Mark Zuckerberg has recently built a reputation for collecting some really interesting horological creations, but when it comes to the rarest of the rare, the billionaire Meta founder keeps returning to one of Switzerland’s most distinctive independent watchmakers. F.P. Journe, a small Geneva-based manufacture known for its technically ambitious movements and unconventional designs, has become a recurring presence in his collection, with Zuckerberg spotted wearing several of its creations. His interest offers a glimpse into a world of collecting where rarity, mechanical ingenuity and individual character can matter more than a familiar luxury name. It also comes at a remarkable moment for the brand, whose watches have become increasingly sought after by collectors willing to pay extraordinary sums at auction.
The scale of that transformation has been highlighted in a Bloomberg report, which found that F.P. Journe watches fetched an average auction price of $791,400 in 2026, compared with $161,100 in 2020. That represents an increase of nearly fivefold in six years, placing the independent watchmaker at the center of a wider recovery in the secondary market for Swiss watches. According to EveryWatch, secondary-market sales of watches from independent brands rose 89% in the first half of 2026, with F.P. Journe leading the advance. The Bloomberg Subdial Watch Index, which tracks the 50 most-traded watches by transaction value, was also recording its strongest gains since 2022.
Zuckerberg’s interest in the brand extends beyond a single expensive acquisition. His collection includes F. P. Journe’s Havana, Vagabondage I, and the FFC, a particularly unusual creation associated with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. The FFC replaces conventional watch hands with a mechanical hand whose fingers indicate the time, turning the passage of hours and minutes into an intricate display of horological engineering. Its combination of an unconventional time display and a connection to one of cinema’s most celebrated directors gives the watch an appeal that reaches beyond traditional watchmaking circles. For a collector who could choose virtually any timepiece in the world, returning to F.P. Journe suggests an appreciation for the independent maker’s distinctive approach rather than simply its growing market value.
Founded by French watchmaker François-Paul Journe, the company introduced its first collection in 1999 and has built its reputation around technically sophisticated movements and tightly controlled production. The manufacture is associated with annual output of roughly 1,000 mechanical watches, a relatively modest volume that helps explain the importance collectors attach to its rarest creations. Yet F.P. Journe has managed to remain accessible enough for enthusiasts to pursue its watches without making every model virtually impossible to find, a balance that has helped strengthen its standing in the market.
The auction room has provided the clearest demonstration of the brand’s growing influence. In June, a Chronomètre à Résonance “Souscription, No. 007” sold for $13.92 million at Phillips in New York after nine minutes of bidding, setting a record for an F.P. Journe watch. Early examples featuring brass movements are particularly prized, while two rare creations scheduled for Phillips auctions in December carry estimates of $600,000 to $1.2 million each. For a manufacturer producing watches on a scale far smaller than the industry’s established giants, such figures represent an extraordinary achievement. Zuckerberg may be one of its most recognizable admirers, but the latest auction results suggest that the wider collecting world is increasingly sharing his enthusiasm.
