F.P. Journe Octa Lune

No one will fault you for wearing the 'big' brands around here. But if you want something truly special — something from a small batch made by hand each year — you’re going to have to look elsewhere.  You’re going to have to look at F.P. Journe. Journe is one of the world’s foremost living watchmakers, having begun his studies at the age of 15. He received his watchmaking diploma at the École d'Horlogerie in Paris at the age of 19. His namesake timepieces are complicated works of horological art, the result of in-house ideation, design, and construction. In short: Journe is a master craftsman of the highest order, and his creations are some of the most desirable timepieces on Earth. The Octa Lune was produced between 2004 and 2015 and to this day, remains one of F.P. Journe’s most iconic silhouettes. It uniquely displays each function by visually separating them into right-aligned timekeeping dials (hours and minutes with subsidiary seconds) and a left-aligned power reserve indicator, ‘big date,’ and moonphase aperture. This refined aesthetic offers legibility as well as the opportunity to marvel at the fine finishing that enthusiasts associate with the maison. This particular example features a 40mm 18k rose gold case that is agreeably restrained — one that sidesteps gimmicky design and construction and instead leans on the simplicity of its curved case lines. The crown adds an ounce of flare with its beautifully detailed, rope-like motif and, in hand, there's buttery smoothness to the setting mechanism. The dial, crafted from 18k rose gold, is hand-finished with a granular texture that results in a warm, salmon tone throughout. Timekeeping is recorded in Journe's signature 3 o'clock-oriented configuration with applied rhodium Arabic indices, a chemin de fer minute track, a matching handset, and a running subsidiary seconds indicator with a ‘Breguet’ hand overlapping at the bottom edge. Powering this awesome display of high-end watchmaking is the automatic-winding Calibre 1300.3. Comprised of 223 individual components, it's decorated with 30 jewels, a partially circular-grained baseplate, circular striping on the bridges, and hand-finished polishing and chamfering throughout. The off-centered winding rotor is a masterclass in flawless guilloché finishing, and is visible through a sapphire display back. It comes fitted to a signed, black alligator strap with a signed, platinum pin buckle. In comparison to some of his other works, the F.P. Journe Octa Lune is a (relatively) simple execution, but in our eyes it shows the brilliance of his work — creating 'busy' avant-garde designs is one thing, but in a cleaner, simpler execution such as this, the details matter so much more. And indeed, with the warm combination of a rose gold case and its salmon-toned dial, the details here are perfect inside and out. Incredibly stunning and beautifully finished, this Octa Lune is nothing short of a masterpiece!