10 Year Anniversary of F.P. Journe Boutique Nacre Collection
Incredible good looks, technical virtuosity and great exclusivity
Lot 2376 stood out in the Christie's "Important Watches" live auction held on May 24, 2022 in Hong Kong. With striking beauty and unmatched rarity, It was the first time this specific model ever put on an auction. The star was the F.P. Journe Octa Automatique Lune with a mother of pearl (MOP) dial from the Boutique Nacre Collection. The final price was about $135K for this stunner as shown in the picture below. Congratulations to the winner!
In "Buyers' Remorse" (A Collected Man), four famed watch collectors shared their biggest regrets from past watch auctions. For the notable clothier Mark Cho, it was another timepiece from the FP Journe Nacre collection. The piece was a Chronomètre Souverain in platinum case and MOP dial during a Sotheby's auction in 2018. It is true that these MOP pieces from the Journe Boutique Edition are very hard to come by, as collectors apparently are holding on to them.
Launched in 2012, the Nacre Collection from F.P. Journe marks the 10th anniversary this year! Let's take this chance to relive the history and enjoy some gorgeous pictures. It is time to celebrate the birth of this wonderful yet quite under-the-radar collection.
The First Nacre Collection Release in 2012
In order to set his Boutiques and Espaces apart, Mr. F.P. Journe decided to create collections especially reserved for these places of privilege and exception. Thus was created the first Boutique Edition in 2007, with a black dial and an 18K red gold case. The models were selected from the then Souveraine Collection and Octa Collection.
In 2008, an even more exclusive Black Label Collection was introduced. The signature here is black dial matched with case in platinum.
In 2012, Nacre Collection was introduced to join the Boutique Edition. As the name indicated, every watch in this collection comes with a MOP dial. There were six models in the collection: Chronometre Souverain in platinum and rose gold, Octa Automatique in platinum and rose gold, and Octa Automatique Lune in platinum and rose gold. All the models were 40mm in case size. Please see below for a picture of these six models.
MOP has been used for watch dials for a long time, thanks to its natural beauty with elusive colors. Jack Forster’s “In-Depth: A Primer On Mother-Of-Pearl” is an interesting read for any watch enthusiasts. F.P. Journe has used MOP in some of its high-end models, in addition to the Boutique Edition. The dials are made by "Les Cadraniers de Genève", F.P.Journe's own dial-maker atelier. It is a very challenging task to produce extremely thin sheets of this natural material. Furthermore, the MOP sheets need to be cut carefully into special shapes used for these timepieces.
I searched the web to look for any reports or pictures of the Journe Nacre pieces being launched in 2012. No articles from the watch media. No Instagram pictures. No YouTube videos. The only report of the debut of these beautiful pieces in 2012 was a post at WatchProSite by an enthusiastic moderator. It is an article with many pictures posted on May 3rd, 2012. The writer visited the F.P. Journe Boutique in Paris and saw these new releases in the metal for the first time. He described these as “very distinctive and beautiful pieces”. Please see a picture from the article below.
Next, let’s see some pictures of these exquisite models curated from Instagram posts and watch websites from recent years.
The updated Automatique Lune Nacre 2021
By early 2019, both the Octa Automatique and the Octa Automatique Lune were discontinued. Therefore, the corresponding models in the Boutique Edition became unavailable too. For a while, the Nacre Collection consisted of only the Chronometre Souverain Nacre in platinum case and in rose gold case. The Journe Guy’s excellent article described this history clearly.
In April 2021, Automatique Lune were released after a redesign. “Octa” was dropped from the model name. Subsequently, an updated Automatique Lune Nacre returned to the Boutique Nacre Collection.
Comparing the previous model and the new model, we may see quite a few differences. The changes showcased F.P. Journe’s relentless efforts to improve the watch designs. The results were better legibility and usability for the wearers. And much prettier for sure!
Here are the changes/improvements we may observe from the the side-by-side picture below:
Bigger date display
Bigger crown
Bigger “3”, “8” and “10”
Longer hour hand
A smaller second sub-dial to align with the moon phase display. No blocking of “4” by the sub-dial anymore
New decoration of concentric circles in the second sub-dial
New decoration of concentric curves in the power reserve indicator area
A new moon display based on the NASA moon pictures
Yes, the moon disc was designed based on real moon pictures from NASA. I have heard this directly from Mr. Laurent Journe, the Director of the L.A. Boutique.
Below is an example of the new Automatique Lune Nacre in platinum case.
My One-Piece Journe Collection
I ordered a Chronometre Souverain Nacre in rose gold in 2019 and received it in 2020. I just found it so special and beautiful at that time, among all the wonderful pieces offered by F.P. Journe. I wrote a review for this piece and then a visual chronicle of all the Chronometre Souverain models from 2005 to 2021. I was told that there were only about 25 pieces of Chronometre Souverain Nacre in rose gold ever produced by 2021. I considered myself extremely lucky to own this piece!
Owning this precious nacre timepiece also started my love affair with watches with MOP dials. I was born in a seaside city and went to swim in the ocean every summer when I was young. The connection to the sea through a MOP on the wrist just sounds so appealing to me. I went on to acquire a Sinn U50 with a MOP dial and a Kudoke 2 with a bright MOP.
At the time of the 10 year anniversary of the F.P. Journe Boutique Nacre Collection, let us celebrate and admire the achievements of F.P. Journe. Continued effort to improve and pursue perfection, vividly demonstrated from the redesign of Automatique Lune Nacre, ensures F.P. Journe to stay at the pinnacle of modern watchmaking. There is no doubt that we will see ever more wonderful creations from Mr. Journe and his team in the years to come.
Thanks for sharing - F.P.Journe is on my list to find out more about. I’m in NY shortly and will visit the boutique while I’m there.. I think this is a maker doing something very special...