This 36mm Octa Divine was originally introduced in 2003 and formed part of the elusive brass series. This example marked the first reference within the Octa collection to feature centralised hour and minute hands. The downsized case and gem set case was a first for the brand, the platinum case is composed of 184 brilliant cut diamonds.

The Dial 

The overall design of this dial was somewhat revolutionary for the brand due to the centralised hour and minute hand, that being said certain design cues can be  traced back to both the Octa Lune and Octa Reserve de Marche namely the placement of the lune, power reserve and seconds sub-dial. In parting with the iconic off-centred sub-dial, F. P. Journe essentially created the gateway for the Octa Zodiac and the eventual release of the Chronometre Souverain. The dial still features working screws to the dial namely the frame that holds the hour and minute track together. The contrast of the black lacquer on the subtle white guilloche frame makes this particular reference highly legible. Two configurations were made available, one includes a gem set dial and the other is 18-carat white gold dial. The dial is signed ‘F. P. Journe – Invenit et Fecit’ at 2-3 o’clock, the power reserve indicator is found at 9 o’clock and the dial is found at 11-12 o’clock.

The Movement 

The distinction between the manually wound and automatic movements can be divided into the following, Octa (automatic) and Souverain (manually wound). The Octa collection was introduced in 2001 with the introduction of the Octa Reserve de Marche, the caliber 1300 is the backbone of the entire automatic collection (till date). Unlike the marine chronometers the Octa collection, when fully wound, the power reserve reads “120” and will gradually display how many hours of power are left. Naturally, the movement is François-Paul’s unique creation, the ingenuity of the base caliber 1300, allowed him to integrate different complications within the movement whilst still retaining the proportions of the most ‘basic’ models.

This, Octa Divine is fitted with caliber 1300, when fully wound, the Octa Divine delivers chronometric precision for 120 hours. The meter-long mainspring supplies an average 850gr of torque, limiting the loss in balance amplitude to 25% over the five-day period. Beyond that time, the watch will continue to go for another day or two, but the amplitude-loss no longer guarantees precision timekeeping.

What makes this particular example all the more special is the highly coveted brass movement which was only in production from 2003-2004, subsequently, the 36mm cases were also phased out. From our knowledge, there are only a handful of such examples and we are proud to offer such an example.

This 36mm Octa Divine was originally introduced in 2003 and formed part of the elusive brass series. This example marked the first reference within the Octa collection to feature centralised hour and minute hands. The downsized case and gem set case was a first for the brand, the platinum case is composed of 184 brilliant cut diamonds.

The watch exhibits minimal signs of wear, with no notable scratches or concerns.