F.P. Journe Octa Réserve De Marche Ref. A Brass Platinum Salmon Dial

A rose gold plate inside a platinum case is the pairing that survived into every later Octa, and this is where it started, on the 38 mm original. The warm plate lifts a dial that would otherwise be entirely gray, and it is the reason this configuration outsold the white gold one. Brass movement, so built before 2004, which is the line collectors draw when they sort these watches. Everything after it is a different proposition.

Platinum at 38 mm on leather. The 5N gold plate carries whitened guilloché silver registers, the hours and minutes set off center, a large date at the upper right and small seconds low. A warm plate under cold metal is the Octa combination that has lasted longest, and it still looks right today. The 38 mm case is the part that has become impossible to replace, since nothing current comes close.