Artle - Octa Automatique Lune in Platinum

DETAILS

The Octa Lune is one of the early models in the Octa collection, which has been available since 2003. The biggest feature and one of the reasons why you have to love this watch is the fact that it’s the first F.P.Journe watch with the astronomical complication of moonphase. Thanks to this display, the watch became quite complex and featured an informative dial with a large date, small seconds and power reserve indicator. In 2003, the year of its launch, the Octa Lune was highly praised by international experts and won the “Men’s Watch Prize” at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). This model is still in production today, and the entire production span can be divided into four generations of the original Octa Lune and two generations of the newer Octa Automatique Lune.

The first generation of the Octa Lune was equipped with an early rhodium-plated brass caliber 1300 and was offered in a 38 mm case made of platinum or rose gold. In 2004–2005, F. P. Journe switched the Octa collection to the solid rose gold caliber 1300.2, which can be found in the second-generation Octa Lune. Together with the transition to solid gold calibers, a new case size of 40 mm was also introduced. In 2007, F.P.Journe improved the caliber 1300.2, which has a bidirectional winding system (the caliber 1300 has the same feature), by developing a new unidirectional winding system. The upgraded caliber is called 1300.3. Based on this caliber, two new models were introduced: the third-generation Octa Lune, which was produced until 2015 and featured an original dial design with an offset main dial, and the new version, Octa Automatique Lune, which has a similar display layout but is equipped with the central hour and minute hands.

in 2015, the Octa Lune was updated again and received a new version of the dial without the “Phases de Lune” lettering. This fourth generation of the Octa Lune, known as the Octa Lune Nouvelle, has the choice of a 40 or 42 mm case. The 38 mm models were discontinued, while the Octa Automatique Lune retained this original size, complemented by a 40 mm case. The general trend of making wristwatches larger and larger did not leave the Octa Automatique Lune unscathed, although F.P.Journe was in no hurry to introduce a larger case. This happened in 2019, when the brand introduced the second generation of this model with two case options – 40 and 42 mm – and a correspondingly modified dial design that better harmonized with the larger case. At the same time, of course, there was a corresponding adjustment to the caliber, in particular the size of the large date was increased, but F.P.Journe left the designation 1300.3 unchanged.

REASONS TO BUY

The F.P.Journe Octa Automatique Lune No. 089-AL2 ‘The Second Generation, Platinum’ is of interest to the collector not only as a typical F.P.Journe watch, but also as a watch that belongs to the brand’s long and very interesting history of watches with astronomical moonphase complication, which began in 2003. What makes this chapter in the history of the Octa Lune so appealing is the combination of the large second-generation dial and the 40 mm platinum case, which results in a narrow bezel. This bezel gives the Octa Automatique Lune a special character and offers maximum space for the complex dial, which is extremely rare for F.P.Journe watches.

ABOUT THIS WATCH

This watch, which belongs to the second generation of the Octa Automatique Lune, is an example of the uncompromising quality of F.P.Journe. Its high value is determined not only by the predominant use of precious metals – platinum for the case, gold for the movement, its rotor and the dial – but also by the brand’s unique style and high-quality execution. The dial of the watch bears all the hallmarks of the F.P.Journe style with a characteristic layout, printed blue Arabic numerals designed by François-Paul Journe himself and blued hands in a special teardrop shape also invented by him. The hands of this watch are even more impressive than those of the original Octa Lune – simply because they are larger and located in the center of the dial. The solid gold dial is silver-plated and decorated with Clous de Paris guilloché, while the small seconds and power reserve sub-dials are recessed and grooved, which undoubtedly giving the watch a sense of being in the classic design tradition.

The self-winding F.P. Journe caliber 1300.3 movement is made of solid gold, including the unidirectional rotor, which is decorated with a guilloché Grain de Riz pattern and an engraved brand logo. The rotor is slightly off-centered, a feature of the F.P.Journe Octa calibers, which together with the solid gold execution gives the movement a unique character. The 40 mm case and dial of the second generation Octa Automatique Lune require a very narrow bezel – unusually narrow compared to many other F.P.Journe watches. This bezel also contributes to the perception of this watch, as the dial is given as much space as possible and conveys a sense of spaciousness and airiness that one would not expect from a watch with many displays such as the Octa Automatique Lune.