The Octa movement was introduced in 2001, making it François-Paul Journe's third ever caliber after the Tourbillon Souverain and the Chronomètre à Résonance. It was also the brand's first automatic mechanism, which would go on to power a variety of mechanically complicated timepieces. The Octa Réserve de Marche and the Octa Lune were the first two models to be introduced, and they marked the company's first foray into automatic watches.

F.P. Journe released the Octa Lune two years after the movement was first designed, and it was produced between 2003 and 2014. The movements were manufactured of brass for the first two years before switching to pink gold. Except for the dial texture and colors, the overall layout remained the same over this time. The Octa Lune Nouvelle, like the present example, replaced the Octa Lune line in 2015, featuring a 40mm case size, a tilted moonphase, engraved numerals, and a variety of additional updates.

Caliber 1300.2 was used in the Octa Series, before being updated to cal. 1300.3, denoting the third version of the movement. Cal. 1300.3 introduced a new ball-bearing mechanism to boost winding efficiency and marked the transition from bi-directional to uni-directional winding. The revised Cal. 1300.3, which is crafted of 18 carat pink gold with Côtes de Genève decorations, powers this Octa Lune. It has a monometallic 4-arm balance with four timing weights that can be adjusted to five positions, as well as a straight-line lever escapement. The present Octa Lune in excellent condition epitomizes Journe’s philosophy of technical expertise, design acumen and legibility and is a wonderful opportunity to own an interesting and fine timepiece from one of horology’s greatest artisans.