F.P. Journe

patrick_y
[PuristSPro Moderator]
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Good luck Mate!

It is totally difficult to get good advice, so I understand the need for someone new to watches to want a guiding hand. The salesperson at an AD might not know enough about the product to provide sound advice (although they generally will give advice on sizing). The Boutique will definitely provide the fuller experience, but with Coronavirus, it's totally understandable that you don't want to travel.
A) Everyone's personal journey may be a bit different, but for most people, I would say they're drawn to FPJ because of it's very French design and approach to watchmaking. The case is perfectly ornate but not overdone. The watches are slim yet elegant. The dials are unique with their subdials, frames around the subdials, and screws (for the models that feature multi-part dials). FPJ was first put on my radar through my mother who found the thin and elegant design appealing, she then went inside the FP Journe boutique and became a fan once she learned that the movement was finished to a high degree (one of her personal requirements for high horology). I had heard of the brand but wasn't very familiar with it, since her urging more than a decade ago, I've thoroughly studied the product and have become a fan of the brand!
B) Whenever you buy a product, you should always ask the salesperson what are the biggest flaws of the product. An honest and knowledgeable salesperson should provide a solid reason as to why you should not buy the product. However, most salespeople are afraid to shoot themselves in their own foot and lose their commission. If you meet a salesperson who cares about your happiness first to the point that he's willing to lose the sale, you've found someone golden. A critically thinking salesperson may say something along the lines of... "At this authorized dealership, we have many collectors whom are pleased with their FPJ products, however, I don't know if they actually wear them on a daily basis since many of them own multiple timepieces, therefore, it's difficult to ascertain long-term daily-wear reliability; these FPJ watches are built like Aston Martins, they're made in extremely small series production, it's difficult to say if an Aston Martin is a reliable daily use car because the sample size of daily-driven Aston Martins is fairly small. Reliability speaking, I wouldn't expect an FPJ to be as perfect as a Rolex, but this FPJ is made much more like a work of art, so expectations need to be adjusted."
Good luck. It's kind of hard to make a big mistake with these two, so chances are you'll be happy with either one. The bigger question is if one would make you happier.