No one will fault you for wearing one of the 'Big Three' around these parts. But if you want something truly special — something from a small batch made by hand each year — you’re going to have to look elsewhere.
You’re going to have to look at F.P. Journe.
Journe is one of the world’s foremost living watchmakers, having begun his studies at the age of 15. He received his watchmaking diploma at theÉcole d'Horlogerie in Paris at the age of 19. His namesake timepieces are complicated works of horological art, the result of in-house ideation, design, and construction. In short: Journe is a master craftsman of the highest order, and his creations are some of the most desirable timepieces on Earth.
The Automatique Lune has been in production since it debuted in 2007 and to this day remains as one of F.P. Journe’s cleanest dial silhouettes. Without straying far away from the maison's signature design cues, it uniquely displays a left-aligned power reserve indicator, ‘big date' and moonphase aperture complemented alongside a traditional numeral hour track and central handset. Vastly more legible than its Octa Lune sibling, this piece provides an opportunity to marvel at the fine finishing in each function — as well as in the 'dead space' between them — a style enthusiasts indelibly associate with the maison.
This particular example is part of the F.P. Journe's Havana collection and features a 40mm platinum case that is agreeably restrained. It sidesteps gimmicky design and construction and instead leans on the simplicity of its curved case lines and cleanly polished flanks. The crown adds an ounce of flare with its beautifully detailed, rope-like motif and in hand, there's buttery smoothness to the setting mechanism.
The dial features a rich brown tonality similar to the highly-coveted ‘tropical’ dials found on vintage timepieces exposed to the equatorial sun for most of their life. Hand-finished with granular texture, timekeeping for this piece is recorded by white printed indices, a peripheral chemin de fer minute track, and an ivory-toned handset with a running subsidiary seconds indicator with a Breguet hand positioned between 4 o'clock and 5 o'clock.
Powering this awesome display of high-end watchmaking is the automatic-winding Calibre 1300.3. Comprised of 223 individual components, it is decorated with 30 jewels, a partially circular grained baseplate, circular striping on the bridges, and hand-finished polishing and chamfering throughout. The off-centered winding rotor is expertly finiished in flawless guilloché, and is visible through a sapphire display back. It comes fitted to a signed caramel brown alligator strap with a signed platinum pin buckle.
In comparison to some of his other works, the F.P.Journe Automatique Lune is a relatively simple execution, but in our eyes it shows the brilliance of his work — doing 'busy' avant-garde designs is one thing, but with a simpler execution such as this, the details matter so much more. With the perfect combination of a platinum case and its topical-toned dial, the details are perfect inside and out - seemingly made for lovers of vintage watches like ourselves.
Whether you find yourself underneath a palm tree sipping on a tropical drink garnished with an umbrella, or hustling about town in an office uniform — you'll have to agree that the Automatique Lune Havana combines vintage aesthetics and contemporary Independent watchmaking spirit to perfection.
