F.P. Journe is the most important independent watchmaker of the modern era, a Marseille-born craftsman who began restoring antique clocks and pocket watches, taught himself the lost craft of tourbillon construction, and established his Geneva Manufacture in 1999. Every F.P. Journe watch is made almost entirely within the brand's own manufacture, with movement plates and bridges crafted in brass that gradually acquires a warm golden patina over years of use — a conscious design choice that ties modern Journe watches to the horological tradition of the eighteenth century. The Souverain collection — including the Chronomètre Souverain, Tourbillon Souverain, Résonance, Quantième Perpétuel, and Centigraphe — houses some of the most technically and aesthetically remarkable movements produced today. The Resonance, which uses the physical phenomenon of mechanical resonance to link two balance wheels in a single watch for superior isochronal regulation, is considered one of the greatest movement concepts in modern watchmaking. Pre-owned F.P. Journe watches are among the most sought references in any market; production is tiny, demand is global, and secondary prices consistently exceed retail. DeMesy & Co. in Dallas has been a source for pre-owned F.P. Journe timepieces since 1987.