Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. FP Journe Octa Lune – Hands-on with the 2015 edition with live photos (specs & price)
During the SIHH, not only do you get to see the 16 exposing brands but you also have the chance to see multiple independent watchmakers presenting their novelties. The ‘Wonder Week’, as some might call it, is a sort of Pre-Baselworld hidden fair, located in the 5-star hotels’ lobbies. Part of this running show was FP Journe, presenting its 2015 edition of the Octa Lune.
FP Journe is apart of the rest of the industry for several reasons. First, he’s never exposing at Baselworld, like every of the other independent watchmakers. Then, he’s extremely discreet (some say he’s cold and arrogant but he’s more likely to be shy and concentrated on its watches). Finally, he’s creating watches that look like no other. We discovered recently some of his creations, like the complicated Chronometre Optimum or the Centigraph Souverain. A few month ago, he introduced some new dials, made of embossed solid gold – creating watches FULLY made of gold, as the case, the dial and the movement plates are now made in this metal. His latest timepiece is an update of an existing model, the Octa Lune, and it comes with the brand’s last improvements and novelties (including these new dials) and an increased legibility.
Even if it remains visually very close to the previous edition, the new 2015 FP Journe Octa Lune comes with improvements and updates for every single part. Firstly, the cases are slightly bigger, moving from a reasonable 38mm or 40mm to a choice of now 40mm and 42mm. The cases are available in both 18K red gold or 950 Platinum, with a matching dial.
The face of the FP Journe Octa Lune is also discreetly updated. The main dial remains off-centered but it is now larger, to improve time-reading. It comprises the hours, the minutes and a sub-counter with the seconds. It is made of solid gold, plated in white, with the hours’ numbers embossed and then polished to reveal their gold tone – just like the other creations with solid gold dials. The minute-track and rail-road track remain painted, in black. The main plate of the dial, made of solid red gold or white gold (depending on the case’s material) is frosted-finished, contrasting with the polished white gold ring around the main hour/minute/small second module.
The big date at 11 (composed of two independent discs, instantaneously jumping at midnight) is twice as large as the one on the old FP Journe Octa Lune, again to improve readability. The moon-phase indication is no longer located at 7 but it’s now slightly inclined and positioned at 8. The power reserve indicator had also been moved up a few millimeters. Finally, the logo of the brand is not located at 12 and written in a circular way but more painted at 7. The visual result is not tremendously different but it brings a better legibility and a cleaner look. However, the DNA and charm of the brand’s dials is still present, with this typical strange and messy layout that collectors enjoyed for years now.
This new layout also means that there are changes from a technical perspective too. Normally we’d expect to see the addition of a top module, but a look at the fact sheet shows that the differences in this evolution are much more profound, as the movement now measures 34.6mm instead of 30.8mm. The architecture however remains the same and the technical specs too: 120+ power reserve (in fact, close to 160 hours or 6.5 days), 3Hz frequency, the same slightly off-centered gold rotor. The visual result is also improved as the movement feels well proportioned in the case, even with its larger dimensions. The finish is, as usual with FP Journe, a real pleasure: solid pink gold plate and bridges, polished beveled angles, circular graining on the main-plate, concentric Geneva stripes, beveled screws’ slot and polished screws’ head. The rotor comes with a nice engraving and an engine-turned finish.
The new 2015 edition of the FP Journe Octa Lune is available in multiple editions: in 40mm or 42mm, in 18K red gold or 950 platinum, on leather strap or metallic strap (matching the case’s material). Price are not revealed yet but it should be around 47.000 Euros in gold and 55.000 Euros in platinum. More on fpjourne.com.
