new Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante (or Monopusher Split-seconds Chronograph, if you prefer) is ostensibly inspired by the brand’s Only Watch creation from last year, but make no mistake—it is no copycat. For one, to create a copy of the Only Watch chronograph would be against the spirit of the auction, and call into question the integrity of the brand—and that is not something that

WATCH THIS SPACE The new linesport Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante (pictured here in the blackened titanium with sapphire glass subdials), like its predecessor, is a technical masterpiece, but it won’t cost you CHF1.15M