Manufacturer: F.P. Journe
Year: Circa 2005
Case No: 84/99-02C
Model Name: Octa Chronograph "Ruthenium"
Material: Platinum
Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1300, 32 jewels
Bracelet/Strap: Leather
Clasp/Buckle: Platinum F.P. Journe pin buckle
Dimensions: 40mm Diameter
Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed
Accessories: Accompanied by F.P. Journe fitted box, Certificate, F.P. Journe platinum deployant clasp, loupe, polishing cloth and outer packaging
Catalogue Essay
The present Octa Chronograph is fresh to the market, from the original owner and number 84 of a limited edition of 99 pieces. One of five watches part of the F.P. Journe “Ruthenium Collection” .

Made between 2001 and 2005 the watches in the Ruthenium collection bookend the brass movement production and the move to 18K pink gold movements now in use throughout Journe’s watches. The Ruthenium Collection comprises five models: the Octa Jour/Nuit (Night/Day), the Octa Calendrier, the Octa Chronograph (the present watch), the Chronomètre à Résonance, and the Tourbillon Souverain.

Each model was released in only 99 examples and are some of the most highly coveted, early Journe timepieces. Stylistically, the Ruthenium Collection, with their larger 40 mm case diameter, close the door on the early brass movement pieces, and ushered in the more modern iterations that have drawn admirers of Journe’s craft year after year. The models featured brass movements but coated in light-absorbing ruthenium. Similarly, the white gold dials are specially coated with the same ruthenium, yet the remarkable sheen and luster found in Journe’s earliest dials is preserved.

The Octa Chronograph was the world’s first automatic flyback chronograph with oversized date window. The Octa caliber 1300 is a mere 5.7mm thick, allowing it to fit into the existing Octa case. To achieve this, the typical column wheel was replaced by a cam wheel, meaning it is a profile rim instead of a column that actions the chronograph levers. A single sliding lever returns the chronograph seconds and minutes to zero by disengaging the brakes at the precise moment when it hits the specially profiled reset elements.
Artist Biography
F.P. Journe
Swiss • 1999
Founded by watchmaker François-Paul Journe in 1999, the F.P. Journe brand is relatively young, but already is as highly regarded by collectors as many distinguished manufacturers with centuries-old heritage. In the minds of the world's savviest collectors, Journe is producing some of the finest wristwatches the market has ever seen. Mastering his craft from restoring historical timepieces, he was the first to create a wristwatch incorporating two escapements that benefit from the phenomenon of resonance — the Chronomètre à Résonance.

Key models include the Résonance, tourbillon wristwatches incorporating a remontoir and the limited edition Vagabondage series. Especially sought-after are his earliest "souscription" watches, made in 1999.
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