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 42 mm Slate Platinum
Reference 38959OR.64
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- F.P. Journe
- Collection
- Elegante
- Model
- F.P. Journe Elegante 42 mm Slate Platinum
- Reference number
- 38959OR.64
- Year / era
- 2023 · 2020s — modern production
- Complication
- Time and date
- Movement
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Case material
- Platinum 950
- Dial type
- Slate grey
- Strap / bracelet
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Water resistance
- 30 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 42 mm
- Case thickness
- 14.1 mm
- Case material
- Platinum 950
- Bezel
- Emerald-set
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Slate grey
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 30 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 40A — In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 65 hours
- Number of jewels
- 31 jewels
- Complications
- Time and date
- Functions
- Perpetual calendar, leap year
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2023 – 2034
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
F.P. Journe Elegante 42 mm Slate Platinum sits within F.P. Journe's Elegante line, introduced in 2023. It carries the house codes established since 1999 — platinum 950 case, slate grey dial and in-house tourbillon, manual-winding — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
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.