Elégante 48 mm

F.P. Journe isn't a name one would normally associate with quartz, and yet in 2014 the watchmaker revealed élégante, a women's watch with an electro-mechanical movement. This year sees a repeat performance, with the same model presented in a 48-mm flat tortue case in titanium, for men. A quartz watch, perhaps, but one which took no less than eight years to develop and perfect its astonishing energy-saving system, thanks to which élégante has a ten-year autonomy when worn and up to 18 years in sleep mode. The "trick" lies with the mechanical motion sensor, visible between 4 and 5 o'clock. If no movement is detected after 30 minutes, it sends the watch into hibernation: the hands are immobilised but the microprocessor continues to keep time. Calibre 1210 will, however, spring into action at the slightest movement and instantly return the hands to the correct time. Note that the entire dial of this élégante for men is in SuperLuminova, lighting up the night.