The history
The earliest works of François-Paul Journe, effortlessly blend traditional 19th-century watchmaking with modern haute-horology. The Octa movement was introduced in 2001, becoming only the third developed by brand (after the Tourbillion and Resonance) and the first automatic mechanism to deliver 120 hours of precision timekeeping, through reserved-power.
Two years later, the Octa Divine was introduced, as one of the first executions of Journe’s centrally arranged dial layout, in place of the trademark off-centred sub-dials seen in the Tourbillon, Resonance and other examples of the Octa series. In many ways, the Octa Divine represents the first departure from the design of the original Réserve de Marche, alongside the Zodiaque, and indicative of Journe’s willingness to experiment early on. Initially introduced in 36mm and 38mm case sizes, this 38mm Octa Divine is one of the few examples from the earlier series of the model. Furthermore, the classical 38 mm case is - sadly - no longer in production, making it even more coveted by collectors.
The design
In the design, Monsieur Journe used familiar pieces from the Chronomètre Souverain, Octa Lune and Zodiaque. Like the Souverain, the outer track of the Octa Divine holds the embossed decorative Arabic numerals. Borrowing from the Octa Lune, the Divine shows the moonphase display at 7 o’clock, though turned 45 degrees to allow for the oversized sub-seconds and chapter ring. Taking from the Zodiaque, the large aperture for the date and power reserve indicator are displayed in the same format.
Sized at 38mm, this Octa Divine features a rounded bezel, thin lugs and the manufactures' oversized ‘flat crown’ with a rope-like pattern. The entire watch is polished and mirror finished, while the crown itself is engraved. The mechanism allows for correction of the date and moonphase via the crown.
The movement
While this piece is undeniably attractive, it is the movement that F.P. Journe is famed for. Since the introduction of the first Réserve de Marche in 2001, mechanical F. P Journe examples can be divided into two main movement types – the manually-wound Souverain and automatic Octa (Latin for "eight" or "infinite"). Each Octa movement is designed to incorporate fully-integrated complications within the same volume. Impressively, all variations within F. P Journe’s entire Octa collection are identical, both in diameter and thickness.
In 2004, Journe switched to manufacturing movements from 18-carat gold, having developed the brand sufficiently to further the manufacturing process and move away from brass. With this introduction, all existing movements were issued with new caliber codes. In the case of the Octa series, this caliber was referred to as 1300-2; indicating the second version of the movement. It’s believed that very few 1300-2 movements were made, during a short transitional period - consequently, making these rarer than many of the first generation brass-movement pieces. You can read more about this in the The Journe Guy’s in-depth study.
This self-winding F.P. Journe caliber 1300 movement is 18-carat rose gold, with Côtes de Genève, constructed with 32 jewels and a shock absorber mechanism. It further features a straight-line lever escapement, and monometallic 4-arm balance with 4 timing weights, adjusted to 5 positions. It includes a self-compensating free-sprung flat balance spring and off-center bi-directional 22-carat gold guilloche rotor. The movement is engraved "Exclusive Power Reserve System" and "Precision Chronometer".
The set
This 38mm platinum F. P. Journe Octa Divine watch is in excellent condition, fitted to one our Stockholm straps with curved-ends, measuring 20 x 19mm. The watch comes with the original inner and outer boxes, a Certificate of Authenticity and the original alligator strap from F. P. Journe. The set also includes a copy of the servicing paperwork from Journe Paris (dated 2019).
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