Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
F.P. Journe · Chronometre Bleu
F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu 38 mm Black 18k
Reference 91101OR.83
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- F.P. Journe
- Collection
- Chronometre Bleu
- Model
- F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu 38 mm Black 18k
- Reference number
- 91101OR.83
- Year / era
- 1999 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Dial type
- Black lacquer
- Strap / bracelet
- Jubilee bracelet
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 38 mm
- Case thickness
- 12.6 mm
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Bezel
- Fluted 18k gold
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Black lacquer
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Jubilee bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 89A — In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 21 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- Dive time, running seconds
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1999 – 2012
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu 38 mm Black 18k sits within F.P. Journe's Chronometre Bleu line, introduced in 1999. It carries the house codes established since 1999 — 18k rose gold case, black lacquer dial and in-house automatic with 22k gold rotor — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
The House
F.P. Journe
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1999
- Founder
- François-Paul Journe
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Ultra-Luxury & Haute Horlogerie
- Major collections
- Chronometre Bleu, Tourbillon Souverain, Octa, Resonance, Elegante, Linesport
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Hand-applied guilloché dials · Composite and ceramic case materials
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor · In-house tourbillon, manual-winding · In-house manual-winding, hand-finished · In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Notable watches
- F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu 37 mm Silvered Sapphire (1999) · F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu 38 mm Black 18k (1999) · F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu 44 mm Ice Platinum (1999) · F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu 43 mm Skeletonised Sapphire (1999)
Brand history
F.P. Journe has spent more than 27 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Chronometre Bleu, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
François-Paul Journe established F.P. Journe in 1999, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every F.P. Journe calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1999
François-Paul Journe founds F.P. Journe in Switzerland.
2024
F.P. Journe continues to produce Chronometre Bleu, Tourbillon Souverain, Octa and other icons in limited numbers.
More Chronometre Bleu
F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu 42 mm Green Sapphire
Ref. 17775OR.45
F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu 42 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k
Ref. 61888OR.13
F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu 37 mm Silvered Sapphire
Ref. 96294OR.93
F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu 44 mm Ice Platinum
Ref. 37764OR.80
F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu 43 mm Skeletonised Sapphire
Ref. 43961OR.17