Property of an Important European Collector
944
F.P. Journe
Octa Chronographe, "38mm Brass movement"
An early, rare and attractive platinum flyback chronograph wristwatch with brass movement, shiny yellow gold dial, date, Certificate of Origin and presentation box
Estimate
In excess of HK$2,000,000
Manufacturer
F.P. Journe
Year
Circa 2002
Case No
068-02C
Model Name
Octa Chronographe, "38mm Brass movement"
Material
Platinum
Calibre
Automatic, cal. 1300, 32 jewels
Bracelet/Strap
Leather
Clasp/Buckle
Stainless steel pin buckle
Dimensions
38mm diameter
Signed
Case, dial and movement signed
Accessories
Accompanied by F. P. Journe Certificate of Origin, service invoice, instruction manual, CD, cloth, fitted presentation box and outer packaging.
Full-Cataloguing
Good To Know:
- The 69th example to be made of a total production of 313 pieces
- Fresh-to-the-market, the 12th out of the 31 yellow gold dial examples made to appear on the auction market
- 38mm diameter with cal. 1300 brass movement
The Octa Chronographe launched in 2001 marked a defining moment in independent watchmaking. Housing F.P. Journe’s first automatic in-house calibre 1300, it was the first wristwatch to combine a large date display with a true flyback chronograph while delivering an extraordinary 120-hour power reserve — a world record at the time. The movement was produced in two distinct series: the early cal. 1300 with a brass baseplate, as seen in the present example, and the later cal.1300.2 executed in 18k pink gold.
The very earliest examples of this chronograph movement carried a distinctive straight, inline Côtes de Genève decoration. It is believed that only around ten such movements were finished this way before Journe adopted the more familiar circular Côtes de Genève pattern that characterises early production pieces. According to Shawn Mehta’s 2022 compilation of production data, just 313 examples of the Octa Chronographe were made in total.
Fresh to the market and only the twelfth example to surface publicly, the present watch — case number 068-02C — is the 69th to leave the atelier (the first twenty having formed the exclusive souscription series). It belongs to the highly desirable early 38 mm platinum series fitted with a circular Côtes de Genève brass movement and early shimmery yellow gold dial. Only 31 of such configurations are known to exist according to Mehta. Adding further distinction, this example retains its original small hands identifiable by the characteristic off-centred counterweight — a detail frequently replaced during servicing and therefore especially prized by collectors.
- The 69th example to be made of a total production of 313 pieces
- Fresh-to-the-market, the 12th out of the 31 yellow gold dial examples made to appear on the auction market
- 38mm diameter with cal. 1300 brass movement
The Octa Chronographe launched in 2001 marked a defining moment in independent watchmaking. Housing F.P. Journe’s first automatic in-house calibre 1300, it was the first wristwatch to combine a large date display with a true flyback chronograph while delivering an extraordinary 120-hour power reserve — a world record at the time. The movement was produced in two distinct series: the early cal. 1300 with a brass baseplate, as seen in the present example, and the later cal.1300.2 executed in 18k pink gold.
The very earliest examples of this chronograph movement carried a distinctive straight, inline Côtes de Genève decoration. It is believed that only around ten such movements were finished this way before Journe adopted the more familiar circular Côtes de Genève pattern that characterises early production pieces. According to Shawn Mehta’s 2022 compilation of production data, just 313 examples of the Octa Chronographe were made in total.
Fresh to the market and only the twelfth example to surface publicly, the present watch — case number 068-02C — is the 69th to leave the atelier (the first twenty having formed the exclusive souscription series). It belongs to the highly desirable early 38 mm platinum series fitted with a circular Côtes de Genève brass movement and early shimmery yellow gold dial. Only 31 of such configurations are known to exist according to Mehta. Adding further distinction, this example retains its original small hands identifiable by the characteristic off-centred counterweight — a detail frequently replaced during servicing and therefore especially prized by collectors.
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.