A Journey to the Dark Side...

[Jedi]

Hi Gang,

Some of you might know that I've just been on a rather enjoyable jaunt around Europe with my new bride, enjoying a few sights, sounds and tastes, and of course, watches!!

The trip took us to:

Paris

We looked at a few nice timepieces here at the Patek Philippe Boutique in Place Vendome, and tried on the 38mm Nautilus. It was simply too small and to be honest, it started a nagging thought that really, I didn't like this reference too much. We were given a few back copies of the Patek magazine and a current price list and catalog. A great experience.

A few vintage shops were also in the same area on the Rue St Honore. Timeaddict is one and I'd posted about a Red Submariner that I saw there. Weird people, trashy attitude and ridiculous prices. Buy the seller and uh-uh, no way Jose.

We spent time at the JLC boutique too, and visited the Wempe showroom. Very nice staff at Wempe who went out of their way to show me timepieces. I came across the Nomos range again, and put one a few Glashuette's. My Pepsi GMT-II drew a few responses at this very nice boutique.

Over on the Left Bank, we saw a few antique stores carrying nice piece like Fat Lady's, JLC Pilot watches and a few Mil-Spec IWCs. People were more than happy to let us try watches on.

Geneva

So off we were then, to Rolex Paradise No sign of Mr Tamiya though, but there were some awesome seafood platters to be had. On our first night, we simply walked around the city, staring into windows. There were many stores that simply kept their stock in their windows, fully lit up. There were interestingly, many many Glashuette Original models on display. Jocke would have loved it.

Geneva only has 3 Rolex ADs, one called Bucherer and the other Chronotime, and the 3rd is the Airport watch store. The nice owner of Chronotime talked to me about the Milgauss, saying that production problems with the GV are indeed true and that he didn't expect to see any more pieces delivered until later in the year. Basel, he said, would hold a few surprises. He was kind enough to give us a full catalog and price list.

One morning was spent in the Patek Philippe boutique in the middle of town. There was the full range of Nautilus in the store, but none were available for sale due to the long waiting list. But yet again, they were more than happy for us to try everything on. I put on the full size Nautilus, and decided that I won't go on the list. The 5960 is a beautiful piece for a chrono, but in all Platinum and a price tag that would lift many a country out of poverty, I swallowed hard and put it back on the shelf. Once again, a display model only, the waiting list is 2 years long at this store, the flagship.

Then we spent the afternoon at the Patek Philippe Museum. The website is quite informative so I won't ramble on too much here about it. We saw a HUGE Patek pilot's watch and the dial somehow captivated me and reminded me about something we saw earlier in the Boutique. We later walked past the Boutique again, went in for another look-see and walked out with a Calatrava 5296G in white gold.

Later on in the evening, we checked out the FJ Journe boutique. I had heard so much about these pieces and the brand. One watchmaker, Monsieur Journe, created the brand and designs all the movements and dials and cases and straps and store layouts himself. He previously worked behind the scenes and created the first sonnerie wristwatch ever, for Piaget. We looked at lots of models and the staff were very patient and helpful.

They offered to show us a model that was just being finished at the factory that afternoon (located right in the middle of town) and that we should return the next morning. So we did. It was a Rose Gold Octa Automatique, but the previous night's research had firmed up my choice, the Chronometre Souverain, a hand wound masterpiece, in platinum with a 18k rose gold movement (all FPJ watches now have rose gold movements). They had one in the store, but I asked if any were coming off the factory as I wanted a fresh one from a Manufacture that makes only 800 watches a year. A few calls were made and I was offered a choice of two case numbers. As it was Valentine's day, I opted for the CS814. They offered to take us to the Manufacture to see the piece and meet with the watchmaker who put it together (all FPJ watches are assembled by one watchmaker who in turn is responsible for the servicing of that piece during the warranty period should it require any tune ups). It was a fine tour of a magnificent facility, and we were asked if we would like to meet with Monsieur Journe himself. This was just getting too cool! We chatted a bit through an interpreter and posed for a couple of photos.



Wrist shot of the Chronometre Souverain




The watchmaker, Alexis




Monsieur Journe and the Wacky Jedi


It was just too cool. Haute horlogerie? Yes, most definitely.

Other things we saw in Geneva include the Fifty Fathoms, which I've posted about in Bo's thread about the watch. It's a magnificent piece and if I hadn't bought the FPJ, I probably would have purchased the FF.

Florence

I really only had one horological mission in Florence, and that was to check out the Panerai GMT 10 Days Automatic for Bo. That was accomplished and documented in a reply to that thread.

A few good examples of vintage Rolex were also seen and prices didn't seem too steep, but after the excesses of Geneva, we agreed to begin the slide into vintage world a little later.

Now that we're home, it's time to pull up the socks so to speak, and head down bum up and work the till. It was a sensational trip and the watches were a great part but not everything. Once I get some time to sort out photos and such, I'll post a bit more. In the meantime, here's a shot of the Patek Calatrava.

[dman]

Great pics, great post and YUMMY watches there.

[frostie]

Nice pics thanks a lot for sharing

[Lol-x]

Hi Lee, thanks for the report, that's awesome man, sounds like you had the best time of your life.
Thanks for the scoop on the Milgauss, I was kind of hoping the GV would be out in numbers sooner but hey I've got more than enough to keep me happy (ain't that the truth )
Really good to hear from you

[Jedi]

Wicked cool dudes.

The MRSP in Switzerland is CHF6,500.00 before a 7% VAT refund for the Milgauss GV. They insist that they will only sell at MRSP as that is the thing to do. I commend that and I support that. Sue didn't let me buy the 116710 at MRSP which with the VAT refund combined is a lot lower than so-called MRSP here in Malaysia/Singapore/Hong Kong.

The trip was truly fascinating, and we had intially planned to make the trip during Basel but with a trip to Australia coming up and some work commitments, we thought let's just do a Nike....

Hope to see some of you in Melbourne over the Grand Prix weekend.

[mdx77]

Nice post.....Gr8 Pix! Thnx!

[Scooby]

Wow Lee. That sounds like an awesome trip! Not only buying a fine watch, but meeting the guy who built it and the guy who designed it! Amazing.

[Incurable]

Livin' the dream, my man... New bride, travel, new watches... what could be better

[C.J.]

Awesome post and pics, pal. Thanks for sharing

[Goodwatch]

Holy Moly, that Journe is a stunning watch. It reminds me of a mid 19th century pocket watch. Rose gold movement heh? Well, if I sold my house.......

[mailman]

That Patek is beautiful

[Robb]

Great pics!!! Thanks for sharing with us!

[watchlady]

Thanks for the report. Were you able to take any pics in the PP museum? Congrats on the Calatrava!

[Jedi]

Thanks for the kind words all.

Lisa, it wasn't possible to take pics in the museum. Very tight security.

But on the website there is a good selection of pics and info about pieces held in the museum.

Getting on another plane now. Catch you's all later!

[applebook]

Excellent, excellent, excellent!

What a thrill to meet a modern master like Mr. Journe

[Flyboy]

AMAZING!!!

Thanks for reporting it all back.

[Jedi]

Okay, just spent a bit of time oggling the Souverain

I also wanted to add that I managed to pick up a Wenger Watchmaker Knife while in Geneva.

It came in really handy when I picked up some custom leather straps in Italy to go with the GMT-II Pepsi and SubDate. Really cool items and when I get a chance I'll post some shots of those.

[crimscrem]

Very, very cool story. Awesome trip.

[tandrup]

Lee, thanks for your report. Sounds like you had a great trip. Thanks for sharing your pics.

[Jedi]

Thanks again guys. We're both still going over the trip and in the throes of jet lag last night/this morning, a lot of time was spent with our new loupes going over the two new watches in our collection.

I took the loupes to our Rolex too, and I'm properly amazed by the finishing on the dials, as well as the brushed finish all over the Expy II cases.

[Jedi]

And Lars, good to see another Mac user here, judging by your avatar!

[Jimbits76]

Lee...bit behind on the times but that trip looked fantastic.

You have fabulous taste in timepieces my friend.

Good luck with the marriage...you seem to have a great wife...I think mine would have grumbled disapprovingly as soon as the words "rose gold movement" were spoken.

J

[Jedi]

Thanks James.

We do a lot of staring at catalogs and magazines together, not to mention hassling ADs and so on and so forth. When we were in the Journe boutique, she gave me one of those looks that said 'We NEED to get one of these'.

I'm a lucky man indeed.

[Jimbits76]

You certainly are!!!!

My wife understands my love of mechanical watches but that's about as far as it goes.

She's happy with her £100 Tissot quartz!

Diamonds though are completely another matter.......

J

[boa2]

Congratulations again on your marriage, and I have to say that Journe CS is one of the most beautiful watches I've ever seen. I was lucky enough to try one on last year, and oh, what a brilliant watch!

Enjoy, and thank you for posting the great photos!

Best,
Howard

[Dan Pierce]

Fantastic trip, Lee. Thanks for bringing us along.
dP

[kcmo]

Amazing Lee! I look forward to more stories and photos! Sounds like it was the trip of a lifetime!

[topcat30093]

Lee
Thanks for a great report especially regarding the FP Journe.
My and I are visiting Geneva, later on this month - A wonderful birthday present from my wife.
We shall also be visiting the PP museum and hopefully several of the other brands boutiques and stores, which I hope will include the FPJ that you visited.
Have you got any other suggestions, on where else we could visit?
We are there from Friday-Sunday.

[Jedi]

Tony,

The PP museum is a must-see, along with the Salon. The Salon is smack in the middle of town, and using it as a reference point, there are brand boutiques left right and center around it, all within walking distance.

The Blancpain, Audemars Piguet, JLC, Vacheron Constantin and FP Journe boutiques are all nearby. If you do go into FP Journe, try for a factory tour. The staff there are really really nice. Speak with Tony Tankov who is the manager of the FP Journe boutique.

There are only 2 Rolex ADs in Geneva, but the selection is amazing. The Bucherer Rolex showroom is just 'round the corner near the bridge from the PP Salon.

Generally, bargains are had to come by as everything is generally sold at list price. The service though is always top-notch, unlike in many other parts of the world.

Other than watches, one could visit the United Nations in Geneva, and a stroll through the old city is always good but a bit tiring on the legs (up and down hills etc some rather steep).

[lorsban]

Wow! Very cool! You and your wife seem to be off to an awesome start!