F.P. Journe question

[Skyrider01]

Originally Posted by stonejordan

Based on my experience, though the list is strictly controlled, it is possible to move your way up the list at the boutiques. However, it is a combination of relationships, and purchase history (and significantly harder than buying $100k worth of Rolexes to get the allocation pieces).

Just over 2 years ago, they had a sort of application form they had you fill out if you wanted to get a CB. One of the questions was whether you already owned a Journe. I believe that's about the time when they consolidated the list to just 1 worldwide instead of boutique specific lists.

I was lucky to get mine before all the craziness with only a 6 month wait.
I got on the list before they started with the application form, but they had me fill one out anyway when they started that process. I had a relationship with my boutique but no prior purchase.

I'm not sure if they are still doing the application today. With the list being pretty much closed, I doubt they are.

[Skyrider01]

Originally Posted by Swaye

Exactly. I was late to the FPJ party (but thankfully before everything went bonkers), and that tardiness cost me on the CB for sure. Wish I would have bought my first FPJ several years ago. Completely different market.

Completely different market indeed!

Less than 3 years ago, I walked in to my local boutique and they had a CB for sale. A year after that, the waitlist was 4 years. One year later, 8 years.

[BigAppleBill]

The supply and demand equation for the CB, combined with the likelihood it will be revamped or discontinued in the coming years, makes this watch a no-brainer to own. Expect to see prices remain steady or continue to go up. I really love wearing this watch!

[Pongster]

Originally Posted by Swaye

Exactly. I was late to the FPJ party (but thankfully before everything went bonkers), and that tardiness cost me on the CB for sure. Wish I would have bought my first FPJ several years ago. Completely different market.

When did it become bonkers for CB?

I suppose not 2018 as I got mine 2018.

Last year 2019?

[GreenLantern]

Feels like beginning of 2019 is when things started to get insane.

[Swaye]

Originally Posted by Pongster

When did it become bonkers for CB?

I suppose not 2018 as I got mine 2018.

Last year 2019?

I think so. CB was the first watch to take off in late 2018 to early 2019 best I can figure. The brass and ruthenium early stuff followed by mid to late 2019, and then almost the entire line by just a few months ago. Centigraphes went from low 40's to mid to high 50's seemingly overnight. Of course they were discontinued, but the rise was still spectacularly fast. Black Label stuff went up huge as well. Almost any boutique pieces. Hell even UTCs have gone up a bunch.

Lots of folks point to market manipulation (Govberg), and that is a small part of it, but no market manipulation is occurring at these auctions. That is what is driving pricing is auctions, particularly in Asia. The results have been strong for months and months now. It is what it is. I still think they are good value when compared to ALS and Patek. But the days of getting a Resonance for 50K (less than 2 years ago) are long gone and likely never coming back.

[enjoythemusic]

Came VERY close to getting a CB yesterday, my heart says yes yes YES, yet my mind says no due to the fact i exxxxxxtremely rarely ever wear dress timepieces. Yet damn, the CB is the one to get regardless of street price imho.

[Watchristic]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Came VERY close to getting a CB yesterday, my heart says yes yes YES, yet my mind says no due to the fact i exxxxxxtremely rarely ever wear dress timepieces. Yet damn, the CB is the one to get regardless of street price imho.

Did you say no cb at retail?

[enjoythemusic]

Around $40-ish, yet as much as i'd love to have one, it simply doesn't 'fit' into my current lifestyle. That's also why i dumped all but one PP (kept a rare vintage model based around the Piaget 9P movement).

[stonejordan]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Came VERY close to getting a CB yesterday, my heart says yes yes YES, yet my mind says no due to the fact i exxxxxxtremely rarely ever wear dress timepieces. Yet damn, the CB is the one to get regardless of street price imho.

Certainly dressier than most sport watches, but I did put a light brown strap on mine and wear it around town in shorts and t-shirts regularly. Can definitely be dressed down. I probably wear mine twice a week and am rarely dressed up nowadays.

[stonejordan]

Originally Posted by Skyrider01

Just over 2 years ago, they had a sort of application form they had you fill out if you wanted to get a CB. One of the questions was whether you already owned a Journe. I believe that's about the time when they consolidated the list to just 1 worldwide instead of boutique specific lists.

I was lucky to get mine before all the craziness with only a 6 month wait.
I got on the list before they started with the application form, but they had me fill one out anyway when they started that process. I had a relationship with my boutique but no prior purchase.

I'm not sure if they are still doing the application today. With the list being pretty much closed, I doubt they are.

I got mine in 2018 also. Did fill out an application, but was mostly a formality. Agreed that it's likely no more applications with the lists being closed.

[Skyrider01]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Came VERY close to getting a CB yesterday, my heart says yes yes YES, yet my mind says no due to the fact i exxxxxxtremely rarely ever wear dress timepieces. Yet damn, the CB is the one to get regardless of street price imho.

Originally Posted by stonejordan

Certainly dressier than most sport watches, but I did put a light brown strap on mine and wear it around town in shorts and t-shirts regularly. Can definitely be dressed down. I probably wear mine twice a week and am rarely dressed up nowadays.

With the large selection of quick change straps, the CB can be dressed down quite a bit. Especially on a light colored strap.

I too rarely get dressed up. The nice thing about the CB is that it can be worn just as well with shorts and a T-shirt as it can with a suit.

[enjoythemusic]

Thanks guys for the wisdom. Of course a day, a month, a year from now can always change my mind and get one (damn the cost, don't care). The CB is obviously the rare real deal for true aficionados. Simple, elegant, mind-bogglingly high craftsmanship and use of materials. Not to take away from Rolex, Panerai, TAG, Omega, B&R, etc that are here, each has a purpose. Yet FPJ's CB is sooooooooo incredible on a level many 'self-proclaimed high-end' popular brands can only aspire to.

[shafran]

I think the cs is just as nice. But not blue.

[JR16]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Thanks guys for the wisdom. Of course a day, a month, a year from now can always change my mind and get one (damn the cost, don't care). The CB is obviously the rare real deal for true aficionados. Simple, elegant, mind-bogglingly high craftsmanship and use of materials. Not to take away from Rolex, Panerai, TAG, Omega, B&R, etc that are here, each has a purpose. Yet FPJ's CB is sooooooooo incredible on a level many 'self-proclaimed high-end' popular brands can only aspire to.

Well-said
For me (as an owner), the CB is a chameleon- dress, sports , Smart casual -
It’s whatever you want it to be. And while it looks simple to non-watch folk, the craftsmanship is clear to the owner.


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[shafran]

Its official. Now the boutiques don't have the cs either. I believe backordered through at least the next few months

[rockdrock]

Don’t wait! Get it if you are inspired by it. Got mine recently and I am stuck on this beautiful eternal honeymoon. Retail $24.900USD. Got the Tantulum deployant clasp too. Sweet! So into changing its straps and hoping to get more of them.

Also heard the rumor that the CB will be discontinued. It apparently brings little return to the company (profit that is) and it was meant to bring new customers in the door. Oddly enough, it appears to be the piece that now collectors look to complete their collection. You now get an Optimum, Rez, and Tourbillion and then you get the CB. I have not seen another person with a CB but if I would see one on someone else, I would imagine that cat has some serious killer pieces in the vault.

I was skeptical at first but when you see it, you realize why it is a big deal. By the way that Tantulum metal is incredible and sometimes underrated. It is gorgeous.

By the way, f**t it, i wear this ‘dress’ watch with shorts 🩳 and I love it.






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[enjoythemusic]

Major congrats!

[JR16]

Originally Posted by shafran

Its official. Now the boutiques don't have the cs either. I believe backordered through at least the next few months

I’m not surprised, assuming they have been shut down the last few months like the other companies


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[sgfortino]

Originally Posted by rockdrock

Don’t wait! Get it if you are inspired by it. Got mine recently and I am stuck on this beautiful eternal honeymoon. Retail $24.900USD. Got the Tantulum deployant clasp too. Sweet! So into changing its straps and hoping to get more of them.

Also heard the rumor that the CB will be discontinued. It apparently brings little return to the company (profit that is) and it was meant to bring new customers in the door. Oddly enough, it appears to be the piece that now collectors look to complete their collection. You now get an Optimum, Rez, and Tourbillion and then you get the CB. I have not seen another person with a CB but if I would see one on someone else, I would imagine that cat has some serious killer pieces in the vault.

I was skeptical at first but when you see it, you realize why it is a big deal. By the way that Tantulum metal is incredible and sometimes underrated. It is gorgeous.

By the way, f**t it, i wear this ‘dress’ watch with shorts 🩳 and I love it.






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Great approach! Love it. And totally agree with you on the versatility of the CB. On an FPJ croc it’s a dress watch but on a casual strap from A Collected Man or elsewhere and it’s very casual. I wear it with everything. In fact, today I wore it with shorts and a Grateful Dead t shirt and it felt great (and looked great, at least in my opinion).

[Swaye]

Originally Posted by sgfortino

Great approach! Love it. And totally agree with you on the versatility of the CB. On an FPJ croc it’s a dress watch but on a casual strap from A Collected Man or elsewhere and it’s very casual. I wear it with everything. In fact, today I wore it with shorts and a Grateful Dead t shirt and it felt great (and looked great, at least in my opinion).

I do the same. CB and flip flops makes my day. I can't get enough FPJ. The perfect watches imho.

[Mills_]

Originally Posted by Pongster

Just lucky was able to snag one at the Tokyo boutique two years ago.

From memory, you beat me by a handful of months. By the time I requested one in November 2018 at the Tokyo Boutique they took my name and told me two years. Somehow I doubt they will ever deliver.

In the end I bought one in April 2019 second hand for 27.5 USD. I can't complain. If they ever deliver me a new one (against all odds), I'll keep that one and sell the one I bought second hand.

[Pongster]

Originally Posted by Mills_

From memory, you beat me by a handful of months. By the time I requested one in November 2018 at the Tokyo Boutique they took my name and told me two years. Somehow I doubt they will ever deliver.

In the end I bought one in April 2019 second hand for 27.5 USD. I can't complain. If they ever deliver me a new one (against all odds), I'll keep that one and sell the one I bought second hand.

If i recall correctly, i inquired early 2018 and i was told a 3 month wait.

So I ordered and paid 50% in March 2018 as my Tokyo trip was scheduled for June.

One month later they told me the watch is available for pick up. I told them my June trip might be pushed later in the year. Told them later i would be coming October.

Then sometime July they asked me if they could sell my watch to another. They promise a CB will be available when i get in October.

True enough, October came and picked it up. Had to pay it beforehand though so no Japan taxes.

Only regret i have was not being able to time my visit with FPJ’s visit. He was in Tokyo two days after my pick-up. I was invited to the event but i was scheduled to be in another part of Japan that night. Had i known earlier.

Well, i have another regret. Not getting a deployant. But a tantalum deployant was still in development then.

[rockdrock]

Originally Posted by Mills_

From memory, you beat me by a handful of months. By the time I requested one in November 2018 at the Tokyo Boutique they took my name and told me two years. Somehow I doubt they will ever deliver.

In the end I bought one in April 2019 second hand for 27.5 USD. I can't complain. If they ever deliver me a new one (against all odds), I'll keep that one and sell the one I bought second hand.

Hey Mills, what a collection you have. Nice. Can you put more pic of your CB with that green strap? It looks so interesting. Thanks. Also, congrats on the real good price on your CB.


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[Ekwity]

Put it simply and as nice as I can. Don’t even bother calling any ADs or boutiques about it they’ll just say NOPE

[Juan Luis]

Originally Posted by Pongster

I guess for OP it would boil down to how much he wants a CB. Like the steel sports watches, availability is not an issue. It’s the premium (almost double) you have to pay.

As an aside, what i like about my CB purchase is that it epitomizes the combination of my love for travel and watches. We dont have all nice watches available in the Philippines. Even grey. So what i do is when i know i have an upcoming trip, i order online from an AD or sellwr based where i am going and pick up from there. With covid, those days are gone as well (for the mean time).

Yes. Maybe it is worth the premium. And as some have stated. The current price could be "cheap" in the future. A Journe watch would be one of the keepers in my collection, compared to others that might not last a decade.

Thanks to all for your input!

[igibliss]

CB’s are getting harder to find. IMO they will at least hold where they are at if not continue to rise.

[lanteanflux]

Only 2 CB left on Chrono, and only 63 journes period for that matter

[Ekwity]

Originally Posted by lanteanflux

Only 2 CB left on Chrono, and only 63 journes period for that matter

2 weeks ago there were 92 Journes... I literally see it shrink daily


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[shafran]

with more people. Not huge amounts made. The secondary market is shrinking in availability. I have noticed prices on most models rising in the last few months. Probably overpaid for my 3, but who knows where they are all heading.