FP Journe Octa Sport Titanium – Hands-On with exclusive live photos, specs and price

When you think about FP Journe, you may be used to dress and classy watches that bring a bit of eccentricity in the design but also (and mainly) some innovative movements and Haute Horlogery elements. A feeling that you might find in the Chronomètre Optimum or the Centigraphe Souverain. But FP Journe also has a sporty collection, with watches that, alongside their very nice movements, bring some highly interesting cases and materials. We’ve been covering the Octa Sport in Aluminum, here is now the FP Journe Octa Sport in Titanium.

The Octa Sport is a sort of ‘free electron’ in the middle of the FP Journe collection, which is mainly composed of dress gold or platinum watches, all very reasonably sized and extremely well finished. The SportLine also brings that same level of quality, both for the case and the movement. But these watches are made with distinctive materials such as Aluminum alloy and rubber. The Octa Sport was in 2011 the first watch ever produced, for the case, the bracelet, the dial and the movement (!) in Aluminum – in fact a specific alloy used in aeronautics – giving the watch an extremely lightweight of 53 grams. The movement alone weights only 11 grams (all the plates and the bridges are made in that same aluminum alloy).

This year, FP Journe comes with the exact same watch (same design, same dial, same Aluminum movement) but in a Grade 5 titanium case and bracelet. If the Aluminum edition shows a very bright metallic look, this one opts for a darker color obtained with a special treatment. The case and bracelet are all matte finished and the material has a very nice anthracite tone with ‘khaki’ reflections. It gives the Octa Sport a sort of military feeling. Compared to the Aluminum edition, the Titanium edition is slightly heavier at 70 grams on bracelet and 60 grams if strapped on rubber. The case and bracelet sides are surrounded with rubber inserts that give the watch some extra protection. The quality of the assembly is amazing and could not be defaulted. It is precise and sharp.

The Octa Sport comes with a quite interesting movement, the same used in the Octa Reserve that we showed you recently. However, the layout is somewhat different as the crown is located at 4 instead of 3 and so the small second is located at 6 instead of 5. It has centered hours and minutes, a small second that is displayed in a milky white sapphire sub-dial, a big date (with two independent discs), a day and night indicator and a power reserve indicator. The dial, also made of aluminum, presents the same colour and matte finish than the case and bracelet. The indications, indexes and numbers are all filed with a white luminous material that gives a great contrast – a highly legible watch, both in day and night conditions.

The movement’s architecture is classical to FP Journe. The automatic calibre, that you can find as a base in every of the Octa collection (dress watches with automatic movements), is here made of aluminum. Meaning that it weights approximately nothing! The finish is the same as every FP Journe watches: circular Geneva Stripes on the bridges, circular graining on the main plate, hand bevelled angles and polished and bevelled screw heads. Besides being beautiful to look at, the movement offers 120 hours (5 days) of power reserve.

Because of its integrated bracelet, the FP Journe Octa Sport wears smaller than expected. It may measures 42mm but it feels extremely well balanced. Due to the very lightweight and the shape of the very flexible bracelet, it is also very comfortable. The dark but warm colour of the titanium is very pleasant. It has a distinctive design that could disturb at first sight but it needs to be tried. Once on the wrist, something special happens.

This new FP Journe proves that this manufacture is also able to innovate in terms of material and design and thus demonstrates that the ‘Invenit et Fecit’ (has invented and has made) written on the dial is not just a gimmick. An interesting collection for those seeking a complicated, very well finished and exclusive sports watch.

It is priced at EUR 20.000 on rubber strap and EUR 24.000 on titanium bracelet with rubber inserts.

Specifications:

• Movement: Calibre 1300.03, unidirectional self-winding. Plates and Bridges in aluminum alloy. Rotor in titanium with tungsten insert. Diameter: 30.8mm. Height: 5.7mm. Balance wheel with 4 weights. Frequency: 21.600vph (3Hz). 120H (5 days) of power reserve.
• Functions: Hours, minutes, small second, instantaneous big date, day/night indicator, power reserve indicator
• Decorations: Circular Geneva Stripes on the bridges, circular graining on the plates, hand bevelled angles, polished screw heads
• Case: 42mm x 11.6mm. Grade 5 titanium and rubber inserts on the bands.
• Dial: Aluminum alloy. Small second sub-dial in sapphire glass painted in white. Hands and numbers filled with white Super-Luminova
• Bracelet: choice of rubber strap or titanium bracelet with rubber inserts.
• Weight: 60 grams on rubber strap, 70 grams on titanium bracelet. (movement alone: 11 grams)