FpJourne

F.P. Journe Chronometre Blue Watch

This is a lovely watch that should probably considered a "starter timepiece" to the F.P. Journe brand. I saw this given the basic classic look of the watch and the brand's reputation for typically complex watches. Though perhaps that is a misconception on my behalf as there are plenty of existing fans that would enjoy the unique qualities this 39mm wide watch has. Aside from the gorgeous metallic blue dial, the watch is made in tantalum, a rarely used exotic metal sometimes used in the aerospace industry. One reason it is paired with the blue dial is because the metal alloy shines blue in the right light.

Inside the watch is a F.P. Journe caliber 1304 manually wound movement that is in-house made and has 56 hours of power reserve. The movement is made in 18k rose gold. The "Chronometre" part of the watch name refers to the fact that F.P. Journe has made this mechanical movement accurate within chronometer ranges.

The dial design is purely F.P. Journe with emphasis on signature brand characteristic such as numeral font and hand design. No word on price for the F.P. Journe Chronometre Blue watch yet, but I suspect it will be higher than I would predict.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: blue, chronometre, FP journe, FpJourne, tantalum, watch, watch of the day, WatchOfTheDay

F.P. Journe Octa Perpetual Titanium Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Someone mentioned to me a while ago that F.P. Journe watches were all starting to look the same. I tacitly agreed and then began to give the idea some thought. A watch company (especially one that does not release many models) has a tough task of keeping a brand identity secure, while at the same time delivering innovation in terms of design and function. F.P Journe watches each have a distinct character to them, which is important to preserve in each new watch. Though I do agree that many of the their models were starting to look the same with just the subdials doing new things. This new Octa Perpetual Titanium is a different matter because I sincerely get the feeling that this is a brand new model, but still characteristically a F.P. Journe timepiece.

The dial here features an off-center watch face and emphasis on the perpetual calendar with the retrograde date display taking up most of the dial. There are also windows for the day and month an an almost hidden leap year indicator located inside of the month window. Notice in the image the lower window that reads "BFE." The "B" is actually on a separate disc and is the leap year indicator. "B" stands for "bissextile," which indicators the 4th, and thus leap year (other years simply read "1, 2, or 3"). The time is easy to read in the functional watch dial that is applied over the face and features some light, but tasteful decoration. I further like how the subsidiary seconds dial is built into the design.

Titanium is the metal of choice for the 40mm wide case of the Octa Perpetual Titanium watch, a metal I am not sure that F.P. Journe has used before for cases. Inside the watch is an automatic OCTA Calibre FPJ 1300-3 movement made from 18k rose gold (nice). Having an all gold movement is rather sexy, and you are able to view it through he caseback window. I think that having a heavy gold movement rather defeats the purpose of having a light titanium case, but I am sure that F.P. Journe had their reasons. The watch is also quite thin at about 10mm thick. Overall a very classic looking timepiece that is undeniably F.P. Journe in character with a lot of luxury appointments. It does of course include its quirks, which makes for a well-natured luxury watch.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: fp journe, FpJourne, octa, perpetual, timepiece, titanium, watch

F.P. Journe's First Pen Collection

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Writing Instruments

Watchmaker François-Paul Journe has created his first line of writing instruments. The F.P. Journe pens are made in platinum PT 950 and 18K gold, the same metals used in his watch creations. His fountain pen uses an original retractable system, registered with patent Number EP 07 405119.4. The bottom of the pen has six flaps that open and close like flower petals to reveal the nib. The first collection of F.P.Journe first writing instruments, a fountain pen and a roller, will be available in December 2008 at the five F.P.Journe boutiques in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Geneva, Boca Raton and Paris. Each is a limited Edition of 500 with a hand guilloché barrel. The nib of the fountain pen is in 18K red gold and is engraved with the F.P.Journe logo. The platinum version is lacquered in blue while natural color lacquer is used for the gold version with 18K red gold inserts as shown above.

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Tags: fountain pen, fp journe, FpJourne, pens