Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
F.P. Journe · Elegante
F.P. Journe Elegante 43 mm Ice Grade
Reference 30879OR.99
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- F.P. Journe
- Collection
- Elegante
- Model
- F.P. Journe Elegante 43 mm Ice Grade
- Reference number
- 30879OR.99
- Year / era
- 2017 · 2010s — modern production
- Complication
- Flyback chronograph
- Movement
- In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Dial type
- Ice blue
- Strap / bracelet
- Milanese mesh
- Water resistance
- 150 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 250 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 43 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.1 mm
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Bezel
- Fluted 18k gold
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Ice blue
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- Milanese mesh
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 150 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 88C — In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 25 jewels
- Complications
- Flyback chronograph
- Functions
- Perpetual calendar, leap year
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2017 – 2020
- Limited-edition quantity
- 250 pieces
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
F.P. Journe Elegante 43 mm Ice Grade sits within F.P. Journe's Elegante line, introduced in 2017. It carries the house codes established since 1999 — grade 5 titanium case, ice blue dial and in-house automatic micro-rotor — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
The House
F.P. Journe
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1999
- Founder
- François-Paul Journe
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Ultra-Luxury & Haute Horlogerie
- Major collections
- Chronometre Bleu, Tourbillon Souverain, Octa, Resonance, Elegante, Linesport
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Hand-applied guilloché dials · Composite and ceramic case materials
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor · In-house tourbillon, manual-winding · In-house manual-winding, hand-finished · In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Notable watches
- F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu 37 mm Silvered Sapphire (1999) · F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu 38 mm Black 18k (1999) · F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu 44 mm Ice Platinum (1999) · F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu 43 mm Skeletonised Sapphire (1999)
Brand history
F.P. Journe has spent more than 27 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Chronometre Bleu, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
François-Paul Journe established F.P. Journe in 1999, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every F.P. Journe calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1999
François-Paul Journe founds F.P. Journe in Switzerland.
2024
F.P. Journe continues to produce Chronometre Bleu, Tourbillon Souverain, Octa and other icons in limited numbers.