F. P. Journe

The Octa Lune belongs to one of François-Paul Journe’s most significant families of wristwatches, the Octa line, first introduced in 2001 as the manufacture’s inaugural automatic movement series. This example from circa 2004, fitted with the early brass movement, represents a key chapter in the brand’s formative years, before Journe transitioned to in-house gold calibres in 2004–2005. As such, these early brass-movement pieces have become highly coveted among collectors for their purity, scarcity, and historical significance to the early history of the brand. 

The Octa Lune combines practical complications with the restrained elegance that defines Journe’s early creations: an automatic movement with a five-day power reserve, an off-center hours and minute display combined with a elegant integrated moon-phase indication and large date window. This dial layout, asymmetric yet balanced, a signature of Journe's work. Beneath it lies the calibre 1300, the brand’s first automatic base movement, built from brass and rhodium plated, and decorated to the same uncompromising standard that defines Journe's movements.

This 38 mm example captures the essence of F.P. Journe’s early philosophy: artisanal precision, mechanical integrity, and design clarity. Today, the early Octa models with brass movements stand as milestones in independent watchmaking — a testament to a time when Journe’s growing vision was still shaped by the intimacy of a small atelier, long before global acclaim made his name synonymous with the finest in modern horology.