F.P. Journe Élégante Owner Review : Innovative, endearing and admirable

Today, I'm going to review a watch I particularly appreciate: my FP Journe Elégante 48 in titanium! I acquired this watch five years ago (time flies!), just before the market started to get excited about this watch and Journe in general. This watch is therefore difficult, if not currently almost impossible, to obtain from retailers, as the lists are, unless I'm mistaken, closed. Initially offered as an exclusively women's collection, it was later released as a men's collection following the insistence of a famous racing driver (whose name I can't recall, my apologies) to Mr. Journe to offer a version for men. The ingenuity of this watch lies in its electromechanical movement, a clever combination of quartz and certain characteristics of a mechanical movement. Upon closer inspection, one notices that it has a small openworked rotor located at 4 o'clock. When the watch is not worn, it goes into standby mode after 30 to 35 minutes. However, the watch's internal processors continue to keep track of time. So, when you pick up the watch to wear it, the small rotor detects movement, and the watch automatically resets itself to the correct time without you having to do anything—and by the shortest route, no less! It can therefore reset itself to the exact time whether you rotate it clockwise or counter-clockwise! Ingenious and brilliant! I find it particularly endearing to watch it perform its maneuvers: every time I open its box in the safe or take it out in the morning from its little Watch Stand where it spends the night, I feel as if it's giving me a warm greeting, like a good friend who's happy to see me! Another rather remarkable fact is its battery life, making it the quartz watch with the longest battery life. Thus, the power reserve can range from 8 to 10 years with daily wear and up to 18 years in standby mode! As a side note, when I asked the staff at the Journe boutique on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré about the cost of a battery replacement, they couldn't give me an estimate… simply because no Elegante watch had yet been brought in for service! However, given the sudden and massive surge in demand for this timepiece, which began around 2020, I predict a significant and dramatic wave of Elegante watches being sent in for service for this specific purpose between 2028 and 2030, and potentially longer waiting times to get your watch back! To describe the watch in more detail, it is made of Grade 5 titanium, and its tonneau-shaped case with four visible screws measures 48 x 40 mm, with a thickness of 7.95 mm. It is therefore very thin and light, exceptionally comfortable to wear, ideal for summer! This case is water-resistant to 30 meters. It is therefore not recommended for water activities, even though its crown is screw-down. It features a sapphire crystal case back that reveals the movement, composed of printed circuits and two bridges treated with rose gold and guillochéd with Côtes de Genève. The central part of the Elegante's dial is entirely coated with Super-LumiNova and framed by exposed screw-in markers. The watch transforms into a veritable torch as soon as it catches a little light and you step into the dark! This beautiful timepiece comes on a rubber strap embossed with the large FPJ logo on the back. A wide range of colors is available, allowing you to choose between understated tones for winter and more vibrant colors for warmer days. It comes with a Grade 5 titanium folding clasp, engraved with a large "FP Journe Invenit & Fecit" and offering a firm grip, which securely holds the watch. This watch is a true favorite of mine! Given the brand's pricing policy, it will likely be my only Journe, and I consider myself fortunate and incredibly lucky to own it, having been allocated one in time when many others are now struggling to obtain it from their retailers. When I purchased it, I had the luxury of choosing between the Titalyt and the Titanium versions. Nevertheless, I chose the latter because, having handled both, I've always found the Titalyt, although more sought-after and even more prestigious, to have a slightly "toy-like" quality, whereas I find the Titanium's finish more refined, with its wide, vertically brushed bezel and all the alternating polished and brushed surfaces of its case. Furthermore, I'm not entirely sure about the Titalyt coating's long-term durability… If I had to define the Elegante, it would be a kind of fusion between a Royal Oak and a Journe… It has stylistic elements reminiscent of a Royal Oak (tonneau case with exposed screws in Grade 5 titanium, astonishingly lightweight, colored rubber strap, sporty look) and yet possesses the brand's own DNA with its instantly recognizable dial and the ingenuity of its movement, which reveals the genius and creativity of Paul-Pierre Journe. This is a watch that's quite rare these days (sighting a Journe being worn casually in a grand hotel or restaurant is already unusual), because, due to its value (which I admit I find excessive), I doubt many owners take theirs out of the safe very often. It now earns me a great deal of enthusiastic and admiring comments every time I bring it to watch events, and it's a piece particularly admired by my family members who know I own it. In short, we have a piece that is as beautiful as it is exclusive and ingenious. Some admit they would prefer it with a mechanical movement. That's not wrong. But having to go to the safe every week, its little time-setting mechanism adds an endearing dimension to the watch. Not to mention that Journe has, in a way, revolutionized the quartz watch, particularly regarding power reserve. Quartz watches, which, let's not forget, are an integral part of watchmaking history, whether we like it or not. Therefore, in my opinion, we shouldn't neglect quartz... because it can enhance a watch's design (just look at a Royal Oak 56175 or a quartz Nautilus 3900 and see how the incredible thinness achieved perfectly complements Genta's original designs, pushing the concept to its limits... I dare you not to find it captivating). It also allows us to push all boundaries in terms of the pursuit of absolute precision (see Citizen's quartz watches (some of which are certified to 1 second per year) or Grand Seiko). Or to push the boundaries of power reserve even further, as seen here with the Elegante.