A Titanium Perpetual? The F.P. Journe Octa Perpetuelle Anniversaire Tokyo

F.P. Journe has quickly become the face of the independent watchmaking industry. Producing rare, exceptional timepieces with scarce production, Journe is likely best recognized for its distinctive overarching design language unlike anything else in the industry. Today, we are looking at one of the rarest, most complicated, and least known F.P. Journe pieces— a 99 piece run to celebrate the anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo F.P. Journe boutique— The Octa Perpétuelle Anniversaire Tokyo Boutique Edition.

History

Although F.P. Journe as a brand was not founded until 1999, Francois-Paul Journe started in the industry much earlier. Journe went to technical school in 1972 to learn about horology, working in his uncle’s clock repair shop to handle classic works from the likes of Breguet and Antide Janvier. Taking on several commissioned projects for clients privately, by the end of the century, Journe had established his own eponymous brand. 

By 2002, Journe had released the Octa Calendrier, his annual calendar compilation, built upon his in-house “Octa” automatic winding movement architecture. Just under 10 years later, Journe presented a rare reference, the Octa Perpetuelle, an upgraded perpetual calendar variant of the Octa Calendrier. In 2009, in celebration of the 5th anniversary of the Tokyo boutique, Journe released this rare limited edition of the Octa Perpetuelle with a number of unique finishing details you aren’t likely to find elsewhere. 

Design Details

The Octa Perpetuelle is a particularly uncommon reference from Journe. Many dedicated Journe collectors will never have seen this piece before. This particular limited edition takes this rarity to another level. The Octa Perpetuelle as a broader model line has a pointer date placed at the periphery of the dial, with the day and month displayed in windows on the left side of the dial. To balance the visual weight of the left side, the time display is placed on the right side of the dial. These details are all consistent with what we are used to from regular Octa Calendrier and Octa Perpetuelles. The Octa Perpetuelle incorporates an additional pusher not found on the annual calendar variant, which is made to make the initial month setting process seamless and tool-less. Using the pusher and its safety lock, you can toggle through the months to hit the right year in the leap year cycle. 

While these details are all consistent with what we’ve seen before from Journe, instead of polished frames around the time display on the dial, this piece has brushed ones. Similarly, the screws, instead of being executed in steel, are fashioned from rose gold. This piece features a gray ruthenium dial, much like what we see in the Ruthenium series of extremely rare and desirable Journes. The case itself is also completed in an obscure pairing with a titanium maincase and rose gold crown, hands and finishes. To top it all off, this piece is set to a titanium bracelet. Titanium is not a common material for Journe to utilize, typically reserved for chiming complications due to its resonance. Seeing it employed here is yet another defining attribute. 

Inner Workings

In 2001, Journe introduced his first automatic-winding movement, the caliber 1300. Nicknamed the “Octa”, the caliber 1300 became the foundation of a whole collection of automatic winding pieces and complications. The Octa had an impressive 120 hour power reserve, though it could actually run close to 180 hours. Journe only advertised 120 hours, because as the power reserve winds down, chronometric precision is impaired. Rather than advertise a longer power reserve, Journe chose to only emphasize the most accurate portion of the reserve. 

The Journe Octa Perpetuelle builds upon the caliber 1300 base, utilizing the 1300.3 updated uni-directional winding automatic winding. Released in 2007, the 1300.3 replaced earlier iterations of the Octa movement and became Journe’s new flagship automatic caliber. The updated caliber had a far more efficient winding mechanism utilizing ball bearings that outperformed earlier iterations of the movement. 

Versus the Competition

The most logical alternative to the Octa Perpetuelle is the next perpetual calendar that Journe made, the Quantieme Perpetuel. Lauded as one of the most legible and simple perpetual calendar displays on the market, Journe brilliantly managed to make a perpetual calendar complication with apertures in place of subsidiary registers. This keeps the dial non-cluttered and easily readable. Once again, this piece is built on the Octa movement architecture. 

If you can’t quite stomach a perpetual but like the layout of the Octa Perpetuelle, consider the Octa Calendrier. The marginally less expensive annual calendar is one of the coolest on the market, due to the unique complication layout we love, also featured on the Octa Perpetuelle. This is a great way to access the same aesthetic for less. 

If you instead want a more traditional perpetual calendar, in my opinion you can’t beat the Patek 3940, released in 1985 at 36mm, balancing modern and vintage sizing in a versatile way. The 3940 provides all that there is to love about a Patek grand complication, from movement finish, to a slim wearing package, logical layout, and timeless design aesthetic. The 3940 is arguably a perfect watch. 

Personality

The collector that opts for a Journe of this variety is usually a dedicated Journe enthusiast. This piece has layers upon layers of rarity and obscurity that contribute to its allure and appeal. A ruthenium dial, a rare variant of perpetual calendar for Journe, compounded by its bracelet pairing, and limited in production, this watch is the type of piece that comes up for sale in this configuration configuration once every ten years, if that. 

A Journe collector in Tokyo may be a likely collector for this piece, likely having a connection to the boutique and feeling a sense of alignment with the history and narrative that exists behind this watch. All in all, this is an extremely rare Journe for the lover of the niche within the niche, the rare among rarities, and those looking for something truly special. 

Final Thoughts

Every F.P. Journe is a special watch, and a rarity in a market saturated with brands that flood the cases with watches. And yet, the Journe Octa Perpetuelle for Tokyo is a standout example of the Journe philosophy, sitting in its own category. The watch undoubtedly incorporates the defining characteristics that make a Journe a Journe, but does so through an entirely unique titanium package. 

See more of the F.P. Journe Octa Perpetuelle Anniversaire Tokyo Limited Edition.

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