F.P.Journe Vagabondage I Gold Watch Review
The F.P.Journe Vagabondage I Gold shares many details in common with the tortue-shaped, platinum-only model of 2004. According to the prestigious Manufacture, it now has the ‘experience to make a better, more reliable caliber’. Angus Davies explores the history of the Vagabondage in all of its glorious forms.
Image – Vagabondage III – platinum
F.P.Journe Watch Review
An attribute common to the finest exponents of contemporary music is they have all produced a body of work that is varied. They don’t subscribe to one style but have the talent to apply their skills to an array of musical forms.
Throughout his long, esteemed career, François-Paul Journe has repeatedly shown a capacity to apply his vast talents to making numerous clocks and watches endowed with various complications and encompassing a multitude of styles.
Image – Vagabondage I, Vagabondage II and Vagabondage III
F.P.Journe Capediem (1997)
Back in 1995, a close friend of François-Paul Journe asked the watchmaker if he could produce a unique timepiece that indicated the time in an unusual way. Two years later, Monsieur Journe completed this bespoke watch equipped with a unique movement. The watch was entitled ‘Carpediem’. Although today most watches bearing the name F.P.Journe are serially produced, Monsieur Journe has also produced several bespoke watches over the years.
The Carpediem was housed in a yellow gold case measuring 36mm in diameter and the dial was presented in silver-toned guilloché. However, where this timepiece differed from other F.P.Journe models of the time was that it featured a wandering hours display with jumping hours. A discreet arrow atop the hour aperture circumnavigated the dial, pointing towards a succinct minuterie marked with a series of dots. It was notably different from its forebears but remained simple to read. The balance was positioned in the centre of the display, pulsing with life and adding a touch of animation to the composition.
To the rear of the watch, the movement could be seen. It was made of rhodium-plated brass and featured a micro-rotor. The mainplate was appointed with perlage, while the bridges were adorned with Côtes de Genève motif and punctuated with a plethora of thermally blued screws. Monsieur Journe’s attention to detail was clear to see.
F.P.Journe prototypes
As well as being an artisanal watchmaker, François-Paul Journe also developed movements and created timepieces for larger companies. One of his ideas was to make a watch similar to Carpediem but housed in a flat tortue case with a hand-wound movement. The luxury watch brand requested that Mr Journe proceed with working on the watch. However, they later countermanded their order, leaving François-Paul to meet the development costs. The project was resigned to a drawer containing other prototypes.
Throughout his professional career, Monsieur Journe has worked on one or more prototypes at the same time. He has sometimes halted development midway through, allowing for a period of reflection or when other tasks have assumed priority. He would often return to a languishing prototype with renewed purpose.
F.P.Journe charity watch
In 2003, Antiquorum, the Genevan-based auction house, approached Monsieur Journe. It was holding a charitable auction, marking its 30th anniversary for the benefit of the ICM foundation. The auction house needed a ‘pièce unique’ which had to be delivered within six months. Rather than trying to develop something from scratch, an impossible feat considering the relatively short time frame, Journe revisited his aforementioned prototype.
For Journe, making a hand-wound watch, housed in a ‘tortue’ meant the shape of the movement had to emulate the profile of the case as horological etiquette dictates.
Ultimately, Monsieur Journe produced three ‘Vagabondage’ pieces, one in rose gold, one in yellow gold and one in white gold. Each model was fitted with a brass movement, while the dials eschewed any branding, thereby preserving the model’s clean appearance. All three watches were sold and the Maison was inundated with requests for a serially produced version of the Vagabondage. As the model was radically different to other F.P.Journe models, François-Paul Journe agreed to make the ‘Vagabondage I’ albeit, by virtue of its specification, production was limited.
F.P.Journe Vagabondage I (2004)
The Vagabondage I was initially released in 2004, housed in a platinum case measuring 41mm x 34mm. It was endowed with an 18K rose gold movement, the Calibre 1504. This movement adopted the same profile as the case. Interestingly, the flat ‘tortue’ case (turtle shape) would subsequently be adopted for another Journe creation, the ultra-feminine élégante (first released 2014).
Image – Vagabondage I – platinum
Again the balance was presented centre stage and framed with a circular hour track. The prevailing hour was framed with a silver border that incorporated a silver-toned pointer on its upper edge. On one hand, the dial was contemporary, however, the typeface of the hour markers along with the chemin de fer were elegantly classical. Nevertheless, there was no dissonance. Everything coalesced wonderfully. Monsieur Journe, a man known for his aesthetic prowess, again avoided the temptation to add branding to the dial, keen to preserve the purity of the display.
Image – Vagabondage I – platinum with gem-set case
F.P.Journe Vagabondage II (2010)
At the heart of the Maison’s paradigm is a need to innovate and improve. In 2010, the Vagabondage II burst onto the watch scene. All indications were arranged on a north-south axis, delineated from the rest of the dial with a scalloped steel plate. A power-reserve indicator sat above a pane of smoked sapphire crystal while below, digital hours and digital minutes succinctly expressed meaning in a highly intelligible format. A classically styled small seconds display sat at the base of the dial. Again, Journe juxtaposed modern and traditional elements to glorious effect.
Image – Vagabondage II – 6N gold
Like the Vagabondage I, its successor featured an 18K rose gold hand-wound movement, the Calibre 1509, housed within a flat tortue case. The younger watch was slightly larger, measuring 45.2 mm x 37.5 mm and the case was a little thicker, measuring 8mm in depth. F.P.Journe released a further 69 pieces in platinum and 68 pieces in 18K 6N gold. Unusually, owners of the Vagabondage I were invited to purchase a Vagabondage II with the same serial number.
Image – Vagabondage II – platinum with gem-set case
F.P.Journe Vagabondage III
Monsieur Journe, clearly enjoying his romance with digital hours, chose to combine this form of indication with a digital seconds display, a world first at the time of the Vagabondage III’s launch (2017). Like a regulator, a prominent minute hand circumnavigated the central area of the dial, while in the northeastern region of the dial, a power-reserve indicator conveyed the status of the double springs housed within the barrel. The model measured 45.2 mm x 37.5 mm.
Image – Vagabondage III – 6N gold
Similar to the Vagabondage II, a large pane of sapphire crystal afforded sight of the various mechanisms within the case. The watch was powered by the Calibre 1514, a hand-wound movement made of 18K rose gold. An interesting characteristic of this watch is that it featured a 1-second constant force device, as found on the F.P.Journe Chronomètre Optimum. And yet, despite its added complexity, the dimensions of the Vagabondage III were virtually identical to the Vagabondage II. Like the Vagabondage II, the Vagabondage III was produced in limited numbers, 69 pieces in platinum and 68 pieces in 18K 6N gold.
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Image – Vagabondage III – 6N gold
F.P.Journe Vagabondage I Gold (2022)
Now, the prestigious Maison has returned to where the story first began, the Vagabondage I. The trilogy is complete. As I previously mentioned, Journe is a man who strives for advancement, hence he would never countenance the idea of simply making a replica of a former limited-edition model. The Vagabondage I Gold, as its nomen implies, is housed in a case (45.2 mm x 37.5 mm) made from 18K 6N gold. Interestingly, the 2004 model was only offered in a platinum case (69 pieces), albeit F.P.Journe did produce a ‘Jewellery Limited Series’ of 10 pieces in platinum set with baguette diamonds.
Image – Vagabondage I Gold
The new F.P.Journe Vagabondage I Gold is again housed in a tortue-shaped case. It features an exposed balance at the centre of the dial and the same dial topography as the original Vagabondage I with a jumping hour in a mobile aperture, indicating the minutes. Once again, there is no dial-side branding but sumptuous screwed steel plates dwell in each corner of the display. Everything looks reassuringly like the Vagabondage I of 2004.
Image – Vagabondage I Gold
However, time moves on and even a prestigious Maison of F.P.Journe’s standing continues to amass know-how. The Calibre 1504.2 is a new movement, reputedly ‘better, more reliable’. Once again, it is hand-wound, made in 18K rose gold and equipped with two barrels in parallel.
Image – Vagabondage I Gold – Calibre 1504.2
F.P.Journe Vagabondage I Gold – closing remarks
Should you ever have the opportunity to cradle an F.P.Journe timepiece in your hands, you will be struck by the wonderful arrangement of each dial element. Nothing looks extraneous and everything sits in concert. This is a testament to Journe’s mastery of aesthetics. Furthermore, beyond the notable eye appeal of an F.P.Journe watch, they also prove eminently simple to read. No squinting, no prolonged staring, just the lucid enunciation of time.
The F.P.Journe Vagabondage I Gold is housed in a case encompassing vertical brushing and sections of gleaming gold. The grip encircling the crown is presented in F.P.Journe’s ‘knurled silk cord pattern’ and sports two circular indentations on its vertical flank, consistent with the house style. Often jumping hour displays quaff energy, however, the Vagabondage I Gold will run autonomously for an impressive 50±2 hours. Lastly, the Calibre 1504.2 is beautifully appointed with finissage worthy of the term ‘Haute Horlogerie’.
I remain a huge admirer of François-Paul Journe. He’s an innovator, an aesthete and, most importantly, an immensely talented watchmaker. With the Vagabondage trilogy, Monsieur Journe showcases his many talents. Indeed, these talents have been employed on numerous occasions by the son of Marseilles, conceiving a variety of watch styles and creating a number of complications. Thankfully, Mr Journe’s capacity for inventing and making mechanisms and watches shows no signs of abating.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: F.P.Journe Vagabondage I Gold
- Case: 18K red gold (6N); dimensions 45.2mm x 37.5mm; height 7.60mm; sapphire crystal to front and rear
- Functions: Hours in a mobile aperture which indicates the minutes
- Movement: Calibre 1504.2; hand-wound movement; frequency 21,600 vph (3Hz); 21 jewels; power reserve 50±2 hours; 168 movement components.
- Price: Price on application