by GaryG
Back in the day – by which I mean the early 2000s, when the leading online watch forums were gathering momentum – the world of watch enthusiasm and collector interest was very much organized by brand.
While there were general forums that allowed for commentary on topics of broad interest, the real action was in the brand-specific subpages (and in the case of The PuristS on the Independent Watchmaking page as well).
To an extent, the world of in-person watch interaction mirrored this, with now-dormant brand-specific interest groups such as the Lange Owners’ Group (LOG) and the online-offline hybrid Hour Lounge and Hour Club, focused on Vacheron Constantin watches, as a couple of notable examples.
While these days community building in the enthusiast realm seems increasingly the domain of brand-agnostic organizations such as RedBar, there remain old-school organizations whose members are devoted to the watches of a single maker.
One such group is the Journe Society: a small, low-profile group of enthusiast-owners of the watches of F.P. Journe.
The author’s Journe Society Chronometer by F.P. Journe
The Journe Society: a club and a watch
The Journe Society isn’t a secret, but the group and its members do like their privacy to the extent that when I signed on as a founding member in 2016, I was required to sign a statement saying that I would “keep all sensitive information of The Society and its members confidential.”
So, you’ll be hearing no revelations here about who the members are, club governance, or the bizarre secret rituals practiced at club meetings – primarily because there’s really nothing that fascinating, and certainly nothing scandalous, to tell.
I can say that, like other brand-specific enthusiast organizations in the past, the Journe Society is not part of the F.P. Journe organization or brand, but rather a fully independent group. Membership is by recommendation of existing members and requires current ownership of several Journe watches, so it’s definitely a collectors’ organization.
Straight-on: the Journe Society Chronometer
It should come as no surprise that at some point early on it became clear that development of a “club” watch would be more or less a foregone conclusion.
Other clubs such as the Lange Owners’ Group had commissioned their own private edition watches in the past, and Mr. Journe has over the years been quite generous to both his loyal collectors and within the broader watch-related world.
Cream and blue tones of the Journe Society Chronometer
For examples of the latter, we can look to the annual Young Talent Competition organized by Journe with the support of the Foundation de la Haute Horlogerie and The Hour Glass, as well as Journe’s donation of phenomenal pieces, each more mind-blowing than the last, to the biennial Only Watch charity auction.
As for the former, we have the example of 2014’s issuance of the T30 Historical Anniversary Tourbillon and T10 10 Years Anniversary Tourbillon, both limited series that were allocated to long-time Journe collectors and sold at quite reasonable prices (in my opinion, at least) relative to their quality and significance, as a “thank you” to those who had supported the brand over the years.
Rewarding brand loyalists: F.P. Journe T30 Historical Anniversary Tourbillon
The history of club-commissioned watches has had something of a checkered past. My observation on what typically happens in a group purchase is that everyone gets a vote (or even worse, a veto), there’s a strong desire on some parts to “do something really different,” and the resulting watch turns out to be some sort of lowest-common-denominator compromise.
I will raise the cloak of secrecy just enough to express my happiness that with the Journe Society Watch there were none of those sorts of hijinks. Strong club leadership worked directly with Mr. Journe, who had his own suggestions, and after a quick poll of the membership on one (and only one) small option the final design was put into place.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way: final design, Journe Society Chronometer
The result is very much to my taste and just different enough to make it special without being outrageous. As you may have noticed by now, the case material is a “straw gold” that is somewhere between yellow and white and that varies in color tone and intensity depending on the nature of the surrounding light.
The hands and printed indices are a nicely complementary cream color, and the dial itself is a mid-dark blue that adds some visual punch without having the overt flash of the chromed blue dial of Journe’s Chronomètre Bleu.
The base for the movement is Journe’s Caliber 1304 from the Chronomètre Souverain (CS), and as you’ll see in the photo below the movement of this watch is actually labeled with the Caliber 1304 designation.
Caliber 1304-based movement, Journe Society Chronometer
The big functional difference between this watch and the standard CS is the presence of a crown-adjusted moon phase indication, added by Mr. Journe as a tribute to the “lunatics” who make up the Journe Society.
Blue, with a moon: F.P. Journe Society Chronometer
Cosmetically, the movement is re-labeled from “Chronomètre Souverain” to the English-language “Society Chronometer,” and in a special touch each watch comes from the manufacture with the owner’s name as well as the Society designation engraved into the back bezel.
Disclosure: the actual watch bears my full last name as an inscription; in the images of the reverse of the watch shown here I have Photoshopped out all but the first letter of my last name.
Customized case and movement, Journe Society Chronometer
There is something pleasant about receiving a package containing a watch made specifically for you! There was somewhat of a wait to endure until enough members committed to purchases to make practical the making of the second batch of Society Chronometers to which mine belonged; but that only increased the excitement when the package with my initials arrived on my doorstep.
A happy day at the mailbox: the author’s Journe Society Chronometer arrives
For me there’s a lot to like about this watch. The unique color combination helps it to stand out from the others in my watch box, and the aesthetics are classic Journe from the elegantly thin case to the pink gold movement.
The movement finishing is what I’d call “classic Journe” as well: nothing fancy but perfectly serviceable and more than appealing to the naked eye.
Movement detail, Journe Society Chronometer
As far as quibbles go, while this watch does wear quite comfortably I do wish that there had been an option to have the watch in a 38 mm diameter case instead of its 40 mm; then again, having endorsed the “strong club leadership” model that led to the design of the piece, I can’t be too critical as I’m sure almost every other member would have had his or her “one little thing” to contribute to the design had it been invited.
On the wrist: Journe Society Chronometer
And while I absolutely love the presence of the moon phase and its “lunatic” connotations, in some light conditions the dark blue sky and flat gold moon seem to recede into the darkness of the moon phase recess rather than being plainly visible as you can see in the straight-on photo of the watch earlier in the article.
All things equal, I’d also have liked the color of the “sky” to be a closer match to the dial’s hue.
Blue hues: dial and moon phase indication, Journe Society Chronometer
All in all these are pretty modest complaints, I’d say. As for the exclusivity of the piece, I have mixed feelings: for me it’s a lot more about having something cool to share with friends with similar interests than it is about having something that others don’t have.
And I also realize that there are many people out there who wouldn’t be interested in this watch or in joining a club organized around enthusiasm for Journe watches in the first place!
Members only, but not for everyone: the author’s personalized Journe Society Chronometer
As a longtime Journe enthusiast and collector, I’m delighted to have this one in my collection. And if there are club-related pieces or buddy watches in your watch box, I’d love to hear from you about them in the comments section. Happy wearing!
Parting shot: F.P. Journe Society Chronometer
Quick Facts F.P. Journe Society Chronometer
Case: “straw” gold with front and rear sapphire crystals; 40 mm diameter; original owner’s name engraved on back bezel
Dial: matte blue with textured center section and circular grooved seconds subdial; ivory-colored steel hands and printed indications
Movement: manually wound Caliber 1304 modified with the addition of moon phase indication; 3 Hz/21,600 vph frequency, power reserve approx. 56 hours, pink gold plates and bridges
Functions: hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds; moon phase adjusted via crown
Limitation: manufactured in small batches based on subscriptions by Society members
Price: not disclosed
Production years: 2017 to present
You may also enjoy:
F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain Vertical: An Upright Shift To The Future
F.P. Journe Centigraphe Souverain Anniversaire: A “Rolling” Anniversary Piece
The Sonnerie Souveraine By F.P. Journe: A Legend In Its Own Time
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!
That’s beautiful, although I think the way the lunar recess darkens to almost-imperceptibility under certain light is wonderful; there’s no shortage of pieces out there which wear the complication a little too proudly. And having guilloche where others would finish with perlage makes that movement fancy to my eyes! Although it’s the architecture that’s the real star.
As a Vacheron owner I’m sad the Hour Lounge closed, but I can live without it. I love Journe’s watches, though. A CS of some type is now top of my ‘must have’ list (knocking a Jurgensen 1140 off the spot), and while I’ll probably only need (and can only afford) one of his watches – excluding me from the society – just knowing that such a society exists will only add to the goosebumpy feeling of owning one.
Thanks for your sharing. I would love to enjoy this kind of experience. However, it’s way.out of my budget to become loyalty to any top-tier brand I love.
great write up, I’ve been thinking long and hard about adding a FPJ Octa piece in platinum! There is so much to consider when making such a large purchase. May I please ask for your opinion?
How does the movement finishing compare to others? I am very attracted to the rose gold movement, truly unique. Nothing seems more decadent to me than a RG movement in a platinum case!
It’s very difficult to buy FPJ second hand correctly. There seems to be little support for the brand in used pieces and that’s a concern for me. I’ve settled on either the Octa Reserve de Marche or Octa UTC. I’d have to sell my Porsche to get both!
How is the after sales service? What are the service intervals? I am in the Bay Area and the nearest AD is LA. Sorry to pepper you with questions but this would be a “foundation piece” for me, eclipsing the value of the rest of my entire modest collection!
The other brand I would consider to FPJ is ALS. It is hard to compare their movement finishing without easy access to viewing FPJ in person. Your pictures are truly helpful in this regard. Thanks! ChrisB in SF!
Dear Chris,
First of all, please accept my sincere apology for taking so long to respond — the last quarter of 2019 was a blur for me including some injury and illness issues and I wasn’t at all diligent in responding to reader comments and questions like yours — sorry.
As for your questions: Journe is not known for its superlative finishing — the brand focuses instead on intriguing aesthetic design and inventive mechanical features. I’m not saying that the finishing is bad, but if you are a finishing fanatic I’d say that Lange would be superior on that dimension.
I’ve found the after-sales service to be fine, although if the watch goes back to Geneva the waiting time can be considerable (not unlike many other brands). Service intervals should also be similar to other pieces. Some of the more complex (and particularly early) references were known to be quite finicky — for instance my early Tourbillon Souverain shows an alarming tendency to magnetize its hairspring, and there are lots of tales of Journe watches displaying dates in the mid-thirties on their calendar indications. An Octa RDM should be quite safe, though.
Those RG movements are beautiful! I agree with you that PT over RG is a sight to behold, and unless you’re staring through your loupe all the time the visual difference to a brand like Lange is not going to be that great.
Finally, as I once sold a car (my Ferrari 599 GTB) to buy watches (notably, a Patek 5370P) I know the drill!
All the best,
Gary
The society piece seems to be that perfect mix of ‘special’ without stepping into eccentric territory. The hue of the metal is very interesting, would be nice to see one in the metal one day – although secrecy may preclude such an encounter!
Although I have not participated in a designated group purchase or buddy-watch, I did take a very special pride when finally attaining an original datograph after years spent on the Lange forum. That piece serves as a cornerstone in many collections, and I felt like I joined a club when strapping it on my wrist for the first time.
As always, thank you for the peek into the collection and an equally engaging read.
Really nice piece. I find it more balanced than the CS.
The implementation of the power reserve on the CS always bugged me, even if I still like the watch overall.
But this one is great, and I’m happy to see the write-up here.
Gary, superb article. I loved the insight into the concept of a Club Watch. And really impressed to see how beautiful the Journe Society Chronometer turned out. I kind of like it a lot more than the CS and CB.
I would love to own a Club / Society watch one day; but it would have to be something worth having and beautiful like your Journe.
As always, reading your articles is always a pleasure.
I have caught the Journe bug. Though I have a couple of basic Pateks, I’ve been planning to trade them in in the near future. In the meantime I’ve purchased 4 F.P. Journe. A good mix I think. It would be great to talk about the magic with other fans. At this point it is sort of a lonely pursuit. I don’t want bore my friends or be a show off.
I live in the New York area. Do they still do gatherings at Madison Avenue on first Tuesdays? Any other suggestions would be most welcome.
Best regards, Frank
Congratulations on your Journe acquisitions, Frank! Great to see you in the indie world and Journe is a special sector of that universe for sure.
I’m not New York based so I’m not sure about activities in that area. I’d suggest you call the Journe Boutique and talk with William about activities — he will likely have a good handle on the local scene.
Best,
Gary
Hi Gary,
Thanks for your sharing. Really amazing piece. I have also owned several Journe’s watches. Could you please share how to join the society?
Best wishes,
Min
Hi Min — glad you enjoyed the article. The Society is a referral-based group, so the best way to get more information is likely to ask within your network of Journe owners to see whether anyone is a member and can refer you.