Watch Paparazzi

Tennis player Donna Vekić spotted wearing F.P. Journe

Spotted on the wrist of Croatian tennis professional Donna Vekić during a match on the hard courts of the Australian Open, the F.P. Journe Élégante in titanium with a diamond-set bezel is one of the more unexpected — and genuinely fascinating — watches you will see inside the ropes at a Grand Slam. The pale pink rubber strap and cushion-tonneau case read as understated luxury at first glance, but the movement concept underneath is anything but conventional.

The Élégante, introduced by François-Paul Journe in 2012, challenges the idea that quartz is a lesser technology. At its core sits a high-frequency quartz oscillator governed by a proprietary microprocessor, but the watch's defining innovation is its electronic motion sensor — visible through the aperture between 4 and 5 o'clock, which on Vekić's piece glows with the exposed rotor jewel. When the watch detects it has been stationary for roughly 35 minutes, it parks the mechanical hands and enters a low-power timekeeping state. The moment it senses motion again, the hands jump silently and precisely to the correct time. The result is a claimed battery life of approximately 10 years on a single cell.

The case in grade-5 titanium measures 40 mm across the lug-to-lug axis in its characteristic hexagonal-tonneau shape, keeping wrist presence elegant rather than imposing. The diamond-paved bezel — set with round brilliants across all six facets of the case flange — elevates the reference into genuine jewellery-watch territory without sacrificing the watch's architectural clarity. The white enamel-style dial with blued hands and Arabic numerals is a direct reference to Journe's earliest pocket-watch aesthetic.

Among collectors the Élégante occupies a curious but respected position: it is the house's only quartz piece, and Journe's philosophical framing of it — as a watch that 'rests when you rest' — has converted more than a few mechanical purists. In secondary markets, diamond-bezel titanium examples trade at or above retail, benefiting from F.P. Journe's consistently tight production volumes and strong brand heat.

Donna Vekić, currently ranked inside the WTA top 20 and a 2024 Wimbledon semi-finalist, has shown consistent taste for serious watchmaking. Choosing the F.P. Journe Élégante on court — where a TAG Heuer ambassador deal would be the obvious path — signals genuine personal conviction. It is exactly the kind of low-key, high-knowledge flex that defines the modern watch collector.