Tennis player Gaël Monfils spotted wearing a F.P. Journe

Gaël Monfils has long been one of professional tennis's most visible horological enthusiasts, and his latest wrist sighting underscores exactly why collectors take note when he reaches for a watch. Here, the Frenchman pairs the F.P. Journe Chronomètre Bleu with a striking black diamond Cross bracelet — a combination that somehow works, the deep blue of the watch absorbing the darkness of the jewellery rather than fighting it.

The Chronomètre Bleu is a statement piece in the truest sense. Introduced by F.P. Journe in 2012, it was the Geneva manufacture's first use of tantalum — a dense, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a naturally muted blue-grey finish. Crucially, both the case and the dial are cut from the same block of tantalum, meaning the colour temperature is perfectly harmonised across every surface. The result is a dial of extraordinary depth: not painted blue, not enamelled blue, but intrinsically blue. Arabic numerals in cream-tinted brass and a blued-steel small seconds subdial at roughly 7 o'clock complete the layout, with the brand's trademark off-centred hour and minute display giving the dial its immediately recognisable asymmetry.

Beneath the case sits Calibre 1304, a hand-wound movement built around F.P. Journe's signature remontoir d'égalité — a constant-force mechanism that delivers a measured pulse of energy to the escapement every second, isolating rate precision from mainspring tension fluctuations. It is one of the few true remontoir constructions in regular production at any price point, and it sets the Chronomètre Bleu apart from competitors who rely on standard lever escapements.

From a collector standpoint, the Chronomètre Bleu sits at the apex of the Souveraine family. Its limited production cadence, exotic case material and movement complication place it in genuine competition with complicated pieces from Patek Philippe and A. Lange & Söhne, yet it retains an artisanal character those manufactures rarely match. The 40 mm case size — confirmed on Monfils's athletic wrist — represents the larger of two available references.

On the secondary market, the Chronomètre Bleu commands a significant premium over list, reflecting both the scarcity of tantalum cases and sustained demand from independent watch collectors. Monfils's affinity for F.P. Journe is well documented; this sighting simply confirms that his collection is built on genuine connoisseurship rather than brand-driven impulse.