So you’ve bought a Patek Philippe, maybe an Audemars Piguet, a few Rolexes or a Vacheron Constantin.
You think you’ve seen it all and are ready to move on to exotic collecting horizons, and then you stumble on F.P. Journe. Arguably the father of the modern independent watchmaking renaissance, Journe has paved the road for countless other small manufactures to make a name for themselves and share their creative eye with the industry. Journe’s legacy truly extends far beyond the watches he’s designed and executed.
Leaving school early to study horology, and working in his uncle’s clock repair shop, Journe discovered his knack for all things horology at a young age. Studying the works of Breguet and George Daniels, Journe had an eye for complication and classicism. These influences heavily impacted the look of Journe’s later creations.
After completing his studies and designing a number of commissioned pieces for private clients, Journe decided to set out on his own crafting wristwatches. Never slacking off, his earliest designs were tourbillons with constant force remontoirs, extremely mechanically sophisticated and difficult to execute. The ambitious young watchmaker was already punching above his weight, and by the time he started his own eponymous brand, collectors were already getting excited about Journe’s promise.
The Octa Automatique Reserve, introduced in 2007, captures Journe’s command of both complicated watchmaking, and unique watch designs. A guilloche dial center, Journe’s very own typeface on the dial, and a funky layout of complications all come together to present a luxurious, but distinctive dial look. At 9 o’clock, Journe has set a power reserve indicator, displaying the impressive 120 hour power reserve. In actuality, the watch will remain running for closer to 180 hours, however, Journe only advertised 120 hours because he wanted to display power for only the portion of the reserve that the watch would maintain extreme timekeeping precision. At 5 o’clock Journe placed a subsidiary seconds, and balanced its weight with the a date window between 11 and 12 that helps keep the dial feeling well-spaced and proportional.
While there’s certainly a lot going on in a small space, the dial doesn’t feel cluttered or messy, and instead comes off as elegant and downright handsome.
Measuring 40mm in platinum, this particular piece features their signature rope motif crown, a silver dial with numerals that jump right off the dial with an almost three-dimensional quality and a matching blued-steel handset — once more calling upon the look of classic Breguet dials.
While Journe has a number of more complicated offerings, even his simpler designs have his creative flavor undeniably evident with every minute detail. This watch is truly a celebration of the success of independent watchmaking and Journe’s role in perpetuating it.
