Property of an Important European Collector
899Σ︎
F.P. Journe
Octa Calendrier, Ruthenium Collection, No. 01/99
A fresh-to-the-market, first and extraordinary limited edition platinum annual calendar wristwatch with ruthenium-coated white gold dial, ruthenium-coated movement and retrograde date numbered 01 of a limited edition of 99 pieces
Estimate
In excess of HK$1,600,000
Manufacturer
F.P. Journe
Year
Circa 2004
Case No
01/99-04Q
Model Name
Octa Calendrier, Ruthenium Collection, No. 01/99
Material
Platinum
Calibre
Automatic, cal. 1300, 31 jewels
Bracelet/Strap
Crocodile
Clasp/Buckle
Platinum F. P. Journe pin buckle
Dimensions
40mm diameter
Signed
Case, dial, movement and buckle signed
Accessories
Accompanied by F. P. Journe usb key, leather card holder, cloth, instruction manual, product literature, associated presentation box and outer packaging.
Full-Cataloguing
Good To Know:
- Fresh to the market
- Numbered 01 of a limited edition of 99 pieces
- Preserved in excellent condition with patina on the dial
- Only 23 examples have return to the auction market
There is a quiet, almost nocturnal charm to François-Paul Journe’s Ruthenium Collection. Brass movement plates and white-gold dials were coated in ruthenium, lending these watches their distinctive light absorbing grey and soft muted luster. Produced only between 2001 and 2005 in a platinum cased series of five models, each limited to just 99 pieces, the collection comprises the Octa Jour/Nuit, Octa Calendrier, Octa Chronographe, Chronomètre à Résonance and Tourbillon Souverain. It stands as the final, poetic chapter of Journe’s brass-movement era and the quiet prelude to the pink gold movements that would define everything that followed.
This, however, is no ordinary example. Numbered 01/99-04Q, to hold the first of anything from Journe is already rare, but to hold the first of a collection as a transitional and fiercely coveted series is something else entirely. Of the 99 Octa Calendriers produced, only 23 have ever returned to the public market. Emerged fresh to the market in such wonderful condition, its dial has developed a unique and beautiful patina while remaining part of an important collection.
The 40mm Octa Calendrier was itself a pioneering achievement: the first wristwatch to combine an annual calendar with an oversized date. A retrograde date hand sweeps gracefully across the lower half of the dial, while day and month appear in matching apertures on the left. Time is displayed in Journe’s signature offset manner on a silver guilloché disc that contrasts sharply against the steely ruthenium ground. Beneath, the caliber 1300 with its metre-long, 1mm thick mainspring painstakingly refined for consistency that delivers a remarkable 120-hour power reserve.
In every sense, this is a watch of beginnings: the first of its series, and now, after years in private hands, a rare opportunity for the next collector to continue its story.
- Fresh to the market
- Numbered 01 of a limited edition of 99 pieces
- Preserved in excellent condition with patina on the dial
- Only 23 examples have return to the auction market
There is a quiet, almost nocturnal charm to François-Paul Journe’s Ruthenium Collection. Brass movement plates and white-gold dials were coated in ruthenium, lending these watches their distinctive light absorbing grey and soft muted luster. Produced only between 2001 and 2005 in a platinum cased series of five models, each limited to just 99 pieces, the collection comprises the Octa Jour/Nuit, Octa Calendrier, Octa Chronographe, Chronomètre à Résonance and Tourbillon Souverain. It stands as the final, poetic chapter of Journe’s brass-movement era and the quiet prelude to the pink gold movements that would define everything that followed.
This, however, is no ordinary example. Numbered 01/99-04Q, to hold the first of anything from Journe is already rare, but to hold the first of a collection as a transitional and fiercely coveted series is something else entirely. Of the 99 Octa Calendriers produced, only 23 have ever returned to the public market. Emerged fresh to the market in such wonderful condition, its dial has developed a unique and beautiful patina while remaining part of an important collection.
The 40mm Octa Calendrier was itself a pioneering achievement: the first wristwatch to combine an annual calendar with an oversized date. A retrograde date hand sweeps gracefully across the lower half of the dial, while day and month appear in matching apertures on the left. Time is displayed in Journe’s signature offset manner on a silver guilloché disc that contrasts sharply against the steely ruthenium ground. Beneath, the caliber 1300 with its metre-long, 1mm thick mainspring painstakingly refined for consistency that delivers a remarkable 120-hour power reserve.
In every sense, this is a watch of beginnings: the first of its series, and now, after years in private hands, a rare opportunity for the next collector to continue its story.
F.P. Journe
Swiss | 1999Founded 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.