F.P. Journe And ICM Institute Unite To Combat Brain Disease

Acclaimed watchmaker Francois-Paul Journe has lent his presence to the cause of battling diseases of the central nervous system.  On Wednesday, June 18, 2008, Journe stood alongside the founding members of the ICM in Paris to place the first stone of the building which will eventually become an international research center uniting in a single location doctors, patients, and approximately 600 engineers, technicians and researchers.  Also present at the event were Bertrand Delanoë, the Mayor of Paris, and actress Michelle Yeoh, an ICM sponsor.  

For his part, Francois-Paul Journe dedicated one of his newest haute horlogerie creations--the F.P. Journe Centrigraphe Souveraine watch--to the work of ICM.  The watchmaker has agreed that 30% of the proceeds from the sale of each Centigraphe timepiece will be contributed to the institute.

Regarding the work of ICM, and his enthusiasm to be involved in the project, Journe stated:  “I was lucky in my life, even though I had to work a lot, and I want to share my dream come through with those who are a lot less lucky.  In becoming owner of the Centigraphe, you are contributing to the support of the ICM. Because disorders of the brain and spinal cord now affect more than one person out of eight, they constitute a genuine public health issue and I am proud to commit myself, next to people I have in high esteem, for a cause which concerns each and everyone of us.”

The F.P. Journe Centrigraphe Souveraine watch was introduced in 2007.  Presented in platinum or 18K red gold, this timepiece showcases a revolutionary manually-wound chronograph movement with a flying seconds complication that enables timing intervals from 1/100th of a second to 10 minutes; a tachymeter scale converts elapsed time into speeds from a leisurely 6 kilometers per hour, to a staggering 360,000 kilometers per hour--a value 1/3000th the speed of light.  The F.P. Journe-exclusive caliber incorporates a number of innovative technical elements, including a device which isolates the chronograph from the timekeeping functions; this enables balance amplitude to stay consistent, regardless of whether the chronograph is in operation or not.