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Behind the F.P.Journe Octa Prototype
It was by coincidence that earlier this year I spent an unhealthy amount of time researching a specific trio of watches, of which I was told existed in the wild but had no record of their making within the F.P.Journe archives. It was through a conversation I had with Mr. Journe in October 2018…
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In-Depth: The F.P.Journe Astronomic Blue Prototype
It’s been three months since the unveiling of the 2019 Only Watch catalogue and with it, F.P.Journe’s highly anticipated grand complication timepiece, the Astronomic Blue. The Astronomic had been the topic of much tease among close F.P.Journe enthusiasts for well over the past five years, but had only gained heavy speculation among the larger…
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In-Depth: Rediscovering the Chronomètre Souverain
Launched in 2005, the Chronomètre Souverain (CS) is quite often overlooked when it comes to the other models in the collection. Next to the likes of the Centigraphe, the Optimum, and the Repeater; the CS is to the untrained eye the simplest of a family of highly complex movements, bearing only a power reserve indicator.…
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The Octa & Straight Côtes de Genève
The third model presented by Montres Journe SA was the Octa Reserve de Marche, or often referred to as the Octa Automatic. It debuted into the realm of modern horology as the first automatic movement to deliver up to 120hrs of chronometric performance thanks to its unique 1 meter mainspring that delivers much more linear…
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Why the CB Production is Becoming More Limited for 2019
The Chronometre Bleu (CB) which was first presented in 2009 and widely known to have been made in response to the economic recession of 2008, is more popular today that it has ever been before. At start, like many of Journe’s models, it wasn’t extremely well received and yet today, the waiting lists at…
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The First Question, Basel 1999
In 1999, Francois-Paul attended Baselworld and exhibited as his own independent brand for the very first time, Montres Journe SA, or as it is better known, F.P. Journe Invenit et Fecit. Exhibiting as part of the AHCI, it was the first time he had displayed with them in over seven years and this time,…
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News: Retouching the Répétitions Souveraine
First debuted as the thinnest repeater of its time (2008), the Répétitions Souveraine (ref. RM) was the second most complicated watch of the Montres Journe Collection, running just behind the now discontinued Sonnerie Souveraine. Of its most unique characteristics are the patented flat gongs and hammers that allow the watch to be so thin yet…
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News: Introduction of the Octa Automatique Lune 2
Following up with the recent news of the brand’s collection restructuring, which included the discontinuation of the Octa Automatique Reserve & Lune (AR/AL), Montres Journe has quietly introduced a replacement to one those pieces, which at first glance might go unnoticed. Referenced simply as AL2, the new Octa Automatique Lune looks essentially the same but…
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Reasoning: Why the Vagabondage Dials are not Branded
The Vagabondage series was first launched in 2004 with the release of three pieces donated by François-Paul Journe to the Antiquorum auction house in celebration of their 30th anniversary. The three pieces each represented one decade of the house, with each piece engraved with “10 years”, “20 years”, and 30″ years” respectively, as I…
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A Closer Look at the N°000 Tourbillon Souverain with a Blued Screw
As with all the N°000 cases, the Tourbillon Souverain remains part of the Montres Journe private collection yet shows interesting characteristics that determine its uniqueness and time of casing. As a start, the dial appears to be one of the few hand-finished dials that were done by François-Paul Journe personally. The characteristics unique to…