F.P. Journe

An excellent interview by Monochrome: monochrome-watches.com ...  

reading his thoughts and obviously, seeing his timepieces. I don't consider myself a potential customer of his, but I deeply respect and admire him and what he has done in this business! Thanks for sharing the interview here, cheers, Filip

What a refreshing approach - so different from what we’ve seen from the groups (my friends might notice I have been somewhat critical on this point). Of course they are constituted differently and therefore have different motivations. While FPJ’s watches ... 

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the Journe brand and I find them to be some of the most beautiful designs in the industry. Over a decade ago, I even flew to NYC to cover the grand opening of the Manhattan boutique for this website. And my mother is a... 

Just about everything - I’d say a solid 99% - of what I read these days in the online horological press is basically some sort of a puff piece. They’re all feeding at the trough and most of what I see has got to be straight from the PR machine. (Notable e... 

You're a very fair fella Esharp! I tried not to be too fawning in my JLC Golden Ratio event review. Basically by quietly stating I didn't get how the music and the Reverso were related. And also admitting I didn't understand the very modern music. I didn'... 

See, this is the kind of conversation you get here but not elsewhere. And that’s a good point you make about auction prices and an elevated market generally. They’re a double-edge sword, I suppose. Yes, they leave money on the table which is captured by g... 

Grey market dealers typically take relatively little risk. They have very small store fronts so their overhead costs aren't terribly high. They only buy things with the intention of holding onto the product for a couple months at most. You can be a succes... 

I recall calling the boutique in Geneva and they told me the same thing. Then they invited me to go and check out my profile an I replied "sure, I will visit you in 2033 😅". They were surprised but I confirmed "I am looking to buy a watch and if you don't... 

Within the article Mr. Journe is quoted as saying “I don’t want to grow in volume;…” Other forms of growth seem to be on the table 😉.

But yes, I agree that the writing was a bit too quick, but this happens sometimes

You have built a great brand, great watches, but no one can buy it. I respect FPJ for his quality, but not even trying to become bigger to have more production to make a real impact? For what because he’s comfortable in his damn office (as he stated)?? Th... 

Mismanagement is usually the culprit of low margins / profits. If FPJ is not able to have a healthy company, especially in these markets, then be very cautious for their future. Hopefully someone buys the company who knows how to operate it properly. As w... 

I didn’t understand it as monetary profit margin but the fact that the world of horology has focused more on innovation so it is much more difficult to come up with new ideas. It was easier ten years ago. …….”What remains to be done? Where the majority wo... 

I think, no matter what people think of the writing style, being puff ect, there are some valid and important points. To recap a few… Reconfirming that he will not increase production numbers but will increase complicated watches and move away from simple... 

I just wonder how much MORE hype this kind of article is going to create for his watches. Phrases like "1,000 per year" "10-year waiting list", "allocation of watches is based on a wish list" will surely feed a frenzy of watch enthusiasts. I like to read ... 

Puff or not - it holds a lot of new information. On the wait list it is not 10 years across all models but it does in fact hold true on the most popular.

This has some interesting nuggets. I agree the writing itself could be better. But who cares. It’s an interview with the master. That’s worth the price of admission.

He's basically repeating information that he's stated previously and he provides an update on what to expect moving forward. Apparently he's got another surprise coming for Only Watch, which is cool. And he's got plans to introduce a new reference in 2027... 

Thank you for posting. Personally after experiencing a variety of successful brands pursue growth through volume only to then destroy the quality and original ethos of the brand I applaud this self-restraint. Will I wait 10 years - I’m not sure I will liv...