OCTA CHRONOGRAPHE, CASE NO. 247-C, CIRCA 2008

A prize catch for enthusiasts of F.P. Journe, this exceptionally rare and resplendent platinum Octa Chronographe was made in a special series of only 7 pieces designed for Swiss Fine Timing, the famous Chicago retailer. With a distinctive and exclusive aesthetic provided by the special two-tone silver and black dial with red lettering, it provides collectors with not only the opportunity to obtain one of F.P. Journe’s scarcest and most highly coveted models, but to also own one of only 7 pieces ever made - the only examples of the Octa Chronographe to feature red numerals.

Octa Chronographe
In production for only four years, the Octa Chronographe is one of the rarest and most intriguing of François-Paul Journe’s early series wristwatches with only 313 examples ever made across all production. The present watch as one of the ‘Swiss Fine Timing’ limited series is particularly desirable and is hardly ever seen at auction. Technically brilliant, the Octa Chronographe uses the same caliber 1300 as other Octa models but is fitted with an integrated stopwatch mechanism on the dial plate. This allowed the Chronographe to be the same height as other Octa models, a quite remarkable achievement. The model was the first big date flyback chronograph in existence to offer a formidable power reserve of 120 hours. The Octa Chronographe was replaced by the ‘Centigraphe’ in 2008.