The Journe Identity

What does the straight-shooting FP Journe founder and watchmaker François-Paul Journe have to say about the future of his own brand? Nicolette Wong gets the story

- Nicolette Wong

THE TACITURN FRANÇOIS-PAUL Journe is famous for his exquisitely crafted watches and unvarnished opinions of the workings of the horological industry. His product-centric, savant-style handling of his own marque has spawned fans the world over, and has made him one of the most fascinating watchmakers in recent history. His views, even at age 16, were strong enough to have gotten him expelled from the Marseille Horological School, a life event that led to him apprenticing with his antique restorer uncle and further honing his craft. Journe most recently made waves in the industry for unexpectedly accepting an investment from luxury giant Chanel, which has been seriously ramping up its watchmaking efforts over the last few years. The French maison now owns 20 per cent of FP Journe. We spoke to Journe himself about the investment, the role of independent brands, and the future of his marque.

Why did you accept the investment from Chanel?

Well, I’ve received offers from various groups regularly over the past 20 years, but had never been interested until recently. I have two children—one is a historian in Paris and has no interest in watchmaking, and the other is 17 years old and dreams of playing basketball in the NBA. If anything bad happens to me, there will be plenty of predators who will descend upon them and the company. I’ve been friends with the owners of Chanel for a long time, and I know that they love watches. They were the ones who proposed the idea of the investment to me some 10 years ago, but I didn’t want it at that time. But then later I came to realise that I needed to secure the company and its future.