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Lot Essay
This delectable version of the Octa Chronographe is very rarely seen at auction and is particularly appealing and pleasing to the eye. In stunning condition it is sold with its original certificate and presentation box. It is thought that only around 8 examples of this rare configuration of 38mm rose gold case, rose gold movement, and superb white gold grey dial were made. A sublime specimen of this highly sought-after model, the present watch offers an outstanding opportunity for the F.P. Journe connoisseur.
The name ‘Octa’ was given as a prefix to all F.P. Journe’s automatic watches because in Latin it means ‘eight’ and the figure ‘8’ on its side signifies the concept of limitlessness or infinity.
Octa Chronographe
The Octa Chronographe was produced in very small numbers and is one of the most intriguing of François-Paul Journe’s early series wristwatches.
Technically brilliant, the Octa Chronographe uses the same caliber 1300 as other Octa models but is fitted with an integrated stopwatch mechanism on the dial plate. This allowed the Chronographe to be the same height as other Octa models, a quite remarkable achievement. With the Octa Chronographe, François-Paul Journe revolutionized the classical conception of a chronograph. Integrated within the Octa automatic winding calibre measuring 30 mm in diameter and 5.7 mm in thickness, the chronograph is housed in a space just 1 mm thick. This space is also occupied by the twin concentric large date display discs. To achieve such a performance, François-Paul Journe imagined flattening the usual column wheel to transform it into a cam wheel. This means it is the profiled rim instead of the column which actions the chronograph levers. A single sliding lever returns the chronograph seconds and minutes to zero by disengaging the brakes at the precise moment when it hits the specially profiled reset parts. These two innovations make it possible to reduce the mechanism to three levels. In this more compact version, the result is a sturdy movement ensuring long-term reliability. The model is fitted with a flyback, a reset functions and a 60 minute counter. The date is shown by large, separate numerals, according to a patented display mode.The Octa Chronographe was replaced by the ‘Centigraphe’ in 2008.
The name ‘Octa’ was given as a prefix to all F.P. Journe’s automatic watches because in Latin it means ‘eight’ and the figure ‘8’ on its side signifies the concept of limitlessness or infinity.
Octa Chronographe
The Octa Chronographe was produced in very small numbers and is one of the most intriguing of François-Paul Journe’s early series wristwatches.
Technically brilliant, the Octa Chronographe uses the same caliber 1300 as other Octa models but is fitted with an integrated stopwatch mechanism on the dial plate. This allowed the Chronographe to be the same height as other Octa models, a quite remarkable achievement. With the Octa Chronographe, François-Paul Journe revolutionized the classical conception of a chronograph. Integrated within the Octa automatic winding calibre measuring 30 mm in diameter and 5.7 mm in thickness, the chronograph is housed in a space just 1 mm thick. This space is also occupied by the twin concentric large date display discs. To achieve such a performance, François-Paul Journe imagined flattening the usual column wheel to transform it into a cam wheel. This means it is the profiled rim instead of the column which actions the chronograph levers. A single sliding lever returns the chronograph seconds and minutes to zero by disengaging the brakes at the precise moment when it hits the specially profiled reset parts. These two innovations make it possible to reduce the mechanism to three levels. In this more compact version, the result is a sturdy movement ensuring long-term reliability. The model is fitted with a flyback, a reset functions and a 60 minute counter. The date is shown by large, separate numerals, according to a patented display mode.The Octa Chronographe was replaced by the ‘Centigraphe’ in 2008.