208
F.P. Journe
Octa Calendrier
A very rare stainless steel annual calendar wristwatch with retrograde date and pink gold movement, number 31 of a 38 pieces limited edition
Full-Cataloguing
The present watch represents a very rare opportunity to own a limited edition F. P. Journe, which was originally sold as part of a collection of five stainless steel timepieces. Released in 2015, the limited edition of 38 complete sets commemorated the end of the manufacturer’s 38mm diameter case production. When F. P. Journe presented his first wristwatches in 1999, the 38mm case was considered oversized during an era when most brands produced smaller timepieces with 34mm to 36mm sized cases. Today, as tastes have changed, cases measuring 40mm to 42mm in diameter have become the new norm.
Each limited edition set was comprised of five timepieces including: Tourbillon Souverain, Chronomètre à Résonance, Octa Automatique, Chronomètre Souverain and Octa Calendrier Automatique and like the present example. The pieces all featured a gold guilloché dial, patinated in a bronze hue and pink gold movement.
The Octa Calendrier is the third complication to be integrated in the Octa automatic calibre, and was awarded the ‘Special Jury Prize’ at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in 2002.
Each limited edition set was comprised of five timepieces including: Tourbillon Souverain, Chronomètre à Résonance, Octa Automatique, Chronomètre Souverain and Octa Calendrier Automatique and like the present example. The pieces all featured a gold guilloché dial, patinated in a bronze hue and pink gold movement.
The Octa Calendrier is the third complication to be integrated in the Octa automatic calibre, and was awarded the ‘Special Jury Prize’ at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in 2002.
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.