Rare Exclusive Interview With The Greatest Watchmaker Alive l F.P.Journe

Say Mr. Wonderful here, and why am I speaking French even though it's broken? I'm in Geneva, Switzerland, in the Canton Duvo at the legendary design and manufacturing facility of FPJ.

Now, why today? Because we are in the middle of the beginning of Watches and Wonder, the world's largest watch trade show. This is where it really happens. It takes 18 years to become a master watchmaker, so you've got to commit your life to it. Inside right now, gathered at some tables, are some young men and women that are going to dedicate their lives towards making something that nobody needs but everybody wants: a mechanical watch.

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When did you start your journeys into watchmaking? What would make you want to make a watch and give up your life for a watch?

Why? I think for Victor and me it is rather family that led us to enter the world of watchmaking. We both have connections with our parents and grandparents who were in watchmaking and who introduced us to this fabulous and vast world. We immediately wanted to get interested in it.

FP, join us please. Sit down, and you speak in French, it's fine. No, no, speak in French, it's fine, it's fine. Why are you doing this? Why are you supporting these young watchmakers? What's the motivation?

Because I absolutely don't need to have a private jet or a luxurious Ferrari. I don't care at all. I have always had a preference for purchasing various items such as clocks, bookshelves, and smart devices. I enjoy giving gifts to others because I consider myself to be quite fortunate in life. Each year I take the time to carefully decide what to buy based on several factors.

For instance, I think about the latest trends in technology, the needs of my home, and the preferences of my friends and family. I also consider the quality and durability of the items as well as their aesthetic appeal.

How do you go about making your purchasing decisions each year? Do you have a specific process or criteria that you follow? Perhaps you look for sales and discounts, or maybe you prioritize sustainable and eco-friendly products. Whatever your approach, it's always interesting to hear how others make their choices.

How do you decide each year? Why? Why sold grid two years ago?

Why this man? Ten years ago, I went to Fort Basel. I was passing by HCI at the HCI exhibition at Fort Basel, and I see a sponsor with another in a showcase. I talked to Mark Juni. I said to him, "Mark, this is pathetic. What are you doing? How much budget do you have?" He tells me approximately 5 million, and I said to him, "Listen, next year we are going to do it together. We are going to do it again, and we are going to multiply. We are going to put in 60,000 to promote it with everything."

Then after, it was Michael T at Warg glass who followed us. We wondered what he wanted like that, he likes it, and that's how we got started. But it was with the academy in Ballard. Later, when the academy and Ballard fell apart, they told me with Mark Jin that they no longer wanted to do it. So I did it on my own, and I continued with Michael T.

Why don't you work for Rolex or Patek?

A good question, but the industry, in any case, I think that the industry lacks the soul of craftsmanship. It is truly this complete manual work that excites me today and excites us, all of this around the table.

Where do you want to be in 10 years?

I think that in 10 years, I don't really know where I see myself, but I see myself in something good, something interesting, working with people I love and doing interesting things all day. I don't know if I will be leading people. I don't know if it will still be with Alex T. That's it, but I want to do something interesting and bring to life, continue to bring to life watch projects in the jury. That's what excites me. So in 10 years, I see myself continuing to bring timepieces to life with a team around me. That will be the one I envision.

Ambitious. When you won this award, were you expecting it? Did you see it coming? Was it a surprise for you?

I am, yes. I was very surprised. On the other hand, I never really did it for the award. I took a lot of pleasure in creating the watch, and throughout the entire process, I enjoyed designing it. I enjoyed conceptualizing it. I enjoyed manufacturing it, and as a result, in the end, I never made the watch for that award. On the other hand, no matter what happens when I reach the end with my finished funnel products and the watch I saw beating in my hands, I thought to myself, "Why not play with it?"

The future of watchmaking, does it concern any of you? It's a question for all of you. In today's world, nobody needs a watch; they have their phones. But everybody wants one. It's art now. A watch is a piece of art, and that's a fickle market. It can go up, it can go down, but you're giving up your life for this. Are you confident in 20 years they will still want a mechanical watch?

A molter mechanical? Do you think it's still okay? Because that's your life you're talking about.

I don't know if that will still be the case. Now we are all passionate here, and passion is not reasonable and it's not logical. We just tell ourselves we do things because we love them and because we want to. In 20 years, if this continues, we will be extremely happy, and maybe in 20 years it will have stopped. After all, we can see that these are questions we have already asked in watchmaking, and it fluctuates and continues. It endures. People still love art, and in art now there is watchmaking, and it is something that will probably last.

Well, I think there is no danger because watchmaking has existed since the 13th century. It has survived electronics. A watch is still a watch; a computer is a computer. That has nothing to do with it. And there is indeed a time when we do not need watchmaking, and that is now. We have everything we need to know about craftsmanship, but that doesn't change the fact that it is something else. It exists because it will always exist, but it has existed for 600 years, and it's called ina.

A trend is something that lasts a year and disappears in six years.

FP, in 50 years you won't be here. There's no way. Why? Where do you see this brand in watches beside Patek, beside Rolex?

Beside what? The brand? The brand? You only make a thousand; you make 1,000 watches a year. You manufacture a thousand watches. People would buy 20,000 watches from me, 30,000 watches. Your brand has become unique.

As long as I am alive, she is not going to move here. It is intended to do what I do and what I love. As long as I am alive, we stay here, and we can't do more. In 50 years, if I am no longer here, things will happen, but not with me.

When you're gone, and this brand is huge, you can't control it from the grave. It’s going to be very big. They'll make many, many watches.

I think Chappal Wa. Sorry, do know, I'm stopping you. You know I'm doing the last limited edition for Japan; after this, I will stop all limited editions. I will never do a limited edition again in my life because it's stupid.

Production is already limited. We are not going to do like the industry that makes limited editions just to say they are making a limited series. It's stupid, and I am completely stopping the limited editions. If I make a new model, I mean I would say, well, it's like the FFC. I will make 10 per year, and if I make another model, I say to myself, "Let's do the Tourbon." I might make 50 per year. Stop, and it's definitely much better than limited editions.

I understand. Wait, gentlemen. Miss.