Élégante 48, Titalyt

FP Journe's Élégante is the result of eight years of development, a sophisticated quartz offering born from first-principles thinking. Many consider the Élégante to bear the most advanced quartz wristwatch movement ever made. In FP Journe's own words, this was intended to be the world's first true luxury quartz watch. The Élégante 48 line brought the groundbreaking calibre 1210 to a titanium case with proportions intended for a man's wrist. This is the Élégante Titalyt 48, which offers a bold gunmetal-grey tone and additional durability through its Titalyt treatment. 

In the early years, the Élégante was designed for women. In 2003, François-Paul made a trip to the Middle East where he found some of his collectors' wives were pining for an FP Journe of their own. Quartz was the obvious choice for the lifestyle requests François-Paul received. The challenge was not taken lightly. The result proved so well-executed that it was then executed in a larger size to meet the many requests from men for a larger take on the watch.

FP Journe refused to simply hide a quartz movement away, but instead sought to create one worth displaying proudly. Development of the quartz calibre 1210 took so long for the sake of a microprocessor, needed for its pièce de résistance: standby mode. After 35 minutes of no motion, the hands shut down. The opening on the dial is for a small gold oscillating mass, a mechanical element which 'wakes up' its calibre upon picking it back up. The hands then move clockwise or counter-clockwise, depending on which path is shorter, to the correct time. This extreme care in engineering means a 10 year battery life with 18 years of standby. The calibre 1210 even uses two separate motors for the hour and minute hands to eliminate frictional losses of energy that come with long gear trains. The base of the calibre is still pink gold, as per Journe standards, with 132 components and much hand decoration still applied.

The dial is an entirely luminescent sapphire crystal, with lacquered numerals and blued steel hands. The outer elements are steel screwed in place. The Élégante was made initially in a 40mm model (which wears comparably to a circular 36mm), followed by this 48mm (which wears comparably to a 40 or 41mm). The case design is a modern 'Tortue', with very faceted details and ultra-thin at 7.95mm. Case finishing is at an expected perfect quality, contrasting mirror and brushed finishes. This example is executed in Titalyt, grade 5 titanium subjected to electro-plasma oxidation, an electrochemical surface treatment that results in a hard ceramic-like exterior layer improving wear and corrosion resistance. The Élégante is the only FP Journe with a screw-down crown.

The Élégante has come to be respected widely, despite initial shock from the media. It requires no interaction or fuss and will tell the time reliably for years or autonomy. With the light water resistance inherent to its design, the Titalyt Élégante provides the same feather light wearing experience as the Titanium but with more masculine aesthetics and enhanced durability. True to his word, François-Paul created the first and only luxury quartz watch, the Titalyt 48 is ultimate men’s variant.

This Élégante presents in excellent overall condition with only light signs of surface wear. Two light hairline scratches exist on the lugs, almost imperceptible without magnification, and no wear or patina is present on the dial. It comes from its original owner with its full set, original deployant clasp and two Journe straps (orange and green). The watch is running and operating perfectly.

This example is modelled on an average-sized 7-inch wrist.