Tantalum is a pain to machine, which is the point
By Marco Bellini, Zurich ·
Tantalum is horrible to work. Dense, gummy, hard on cutting tools. Journe uses it anyway for the Chronomètre Bleu, and the dark grey metal against the blue dial is the entire look of the watch.
Inside, the caliber 1304 is hand-wound, 56 hours, with plates and bridges in rose gold, a Journe habit. Gold is soft and finishing it cleanly is harder than steel or brass, so a clean result tells you somebody careful held the file. Hours, minutes, small seconds. No date, no tricks.
39 mm by 8.6 mm with 20 mm lugs. Good size. 30 m.
Criticism. The list price is 47,000 to 52,000 USD, and the price people actually pay for this model has very little to do with that. In some light the dial goes so dark it reads almost black, and you lose the colour you paid for.
I'd own one. I'd wear it on a grey Tuesday in Zurich and nobody would notice. That's a compliment.