The Octa Calendrier was originally introduced in 2003 as the brand’s third automatic reference powered by calibre 1300. The Octa Calendrier was one of the first wristwatches that integrated an annual calendar with a large date and simultaneously maintained a 5-day power reserve. Between 2003 and 2004, the brand phased out brass movements in favour of an industry-first – movements entirely in 18k red gold and implemented the upgrade across all calibres then in production.

Transitional 

This particular 18-carat rose gold example would best be described as transitional between the brass and rose gold era. The overall layout of the dial remains identical to the original brass examples. The separate silver guilloche dial for the hours and minutes is held together by three screws found on the periphery of the steel bell-shaped frame, a general rule to go by is that the brass examples possess accentuated frames whereas the rose gold movement features a smoother shape. This particular example is powered by calibre 1300.2 (18-carat gold movement) although the dial is from the brass era. In addition to that the pairing of a rose gold case and the white gold dial is thought to be rather rare in the realm of F. P. Journe. 

The apertures found at 8 and 10 o’clock display the day and month. The retrograde date function is visibly pleasing as the entire date frame hugs the outer part of the dial, allowing for an undisturbed view of the timekeeping portion of the dial.  At the time this was said to be F. P. Journe’s best seller for the automatic collection. 

The stark contrast of the blue steeled hands is a trait found on F. P. Journes apart from boutique editions. The dial is signed F. P. Journe – Invenit et Fecit Latin for invented. 

Case 

At the time all case sizes found in the Octa collection measured 38mm x 10.6mm, in light of the transition from brass to rose gold movement case numbers were gradually updated. The brass era’s serial numbers would be composed of a three-digit number followed by the case year of production, I.e, XXX-03Q, we believe this was stopped towards XXX-05Q, from then onwards all cases simply feature an individual serial number (XXX-Q). This particular example is one of the last case numbers to feature this trait. 

Movement

At the time this was the most complicated F. P. Journe found in the Octa collection. François-Paul managed to integrate the annual calendar complication into the calibre 1300 whilst still maintaining the exact same proportions of the movement, 30mm x 5.70mm. Despite the tremendous energy requirements for the ‘flick’ of the date, day and month, the movement is still capable of achieving a 120-hour power reserve. 

The timepiece was completely overhauled by F. P. Journe in November 2020.

Brand: F. P. Journe
Model: Octa Calendrier – Transitional
Movement: Calibre 1300.2 Rose Gold
Case Diameter: 38mm
Year: 2005
Box & Papers: Orignal box and certificate  

The Octa Calendrier was originally introduced in 2003 as the brand’s third automatic reference powered by calibre 1300. The Octa Calendrier was one of the first wristwatches that integrated an annual calendar with a large date and simultaneously maintained a 5-day power reserve. Between 2003 and 2004, the brand phased out brass movements in favour of an industry-first – movements entirely in 18k red gold and implemented the upgrade across all calibres then in production.