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Old 12 November 2020, 04:02 PM   #1
dchang81
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gronefeld principia vs journe octasport (makes no sense)

completely different watches and just dreaming. been wanting an octasport since the aluminum ones were going in the teens. whelp thats passed me by, so been looking at the 44mm anthracite vs yellow dial one (wife calls the yellow the ronald mcdonald watch). only peripherally saw gronefeld but the more i read about them the more i want one. would definitely go for a remontoire but that's out of the price range.

i like to wear my watches and while i dont beat them up, i dont baby them so i tend to veer towards sporty. the gronefeld still seems fairly casual. the linesport line has always been odd to me, i know they dont get much love, but years ago a dealer admitted they actually do pretty well considering the small market. the other bit is the closest gronefeld dealer is 2 hrs away for after sales support. anyways just curious people's experience with either watch.
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Old 12 November 2020, 07:39 PM   #2
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Grönefeld is IMHO at another level than FPJ in terms of (1) rarity (i beleive annual production is around 50 pieces), (2) level of hand finishing and (3) aesthetics (the Octasport design is not my cup of tea, to say it nicely). However, Grönefeld does not share the same degree of hype (=increasing secondary market prices) as FPJ has recently been subject to.
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Old 12 November 2020, 07:54 PM   #3
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Gronefeld for me as well
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Old 12 November 2020, 08:10 PM   #4
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Another vote for Gronefeld, and some pics...
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Old 12 November 2020, 11:51 PM   #5
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Ultra high end FPJ pieces have a high degree of manual finishing on par with the best, imho. Standard issue Journe pieces, however, are mostly machine finished and Gronefeld takes the win there.

Gronefeld are an up and coming company, but they are nowhere near the hype of FPJ; be prepared for less liquidity and a decent loss should you decide to sell a GF. Win FPJ.

Aesthetics are a personal matter.

What I can add, while I’ve never met Journe, I have met Bart and Tim. They are salt of the earth, quality people who you want to go have a beer with. It might have nothing to do with the end product, but worth noting.
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Old 13 November 2020, 08:10 AM   #6
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Having seen the LineSport in the metal, with the yellow dial, it’s a big thumbs up from me.

And the Gronefeld is also a thumbs up, have had several on the wrist and almost picked up a 1941 three or so years ago. No question the Gronefeld can be dressed down, it is a casual enough watch given the case design.

That aside is impossible to compare these watches as you know. The only similarity may be they are in a similar ballpark price wise (both expensive).

Last comment, I own the previous gen titanium CTS. It gets a lot of wrist time in large part as it’s the most comfortable watch I own (save for several Swatch Sistem51). But the Gronefeld would likely be more versatile in terms of when it could be worn, the Journe is clearly a sports watch and will never work in even a semi-formal / business casual environment (even with the gray dial). If that’s at all relevant to you then it may sway your decision.
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Old 13 November 2020, 09:00 AM   #7
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Thanks for the responses. Yea not remotely similar besides price point. Liquidity not a huge issue as The wife says I can’t sell whatever I get. Both probably a bit out of the price range but been trying to think about moving some things around....
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Old 13 November 2020, 10:15 AM   #8
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Honestly Grönefeld watches didn't impress me very much in person. I was pretty excited to see them but felt a bit underwhelmed once I did. I didn't feel the fit and finish was anything special and the movement is nowhere near a Lange or Journe in terms of beauty.

Journe, on the other hand, captivated me at first sight. Could be a subjective thing of course.
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Old 13 November 2020, 10:20 AM   #9
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Ultra high end FPJ pieces have a high degree of manual finishing on par with the best, imho. Standard issue Journe pieces, however, are mostly machine finished and Gronefeld takes the win there.

Gronefeld are an up and coming company, but they are nowhere near the hype of FPJ; be prepared for less liquidity and a decent loss should you decide to sell a GF. Win FPJ.

Aesthetics are a personal matter.

What I can add, while I’ve never met Journe, I have met Bart and Tim. They are salt of the earth, quality people who you want to go have a beer with. It might have nothing to do with the end product, but worth noting.
What models are "standard issue"?

I agree though, I think the Gronefeld offers a lot more bang for buck. If this was pre-hype FPJ, then I'd go FPJ but they aren't that much watch for the money any more.

Plus I think you can get a Gronefeld customized?
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Old 13 November 2020, 11:04 AM   #10
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Honestly Grönefeld watches didn't impress me very much in person. I was pretty excited to see them but felt a bit underwhelmed once I did. I didn't feel the fit and finish was anything special and the movement is nowhere near a Lange or Journe in terms of beauty.

Journe, on the other hand, captivated me at first sight. Could be a subjective thing of course.
thats surprising to hear about the finishing when they still do work for renaud et papi for movement finishing. i suppose i still need to handle a gronefeld in person. i always thought i was the only person on the planet to like the yellow octasport
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Old 14 November 2020, 07:29 AM   #11
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What models are "standard issue"?

I agree though, I think the Gronefeld offers a lot more bang for buck. If this was pre-hype FPJ, then I'd go FPJ but they aren't that much watch for the money any more.

Plus I think you can get a Gronefeld customized?
When I say "standard issue", I don't mean to denigrate the watches by any means. But, the minute repeaters, tourbillons, maybe the new resonance receive high degree of manual finishing that watches like the CS or the linesport line do not. A basic, time only LF or Gronefeld does recieve manual hand finishing for comparison.

The plus side is this reduces the cost substantially; a time only FPJ is more affordable than a time only LF. On a personal note, i don't put much of a premium on ultra high end finishing. But, to each his own.
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Old 14 November 2020, 12:32 PM   #12
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completely different watches and just dreaming. been wanting an octasport since the aluminum ones were going in the teens. whelp thats passed me by, so been looking at the 44mm anthracite vs yellow dial one (wife calls the yellow the ronald mcdonald watch). only peripherally saw gronefeld but the more i read about them the more i want one. would definitely go for a remontoire but that's out of the price range.

i like to wear my watches and while i dont beat them up, i dont baby them so i tend to veer towards sporty. the gronefeld still seems fairly casual. the linesport line has always been odd to me, i know they dont get much love, but years ago a dealer admitted they actually do pretty well considering the small market. the other bit is the closest gronefeld dealer is 2 hrs away for after sales support. anyways just curious people's experience with either watch.
Don’t own either but know folks who have and have chatted with Bart gronefeld. He really is super nice. I chatted with him about cost of ownership on a principia and it was €750 + shipping to service. Turnaround was about 2 weeks.

While the hype on FPJ makes them highly desirable, owning them are another issue. FPJs are not known to be reliable durable watches so you will absolutely have to be careful with them. Servicing FPJs are also VERY expensive and have notoriously long turnaround times.

Gronefelds are built to be worn. The brothers regularly daily their watches and do chores with them. I know because I was concerned about getting them wet and Bart said he does dishes with his. As for resale, they hold their value if you can even find one for sale.

Both are very nice watches. However, if you’re buying to own for the long haul, I think you’d have a better overall experience with Gronefeld.
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Old 14 November 2020, 02:26 PM   #13
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I’d hope 30m wr would at least be splash resistant. Was disappointed to find out the octasport is also 30m without a screw down crown so it’s just splash as well. Not getting into fpj due to the hype, it’s more that I can spend decent money on a birthday watch. Sad because was much cheaper to get an octasport heck only a month ago. Not in any rush in the least so prob will see when the hype settles down. But by then maybe gronefeldmania will set in......
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Old 14 November 2020, 11:33 PM   #14
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Don’t own either but know folks who have and have chatted with Bart gronefeld. He really is super nice. I chatted with him about cost of ownership on a principia and it was €750 + shipping to service. Turnaround was about 2 weeks.

While the hype on FPJ makes them highly desirable, owning them are another issue. FPJs are not known to be reliable durable watches so you will absolutely have to be careful with them. Servicing FPJs are also VERY expensive and have notoriously long turnaround times.

Gronefelds are built to be worn. The brothers regularly daily their watches and do chores with them. I know because I was concerned about getting them wet and Bart said he does dishes with his. As for resale, they hold their value if you can even find one for sale.

Both are very nice watches. However, if you’re buying to own for the long haul, I think you’d have a better overall experience with Gronefeld.
Long turn around times on FPJ service has not been my experience, at least with Miami. I cannot speak to Genevas operations.
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Old 15 November 2020, 05:23 AM   #15
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be prepared for less liquidity and a decent loss should you decide to sell a GF. Win FPJ.
Since they cannot be found used I think they hold up pretty good
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Old 23 November 2020, 01:09 PM   #16
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Bump if anyone else has any input

Also is there anything unique about the gronefeld movement that it couldn’t be serviced by a skilled watchmaker down the road if.....
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Old 23 November 2020, 06:12 PM   #17
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gronefeld principia vs journe octasport (makes no sense)

I was also thinking about adding a GF recently. Market seems rather illiquid though - there is a Remontoire sitting at ACM for weeks now, priced at MSRP more or less.


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Old 25 November 2020, 12:35 PM   #18
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I share my Octa sport experience because I don't have a Gronefeld experience. I have been wearing my Octa sport almost everyday since I got it (used and at a huge premium). I too wanted the yellow dial because I like smiley faces, but a used one cost 30% more than a new one with grey dial. So I got a new grey dial version that I traded within a week for an old aluminum model. I used to wear dark watches, but not since I switched to Rolex and a much more casual life. I wasn't accustomed to wearing the dark grey Octa sport so it went away. The aluminum Octa sport (despite the rubber bits) works for me because it and its band are light tone metal. I don't mind if my watches get scratched, but I do mind when watch bands get grungy--from being outside in the tropics or from my eating dribbly finger food. Before Rolex, I would not consider wearing a metal band. But a metal band is practical for everyday wear. It is easy to clean and durable. I read that FPJ designed the Octa sport for active wear. Even though it is not a dive watch it should be okay for swimming. I cannot imagine many occasions I would attend when a sport watch would be considered too informal. But I know of everyday occurrences when an animal hide band can be inconvenient. For me, the Octa sport is a lighter, more compact and less conspicuous alternative to my SD43. Plus, it has a power reserve indicator that I find useful. I regret that prices have gone up, but am happy for FPJ's success.

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Old 25 November 2020, 01:04 PM   #19
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Whelp I have a principia on order........only thing that got me was lack of WR for wearing it daily but oh well it’s too cool a watch to ignore. Resale not a big concern since I’m not supposed to sell this, but of course circumstances can change.
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Old 25 November 2020, 03:23 PM   #20
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Whelp I have a principia on order........only thing that got me was lack of WR for wearing it daily but oh well it’s too cool a watch to ignore. Resale not a big concern since I’m not supposed to sell this, but of course circumstances can change.

Good news! How long till you get it?

I look forward to seeing it
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Old 25 November 2020, 03:39 PM   #21
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hopefully before the end of the year, but not gonna hold my breath. will def post pics
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Old 26 November 2020, 03:10 AM   #22
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Whelp I have a principia on order........only thing that got me was lack of WR for wearing it daily but oh well it’s too cool a watch to ignore. Resale not a big concern since I’m not supposed to sell this, but of course circumstances can change.

Congrats! Which dial did you go with?

Salmon is the hot choice...though some of us prefer to be cool...




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Old 26 November 2020, 04:30 AM   #23
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Congrats! Which dial did you go with?

Salmon is the hot choice...though some of us prefer to be cool...




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That is a beautiful watch.
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Old 26 November 2020, 07:29 AM   #24
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I was very close to choosing turquoise. I ended up going with the boring salmon. I wanted a patek 5124 in salmon for awhile but with patek being the prettiest girl at prom local AD wouldn’t even discount the one they’ve had for several years. I was asking for more non salmon photos on the Facebook group but no one obliged me.
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Old 26 November 2020, 10:03 AM   #25
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I was very close to choosing turquoise. I ended up going with the boring salmon. I wanted a patek 5124 in salmon for awhile but with patek being the prettiest girl at prom local AD wouldn’t even discount the one they’ve had for several years. I was asking for more non salmon photos on the Facebook group but no one obliged me.
Congrats. I look forward to seeing some wrist shots once it arrives.
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Old 26 November 2020, 10:07 AM   #26
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I wouldn’t call the Salmon boring by any means; it definitely seems to be the most popular.

Enjoy!
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Old 13 May 2021, 07:40 AM   #27
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after canceling a preorder awhile back, got lucky and got this one
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Old 13 May 2021, 08:08 AM   #28
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Congrats- that is stunning
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Old 13 May 2021, 09:16 AM   #29
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Very nice! Congratulations!
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Old 13 May 2021, 01:16 PM   #30
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Awesome! Looks like the turquoise was meant to be. Of course I’m biased ;)
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