It all began with a calibre introduced in 1940 in Moutier (in the Swiss Jura region) by a company that had a strong impact on its era: the Fabrique d’ébauches Vénus. The Vénus Calibre behind the ACE chronograph is a finely crafted and intelligently designed hand-wound movement that became extremely popular.
At an early stage in his watchmaking career, Frédéric Jouvenot became acquainted with these movements that went out of production in the 1960s, along with other collector’s chronographs. He admired them immensely and set off in search of them in order to repair, renovate and reintroduce them on the collector’s market. Around thirty of these calibres passed through his hands.
Frédéric Jouvenot then went a step further to undertake a full-fledged transformation process that resulted in the rebirth of a the hand-wound Vénus 175 as a self-winding chronograph movement named the Automatic Chronograph Evolution, for which a patent was registered in 2008.
The historical value of the movement is highlighted through the transparent case-back and honours the mechanical beauty of the original which still bears traces of a baseplate carrying the Vénus logo. Meanwhile, the most spectacular component, the oscillating weight, is magnificently staged on the dial and thus completes the total-inversion approach – since the sides have exchanged places.
To accomplish this feat, Frédéric Jouvenot maintained the architecture and structure of the movement by ensuring full visibility of the bridges, which are enhanced by hand-crafted decoration.
The gold oscillating weight moves in step with the cadence of its wearer. It is adorned with Côtes de Genève and avoids concealing the dial or counters by means of two circular openings the exact size of the minute and small seconds counters.
Its creator also designed the watch case in close cooperation with his supplier. He wanted it to be extremely comfortable by rounding the lugs so as to follow the natural curve of the wrist. He also lightened up the case design by hollowing the lugs and thus giving it an extremely contemporary appearance.
The Automatic Chronograph Evolution, assembled with the original 1940 movement, is issued in a limited series numbered from 1 to 18.
Technical details
(1) Frédéric Jouvenot FJ-ACE-001 Diamonds
- Classic column-wheel chronograph with new exclusive patented automatic winding system on the top
- Chronograph with main dial, minute timers for 3 hours and small second timer for 9 hrs
- 5-piece limited edition
- Total setting weight of the watch: 8.46 carats
- Two-year warranty
Movement
The rotor perfectly intermeshes with the timers for reading the time
Screw-adjusted balance, frequency of 18’000 vph
Automatic winding, 50-hour power reserve
22 K gold rotor set with diamonds
Engraved chronographic bridge and balancing bridge in hand-finished black gold with côtes de Genève.
Dial and movement bridges set with black and white diamonds
Case, dial and strap
White gold bezel set with baguette-cut diamonds totaling 5.88 carats
Case, crown, back in 18K white or pink gold, 50 m waterproof
Face and back sapphire glass cover with antireflective coating
Case diameter : 44 x 55 x 13 mm
Black alligator leather strap
White gold folded clasp
Specific original presentation box, USB guarantee card, manual
(2) Frédéric Jouvenot FJ-ACE-001 Pink Gold
- Classic column-wheel chronograph with new exclusive patented automatic winding system on the top
- Chronograph with main dial, minute timers for 3 hours and small second timer for 9 hrs
- 18-piece limited edition incorporating an original 1940 Venus 175 movement
- Two-year warranty
Movement
The rotor perfectly intermeshes with the timers for reading the time
Screw-adjusted balance, frequency of 18’000 vph
Automatic winding, 50-hour power reserve
22 K gold rotor matching the face and the case colour, fan-shaped face decorations
Engraved chronographic bridge and balancing bridge in hand-finished black gold with côtes de Genève
Case, dial and strap
18K white or pink gold case, crown, back in, 50 m waterproof
Sapphire glass cover for face and back with antireflective coating
Case diameter: 44 x 55 x 13 mm
Black alligator leather strap
Pink gold folding clasp
Specific original presentation box, USB guarantee card, manual
(3) Frédéric Jouvenot FJ-ACE-001 Titanium DLC
- Classic column-wheel chronograph with new exclusive patented automatic winding system on the top
- Chronograph with main dial, minute timers for 3 hours and small second timer for 9 hrs
- Venus 175 movement
- Two-year warranty
Movement
The rotor perfectly intermeshes with the timers for reading the time
Screw-adjusted balance, frequency of 18’000 vph
Automatic winding, 50-hour power reserve
Engraved chronographic bridge and balancing bridge in hand-finished black gold with côtes de Genève
Case, dial and strap
Titanium DLC treated case, crown and back, 50 m waterproof
Sapphire glass cover for face and back with antireflective coating
Case diameter: 44 x 55 x 13 mm
Black alligator leather strap
Titanium folding clasp with DLC treatment
Specific original presentation box, USB guarantee card, manual
