F.P. Journe

Dear Journees! During my Geneva visit for Watches & Wonders, I finally had the chance to see and try a Chronomètre Optimum and the obsession for that piece just went further! And no less, I could also finally meet FP in person which was amazing! I have 2x...  

the overall proportionality of the 40mm is perfect, especially the bezel is the only differentiator for 42mm. 42mm case works better for person who have >18cm wrists. I've not handled the this particular movement, so my thoughts on winding feel is based o... 

You are right. The Optimum is indeed a very special. I consider it one of the best watches from FPJ. There is absolutely no difference on the face of the 40 mm and 42 mm. It’s only the case that is 2 mm bigger. Same movement, same dial. Personally I prefe... 

I believe that no all dial sizes are the same across models, right? So if we take a 40mm CS, the bezel will be wider then a 40mm CO. Because the dial and the movement of a CO are larger. Now that is what tickles me a little bit. I usually also like thin b... 

Assuming movement and dial size are the same / remain proportional, we can see there are significant differences in how much the movement (and therefore the dial) occupies in a same FPJ 40mm case. I am probably stating the obvious here for you all, but I ... 

I think Christian’s advice was that for any watch available in both 40 and 42, the dial will be the same and only the case is different (you mention in your post you like the dial of the 40 CO better). In the older models it’s the same, except between 38 ... 

Across models it’s a different size due to the size of the movements. Indeed the size of bezel changes the appearance a fair bit. Add to that the overall proportion of the case and the feeling that gives. Personally I always found the 42 mm CO disproporti... 

Will keep you appraised! Patrick

I like 40mm proportioned and balance

As others mention, the dials are the same but the case & bezel are thicker on the 42. Here are some photos that may help you. The first three watches are 42, the second three are 40. My wrist is 6.75” and my personal preference is for the 40. ...  

I have actually the same wrist size as you, so this is very helpful. And indeed, I would favour the 40mm too! On your pictures, one can see very well what I was replying to Christian above: on the CR 2nd generation, the bezel is very slim. And I am surpri... 

I think Journe‘s esthetics are Breguet-like with regard to cases, which means slimmer looks better. So for the older models, I prefer 38mm over 40mm and for the newer 40mm over 42mm. Best Andreas

I let you know when I am near Mannheim. Would be great to catchup!

In general FP designs all his watches with a 'thick' bezel. This is why the models offered in only one size all have the thick bezel look (CS, CB, CT, TN, UTC, etc). For watches that come in two sizes (40, 42), his default design is always for the size 42... 

I didn’t know this was the approach of FP! I will now look for a CO 40mm to try in the wild! I keep you posted when I can find one!