F.P. Journe launched his first perpetual calendar timepiece as part of the Octa line of watches, but in 2013 he introduced a completely new dial architecture: moving away from the quirky retrograde date indication so far employed, the dial now features all calendar indications neatly framed in 4 windows: one for the day, one for the month, and two for the large date. The leap year indication is “hidden in plain sight”: a minuscule third hand indicates the leap year cycle on a small subsidiary dial at the very center of the dial.

Originally defined by an ovoidal metal frame encircling the central part of the flat two-tone dial, in 2020 the collection’s aesthetic canons were revised. It now features a monochromatic ivory dial with applied numerals on a flat outer track, and guilloché decoration for the center of the dial. Thus, Journe brought the model closer to the style employed in their Souverain line of watches.

Offered in practically as new condition - having been delivered in December of last year - by its original owner, the present timepiece is a delightfully wearable complicated creation by one of the most celebrated contemporary independent watchmakers.