The Life of LineSport–A Deep Dive Into The Casual Side of F.P. Journe
When people start talking about F.P. Journe, you’re destined to hear about the usual suspects–the Résonance, the Tourbillon Souverain, the Octa Quantième Perpétuel, the Centigraphe even; oh and of course, the beloved Chronomètre Bleu–but rarely do you ever hear mention of the LineSport. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, and it’s regarded by some as “overlooked” within the F.P. Journe catalog. This is sadly myopic, as the obscure casual collection has plenty to offer.
Right at the surface of this topic we find peak exclusivity. Now, we know that Journe’s annual production of watches ranges around the 700-900ish pieces per year (give or take), and within that, LineSport models make up but a tiny fraction. Based on the data that we’ve compiled, from the collection’s launch until the end of 2019, the total number of LineSport models produced comes in somewhere around 1,110. That’s a lower number than most single reference limited editions to come out of the watch world on any given year. That’s 110 more pieces than how many of the new Patek Philippe Calatrava 6007A-001 are being made this year alone. If you want to talk rare and exclusive, this is a mighty fine place to start.
Why Make a LineSport?
We all know by now that Journe is properly obsessed with traditional methods and the history of watchmaking, there’s no question there, so why make a sports watch? Well, so the story goes, on one hand he just wanted to make one, as he didn’t see one in the market that ticked all the boxes he wanted ticked from a sports watch. More importantly though, one of his bigger key collectors prior to the 2011 collection launch was a very active individual who was hounding Journe about making a watch suited to his marathon and triathlon endeavors. Of course, it would still retain that traditional essence the brand is known for, but otherwise modernized to suit the task at hand. Lightweight, (relatively) rugged, capable of handling more active endeavors; these were all the hallmarks a sports watch should achieve, in Journe’s eyes. The only thing missing (to me) is water resistance and a screw-down crown, but this is not something Journe has ever ventured into, and nor will he at this rate.
What Makes a LineSport?
We’ll get into the nitty gritty of the different models in a bit, but first we need to take a look at the elements that tie the collection together as a whole. The most obvious trait is one that remains slightly controversial to this day, and one that has been phased out of some models starting around May of 2019. Of course, I’m talking about the rubber bumpers that can be found throughout the bracelet links, clasp, and case flanks of all LineSport models up until that date. The idea behind them was simple, and quite smart in my books. Inherently you’re more active when wearing a sports watch, and the likelihood of banging or bumping into things is definitely higher. Rather than adding up the dings and scuffs on the metal itself, every area that could be prone to contact (including the crown) is covered in a durable rubber coating. While this is the first time that this sort of treatment was executed on a luxury watch to this extent, Journe wasn’t the first to add rubber to a luxury watch as means of protection. That honor goes to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Rubberclad that launched in 2002.
The other recurring element through the bulk of the range comes down to materials. When the series first launched, they were in an extremely unorthodox case material–aluminum. For the first three years of the series (from 2011 to 2014), all of its references–cases, bracelets, and even movements–were made of aluminum. These things are supremely light, to the point of raising genuine concern if you’re used to wearing chunky steel or gold things. The light and silvery metal has a distinct sheen to it, which is nicely contrasted by its rubberized accents.
Though things switched to titanium in 2014, the aluminum movements carried forward in all titanium examples through to present day. As of sometime in 2018 we started seeing red gold and platinum examples in the LineSport lineup fitted with gold movements, but those have surfaced in very limited numbers.
LineSport Centigraphe CTS Aluminum and Titanium
First in the line, and a logical choice in many respects, was the Centigraphe CTS in aluminum, launching in 2011 and ceasing production in 2014. Every part of this watch felt perfectly suited to the sporting lifestyle, including large luminous hour markers, a mass somewhere a touch over 50 grams, and the movement’s glorious ability to time things down to a hundredth of a second. At 42mm across and 11.3mm thick, the CTS is a touch larger than the original Centigraphe, though this is offset by the lack of conventional lugs as well as its overall lightness. The Centigraphe has already taken home the Aiguille D’Or at the GPHG awards in 2008, however in LineSport guise its caliber 1506 movement received a minor tweak. Its layout and output remained unchanged, however its mainpulates and bridges were now all crafted of aluminum to match its case and bracelet. Part of the charm of this caliber was that by centralizing the position of its mainspring barrel, Journe could avoid affecting the amplitude of its balance wheel when starting and stopping the chronograph. Based on available data, only 188 of the aluminum variants were ever produced before swapping over to a titanium casing. In titanium models, the metal adopts an almost military-feeling grey/green hue in a micro-blasted finishing. Though most often sold on bracelets, these models also were offered on rubber straps.
The Octa S Power Reserve ARS Aluminum and ARS T Titanium
Just one year later, the Centigraphe CTS was joined with a more affordable compatriot in the line—the Octa S Power Reserve ARS. Powered by the caliber 1300-3 once again we see the use of aluminum for the LineSport caliber, and in this case a whopping power reserve of 160 hours. Winding its single barrel, Journe opted for a strip of tungsten on the periphery of its winding rotor to help get the barrel up to full power. This piece displays a small seconds subdial, a power reserve indication, a two-disc large date, and finally a cleverly designed day/night indicator that shifts from white to red depending on where you’re at in the 24h cycle. Much like its compatriot above, the swap to titanium for this model came in 2014. Both models carried on mostly unchanged through 2018, though somewhere along the line there was also a special series of 100 black aluminum models that were offered (with Journe keeping #00).
LineSport Chronographe Rattrapante in Titanium, Red Gold, and Platinum
2018 was a big year for the LineSport collection, marking the arrival of a trio of manually wound split-seconds monopusher chronographs with big date complications, offered in precious metals—a first for the collection. These watches are serious pieces of hardware, and in titanium guise this models is hands-down the best value in a high spec split seconds chronograph on the market. Retail prices on the trio came in at $61,100 in titanium, $82,200 in red gold, and $111,600 in platinum, which is fairly modest considering the prices fetched for split chronographs from Lange or Patek. The titanium model was clearly the most true-to-form of the trio, sporting the same coloration, as well as having an aluminum movement. In precious metals we see a dressier hobnail dial finishing, with movements crafted of red gold. To fit its complex caliber 1518, its case size had to be increased a touch, up to 44mm, however thanks to that same lug-less design the larger size does not make the watch the least bit overbearing.
The Final Updates – Ditching Bumpers and More Precious Metal
In 2018 yet another refresh to the line arrived, this time with changes for the Automatique Réserve and Centigraphe models. Both in titanium, these models now feature a black ceramic timing bezel, as well as the option of a vibrant yellow dial. Case diameters were also bumped up to 44mm to match the split-seconds model, but otherwise the duo seemed unchanged.
Come 2019, it seems Journe was not yet done fine-tuning the lineup. Somewhere in between ‘18 and ‘19 the decision was made to drop the rubber bumpers from the cases and bracelets of the LineSport lineup. It seems they were a bit of a contentious issue amongst Journe collectors, and though I still say they look better with them on, I am not the majority (it would seem). At present only the titanium split-seconds model retains these bumpers. In addition to this switchover, two new variants of Centigraphe and Automatique Réserve appeared. Rounding out the catalog, both models are also available in red gold and platinum, and fitted with red gold movements. The dial options remain the same—ruthenium-covered silver guilloche for the red gold variants, and a blue/purple hue for the platinum examples.
As it stands, only 360 or so of these 44mm models have been produced by Journe, making us speculate that the number of 44mm titanium Centigraphe and Automatique Réserve models with bumpers must be very, very low. Either way this entire collection is equal parts unique, complex, and rare, making any of its offerings a smart addition to any watch collection.
GAME ON: Exploring the F.P. Journe LineSport Collection
In this special feature filmed by The 1916 Company Studios, George Mayer and C’Quon Gottlieb delve into the details of LineSport, bringing together examples of the full range for a rare ‘family reunion.’ Comment below to join the conversation, and let us know what your favorite model is within the LineSport collection.