Established in 1999 F.P. Journe as a brand new watch manufacturer to the market, created their movements initially in rhodium-plated brass. The choice of this material was to control production cost while providing a stable movement, and until 2004 around two thousand brass movement watches were made. All subsequent movements were made with gold, rendering early brass movement pieces very collectible. The present example of the Octa Calendrier was produced in 2003, towards the end of the brass movement era. It houses a retrograde annual calendar provided by the caliber 1300, had a two year production run and exhibits a very innovative asymmetrical design. In 2002, it was awarded the Special Jury Prize in the Geneva Watchmaking for its incredible construction.