During SIHH in Geneva last month, independent watch brand F.P. Journe introduced updated versions of the moon-phase watch in its Octa Collection. The Nouvelle Octa Lune is available in two case materials. Its dial has been rearranged from that of its predecessor, and it’s now available in a larger size.
The F.P. Journe Octa Collection to date has consisted of seven watches, including a world timer and an annual calendar. Many of the watches make use of off-center displays for their various functions. Still, the dial design remains simple with good legibility. The watches have also made use of moderate sizes: most of the models come in 38-mm and 40-mm case diameters.
For 2015, Journe made slight alterations to the layout of the original Octa Lune. Most noticeably, the F.P. Journe name and logo have moved from an arc at the top of the dial to a placement at 7 o’clock, just under the moon-phase aperture.
The F.P. Journe Nouvelle Octa Lune boasts a power reserve of 160 hours, give or take half a day; all told, that makes for well over 6 days even at the worst efficiency. However, the arc on the dial only tallies up to 5 days, or 120 hours. To stay on the safe side, the brand claims that you can get “120 efficient hours” from the watch’s mainspring. The power-reserve indicator is a retrograde display, and when you wind it you can watch the hand snap back up to the 120 beside the date display.
The Nouvelle Octa Lune contains F.P. Journe’s manufacture caliber 1300.3 (also found in the previous version of the Octa Lune). It is a 3-Hz automatic movement. Through the caseback you can see its monodirectional winding rotor, made of 22-karat gold. It is off-center and engraved in a guilloché pattern. Caliber 1300.3 has four adjustable inertia weights, an Anachron balance spring and a free-sprung balance. The base plate has some circular graining and there is côtes de Genève finishing on the bridges. Without the dial, the movement has 289 components, including 37 jewels.
The watch’s various complications are all controlled via the crown at 3 o’clock. Pulled out to its farthest extension, the crown can be turned to adjust the time. When pulled out to the middle position, a clockwise turn adjusts the moon-phase and a counterclockwise turn corrects the date.
The watch is available in a case of either rose gold or 950 platinum. It is 10.07 mm thick, and either 40 or 42 mm in diameter. This is news for the Octa Collection, as the old Octa Lune was available only in case sizes of 38 mm and 40 mm. Journe has now done away with the 38, leaving only slightly larger sizes for the next generation.
The dial comes in rose gold or white gold. The watch is available on a platinum bracelet, a rose-gold bracelet or a leather strap. The 40-mm rose-gold case costs $47,200 and the 42-mm rose-gold case is $47,900. In platinum the 40-mm version is $51,200 and the 42-mm version is $52,900.
