From October 15th to December 21st, the public can discover the exhibition “Steel Time” in the Montre Journe’s new exhibition centre in Geneva. The surprising collection assembles 250 watches made between 1870 and 1920, with one common feature: their burnished steel cases.

The industry of laminated iron was one of the great adventures of the 19th century. Produced in large quantities as of 1845, the material was used in railways, bridges, towers and innovative buildings. The fashion spread to all walks of life and not the least horology. Steel brought about the democratisation of the watch, with watch-makers showing remarkable creativity in this use of this material.

For over 20 years, an enthusiastic collector assembled the larger part of this collection of steel watches, which was later completed by François Paul Journe. Today, Montres Journe S.A. is privileged to be the guardian of this collection, and has chosen to share it with the public through the exhibition, as well as to devote a book to it, written by today’s most notable experts, Jean-Claude Sabrier and Georges Rigot. Their lively study shows how these watches, though they share the common denominator of gunmetal cases, in fact demonstrate a wide variety of styles and techniques that prefigure the wristwatch. The authors describe the techniques employed, tracing some of their history as far back as the 17th century. They paint a captivating picture of a new type of watch that was both egalitarian and fun! Rarely has such playfulness been seen in horology and almost never in the field of “high quality” watches.

A preface by François Paul Journe presents the only F. P. Journe watch with a steel case. Steel has generally been employed in horology for its low cost. This watch, paradoxically the most expensive of the collection, is a technically demanding “Grande Sonnerie”. It is housed in a steel case, simply because steel - which unlike platinum is crystalline in structure - is a better conductor of sound, and the case, in order to be watertight, can have no openings. Steel is thus used for its physical and mechanical qualities. Like all F. P. Journe watches, the movement’s plate and bridges are made exclusively of 18 carat pink gold.

A centre that reminds us that measuring time was first a scientific endeavour
This surprising collection of steel watches is displayed in the manufacture’s new exhibition centre, inaugurated last April and situated in the building’s entrance. Upon climbing the first few steps, visitors are greeted by the superb three-metre high astronomical clock made by the French watchmaker Detouche in 1855. It indicates the ascending path of the sun (with a skyline redefined for Geneva), the days, weeks, months and year (starting from 1855) and serves as the guardian of the premises.

After admiring the position of the sun and the moon, visitors can raise their gaze to the ceiling to discover a reproduction of the first sky charts by Apianus. With their head still in the stars, they can then spend a few minutes at the bar consulting various specialised books telling the story of the birth of time measurement that originated from the observation of the celestial canopy.

Manufacture Montres Journe – 40 rue de la Synagogue – 1204 Genève

Press release/Valerie Hill