F.P. Journe

It was to be expected that this one would become expensive… but still, heading towards 11 million is just insane. Well, it’s no surprise that the Chronomètre Bleu now easily goes for 150–200K. It’s only a fraction of the Coppola, but on the other hand it ...  

And I was at the preview earlier this week. The sentiment around Journe was incredibly positive. The expectations for all Journe lots in the auction were very very high. And it proved right. When a non mechanical watch, of which many many thousands exist,... 

used to be around 100 per year but I believe they reduced that since a couple of years.

Only for special clients at this point.

strange how things do change It started as an entry-level watch to make the brand more accessible at a time when the economy was doing poorly. And now it’s extremely hard to get. It’s just weird... like Patek only selling the Aquanaut to VIPs ... You need... 

He had no hand in the fact that it suddenly became a hot ticket - and the only one people suddenly wanted in many cases. Instead of doing what Patek did and mistreating it like the Nautilus ad Aquanaut like they really have (while stating the opposite), I... 

I do wish however it was not commanding these prices as this removes the ability to freely enjoy the watch. Traveling, wearing it every day, as I did a lot ten years ago, was even then a little nerve racking (it was a $23k watch back then). But I did it, ... 

if I should slide to bid 🤣 Then decided that maybe this one is better (can fund all 20 of them, with some spare change): ...  

😂

Not sure if many realize that just yet in 2025, tho quite a few do and are swapping out their currency. Exchanging currency for items of intrinsic value is best right now imho. Truly hope whomever purchased this FPJ gives it back to FFC. It's his timepiec... 

...and I've seen some truly terrible paintings go for millions...you're right...it's another form of currency. Also a good way to keep your cash out of the bank where a government can't get to it...

...maybe they'll make it back and more years from now. Barnum was correct...

It’s overwhelming but I’m not that surprised. My personal guess was 8-10 million considering the provenance of this one. It’s a unique story, a unique collaboration and a unique watch. Congratulations to the buyer.

...  

How are you my friend?

It is a prototype of the FCC that was owned by FCC himself. Making it really a one off and special, especially if you’re a fan of FCC. However I’m sorry but a CB is not a $155k watch not now not ever. I remember when dealers were begging me to buy that wa... 

Subjectively I’ve had that watch and it was nice but even when I was buying it at $13-15k that was the value of that watch. I’m not new to Journe was collecting them when they were 30 cents on the dollar so I’ve had more than a few that I’ve owned. Now I ... 

Reliability issues, quality woes, finishing put downs, pieces perpetually boomeranging to the service centre, movement hiccups, leading to collectors giving up on their whole FPJ collection. Who would not have skepticism after reading all that?? But then ... 

Remember when the annual calendar was notorious for counting beyond 31 days? I remember when I sent my tourb and resonance in for service and asked the boutique manager to request that they set my watch to run a few seconds fast vs slow as I don’t like sl... 

... I considered making an April Fool's Day post here saying that FPJ had just announced a limited edition series of boutique-only pacemakers. I refrained, though I remain grateful that this incredibly talented watchmaker -- a true genius -- opted to not ... 

The present FPJ market reflects the art world, not the horology world. I experienced a similar personal transition with the brand about 10 years ago. Like many here, I knew plenty of collectors who enthusiastically got into the brand and then swore it off... 

Did you ever imagine that FPJ would be so coveted by the market/collectors? Does it feel like the risk you took, trusting your gut, also your eye for design and taste in art has been recognized and validated? I only ask....because to be very honest, deep ... 

It's more like I was conducting an experiment, and one that was relatively risk-free. There was no cognitive or emotional risk because I knew exactly what I was getting into regarding the reliability issues (my eyes were wide open there), and there was no... 

Just for privacy, in regards to collecting direction.

if the reliability issues were an impetus to the 20% chanel stake in 2018

What we may be experiencing is typical herd mentality in a Big Box Store brand toward only the herd's 'hot' models, even if they are mass-produced, like a Labubu for the doll industry or a Patek Philippe in the watch industry. FPJ only makes about 1000 ti... 

Who am I to throw shade on this auction result? It's merely a seller and buyers chasing a one-of-a-kind watch. Same for the CB, although not one-of-a-kind -- merely *relatively* rare compared to higher production pieces. Same for other Journe pieces. On t... 

As for ever getting their money out again that really is IMO doubtful the changes are now starting to come so fast and the disruption AI and AGI are bringing in are going to change the world in ways no one is really ready for IMHO. It is either going to l... 

And then there’s folks complaining about Patek or VC not finishing their watches up to the standard of the highest-tier independents 😅

FPJ is now the king of auctions. Wow.