F.P. Journe Octa Sport Watch in Titanium

By Osheen Arakelian

Having had success with their initial line of Octa Model “lineSport” watches, F.P. Journe has now introduced an all new Titanium version, with an aluminium movement to boot. Their latest release has taken a long period of research and development in order to find the right materials to achieve an unbelievably lightweight wristwatch that can be used in all sporting situations without discomfort to the wearer. As such, what you see today is the culmination of F.P. Journe’s dedication to produce an incredibly lightweight yet practical wristwatch using an Aluminium Automatic Calibre FPJ 1300-3 movement with unidirectional automatic winding. The same can be said for the case that is made entirely of Titanium and weighs only 60 grams overall including movement on rubber strap and 70 grams on Titanium bracelet, a great achievement! Another great feature however is the clever use of rubber throughout the case and bracelet in order to achieve its ultra-light weight. The tips of each link, the sides of the case and the Titanium crown are all fixed with rubber inserts for shock resistance just like the bumpers on dodgem cars we used to ride at theme parks (and we all did that as kids let’s be honest).

The biggest overall change for F.P. Journe however was moving from an 18k rose gold movement to aluminium. This brought about a lot of difficulties during the design process, however, this meant that the bar could be set higher for F.P. Journe and they achieved what they originally set out, a never say die attitude indeed. The watch still maintains its distinct features and decorations with the use of the Circular Cotes de Geneve on the bridges, partly circular graining on the baseplate and also the various chamfered and grained wheels and screw head slots.

Overall F.P. Journe has set to achieve what it originally intended, an extremely lightweight and functional wristwatch that the most rugged sportsman or woman can wear with minimal interference an annoyance on the wrist. For more info, please visit fpjourne.com

Product Specifications

Movement :

Automatic Calibre FPJ 1300-3
Unidirectional automatic winding
Movement in aluminium alloy

Dimensions of the movement :

Overall diameter: 30.80 mm
Casing-up diameter: 30.40 mm
Overall height: 5.70 mm
Height of winding stem: 3.00 mm
Diameter of stem thread: S0.90 mm

Balance :

Four adjustable inertia weights
Anachron free-sprung flat balance spring
Mobile stud holder
Free Sprung
Nivatronic laser soldered balance spring
Pinned GE stud
Frequency: 21,600 Alt / h, (3Hz)
Inertia: 10.10 mg / cm2
Angle of lift: 52°
Amplitude:
0h dial up: > 320°
24hdial up: > 280°

Main characteristics :

Three position crown:
Winding of the watch in position 0, clock wise
Correction of date in position 1, anti clockwise
Correction of time in position 2
Instant jump calendar
Off centre winding rotor in Titanium with Tungsten segmentBarrel with slipping spring
Escapement 15 tooth

Indications :

Centred hours and minutes
Small second at 6h00
Large date
Power reserve at 10h30
Day/Night indication

Autonomy :

120 ± 12 hours
Winding Speed on watch winder: 274 rotations / 24 hours

Decoration :

Circular Côtes de Genève on bridges
Partly circular graining on baseplate
Polished screw heads with chamfered slots
Chamfered and circular grained wheels
Steel components hand polished and chamfered

Case :

Titanium with rubber inserts
Diameter: 42 mm.
Total height: 11.60 mm

Dial :

Aluminium alloy and sapphire
Superluminova hands
Superluminova appliqué indexes
12 luminescent points

Number of parts :

Movement without dial 286
Cased up with bracelet 510
Jewels 40
Rubber 72

Weight :

Total weight on Titanium bracelet: 70 g
Total weight on rubber bracelet: 60 g
Movement alone: 11 g
1 sapphire glass sub dials: 2 g

WP_20140319_20_27_28_Pro
Osheen Arakelian – Contributing Writer

Drawing on a lifelong love of horology and a more recent introduction to appreciation of fine whisky, Osheen brought the two together with watch & whisky. He is proprietor of the site, which covers everything related to watches and whisky. In between completing a degree in commercial law and supporting a rich social life, he is out and about attending all the latest watch and whisky events Sydney has to offer. His passion has also taken him around Australia attending a number of events and he hopes to continue his career in the watch industry on a more serious level after he graduates. Read his articles here.