Kevin O'Leary aka Mr. Wonderful & Pierre Halimi Lacharlotte - Collecting F.P. Journe | Part 2

Summary

Collectors Gene Radio: Kevin O'Leary & Pierre Halimi Lacharlotte – Collecting F.P. Journe | Part 2

Date: August 15, 2025
Host: Cameron Ross Steiner
Guests: Kevin O'Leary (Mr. Wonderful), Pierre Halimi Lacharlotte (Head of Americas, F.P. Journe)
Location: FP Journe Boutique, Miami

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Overview

In this special episode, host Cameron Ross Steiner sits down with renowned investor and collector Kevin O’Leary (“Mr. Wonderful”) and Pierre Halimi Lacharlotte, Head of Americas for F.P. Journe, at the Miami FP Journe boutique. Together, they explore the intricacies and emotional connections of collecting F.P. Journe timepieces, the backstories of rare watches, and what it means to possess the elusive “collector’s gene”. The episode is rich with personal stories, deep horological insight, and palpable passion for craft and community.

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Key Discussion Points

Kevin O’Leary’s Philosophy of Collecting (00:15–03:50)

• Focus on Artistry Over Mechanics:
  • Kevin stresses his priorities are dial uniqueness, beauty, and conversation-starting potential rather than the technical aspects of a watch’s movement.
    • “I don't give a shit about [technics]. What I care about is, is the dial unique? Is it a beautiful piece? Does it start a conversation? And these watches do all of that and more.” — Kevin O’Leary (00:15)
• Emotional Connection:
  • His collection centers on personal resonance rather than investment value.

The Importance of the Dial and Uniqueness (02:43–03:50)

• Diversity Within Cohesion:
  • Kevin highlights how different but related FP Journe dials feel—“from the same family.”
  • Example: Chanel “Boyfriend” piece with a unique hand-painted enamel dial, made through the Journe dial factory.

Chronometry Versus Conversation (03:51–05:55)

• Pierre’s Perspective:
  • For Pierre, the “essence” of Journe is chronometry—the pursuit of precision referencing historical giants like Breguet and Daniels.
    • “If you're not really ticked by chronometry, maybe you shouldn't buy Journe because that's what it's about. Especially on the Chronomètre Souverain, Optimum, and Resonance. The trilogy.” — Pierre (03:51)
• Kevin’s Response:
  • Though aware of the watchmaking technology, Kevin values the artistic impact more.
• Making Horology Accessible:
  • The host and Kevin discuss how pieces like the Élégante (quartz watch) often serve as a gateway for non-watch people.

The F.P. Journe Society—Entry and Relationships (06:06–08:39)

• Kevin’s Society Entry Story:
  • Relays the tale of becoming a member: needing to own multiple watches, building a relationship, and a memorable negotiation involving his son’s alma mater, Babson.
    • “You could buy 20 now. Doesn't make a difference. You cannot qualify. You don't have the history. So we bargaining and bargaining. And one time he said, you're going to send me this watch because of your son...” — Pierre (07:20)

Motivations Beyond Money (11:24–11:54)

• Collecting for Passion, Not Profit:
  • Kevin shrugs off the notion that collecting is solely financial.
    • “I have no idea what I paid for these pieces. And it doesn’t mean I don’t care. It’s just that’s not why I bought them.” — Kevin O’Leary (11:24)
  • Says he will “never sell,” focusing on enjoyment and uniqueness.

Rarity, Relationships & The Marketplace (09:30–12:30)

• FP Journe’s Approach to Allocations:
  • Pierre explains the brand’s refusal to make customers “bundle” purchases to access rare pieces; allocations hinge on genuine, long-term relationships.
• The Black Label Club:
  • Obtaining ultra-rare models requires being a known supporter of the boutique.

Celebrating Key Pieces in Kevin’s Collection (13:36–15:14)

• The Vertical Tourbillon and Tokyo Series:
  • Kevin shares stories about public reactions to bold watches like the vertical tourbillon (“conversation starter”), and the rarity and design of his favorite “Tokyo” models.
    • “I think it has to be the Tokyo. I don’t even hesitate.” — Kevin O’Leary (13:54)
    • On public reaction: “A woman comes up to me and says, What is that monstrosity on your wrist? ... I said, what it is, is a conversation starter.” — Kevin O’Leary (13:23)

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Pierre’s Personal Brass Collection & Rare Journe Watches (16:21–23:37)

• The “Brass Collection”:
  • Eight watches belonging to his family, all brass movement, and all bear the number 100 (with only one other complete set known to exist).
  • “Took me 22 years to do this.” — Pierre (17:21)
• Vagabondage I:
  • Story of the unusual, imprecise, but innovative “Vagabondage” models, the stealth narrative around their creation, and the refusal to market them conventionally.
  • “This is the true Journe in a sense that if it’s not precise, it’s not Journe. So don’t buy it.” — Pierre (19:30)
• The T30—The Anniversary Watch:
  • Created for FP Journe’s personal 30-year anniversary of making watches.
  • Limited, underpriced intentionally as a “gift” to early collectors.
  • “Sometimes you talk from your heart, sometimes you talk from your wallet. This is a heart watch. This is the first application watch. Because without collectors...we would not be here.” — Pierre (20:40)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Collecting for Connection:
  • “They're all like my children... Does it start a conversation? And these watches do all of that and more.” — Kevin O’Leary (02:07)
• On FP Journe’s Approach to Collectors:
  • “The only reason why sometimes we need to know the history...you need to be a known entity and supporting the boutique for quite a while before you can even have one.” — Pierre (09:30)
• On Emotion in Watch Collecting:
  • “There’s an emotion in each of these watches. If I selected this eight and to give it to my kids...Let’s try to keep that set intact for another generation after that.” — Pierre (23:00)
• On Watch Community & Clubs:
  • “There’s such an interest now in the renaissance of mechanical watches in terms of collecting.” — Kevin O’Leary (24:27)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:15 — Kevin’s approach: artistry > technology
• 03:51 — Pierre on the chronometric DNA of Journe
• 06:06 — Kevin’s FP Journe Society story (“Babson” negotiation)
• 11:24 — Kevin on collecting for passion, not money
• 13:23 — Kevin’s conversation-starter anecdote with the vertical tourbillon
• 16:21 — Pierre presents his “brass collection” and its legacy
• 19:30 — The creation and scarcity of the Vagabondage line
• 20:40 — The T30 anniversary watch & gift to collectors
• 23:00–23:37 — Legacy outlook, family, emotional attachments

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Summary

This episode provides a rare, inside look into the emotion, community, and artistry of F.P. Journe collecting through the voices of a passionate collector (Kevin O’Leary) and an industry insider (Pierre Halimi Lacharlotte). Both demystify the world of rare watches—emphasizing passion, stories, and relationships over cold investment, while paying respect to the technical achievement at the brand's core. The dialogue blends personal anecdotes, industry wisdom, and tangible enthusiasm for horological artistry, making it a must-listen (or -read) for both seasoned collectors and the newly curious.

Transcript

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[Kevin O'Leary]

Which is the remarkable thing about Juan. They're really known for their dials. Yeah. But you get an idea of this collection, I'm not a guy that goes through the technological advantages or disadvantages of each caliber. I don't give a shit about that. What I care about is, is the dial unique? Is it a beautiful piece? Does it start a conversation? And these watches do all of that and more.

[Podcast Host]

What's going on, everybody? And welcome to Collector's Gene Radio. This is all about diving into the nuances of collecting and ultimately finding out whether or not our guests have what we like to call the collector's gene. If you have the time, please subscribe.

[Kevin O'Leary]

And leave a review.

[Podcast Host]

It truly helps. Thanks a bunch for listening, and please enjoy today's guest on Collector's Gene. Rad. Welcome back to Collector's Dream Radio. We are having a very special episode today. We're in Miami at the FP Journe boutique. And if you didn't notice, I have an extremely special guest with me, Kevin O', Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful. Welcome back to the channel.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Thank you so much. We're in an iconic boutique for FP Journe, the Miami boutique. This is sheer legend in here. The design of this place and the watches that have come through here, the collectors that gather here. It's a classic situation because there are no watches to buy here. It's true. But it, ooh, oozes watch.

[Podcast Host]

It certainly does. And we have someone to help us out to talk about all this. Pierre, head of America's for FP Journe. So let's get into it. Kevin brought an insane collection of Jorns that we have to talk about. Kevin, where do you want to start? Because there's so much to take in here.

[Kevin O'Leary]

You know, it's, I think, back to the pieces that I really grabbed me. It's funny, I always thought the elegant, which was traditionally the entry level. Journe. I think originally it's 15 or 17,000, right?

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

No, even 14. Nine, I think.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah. And so it was one of my first pieces, and I really loved it. And when I look at my collection, there's a couple of pieces I wear a lot, and it's the Chronometre Bleu, as some people call the Putin watch, because the rumor is he has it. And the elegance, you know, when I'M grabbing. I mean, I love them all. They're all like my children. And I've got some incredible pieces here. But the key to this is look at how different the dials are. Yeah, look at how the dials are all different and yet they all have some common element.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Right.

[Podcast Host]

You could tell that they're all cousins.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yes, they're all from the same family. And I think that's what's remarkable at join. Now this piece, this a Chanel called the Boyfriend. And I put it in there because the dial was fired at the Journe dial factory. See, it's the only one in the world. It was made by Chanel. It was a charity auction. I purchased it. But it's funny because I showed it to FP in Geneva just a few weeks ago at Watches of Wonder. And he remembers it. He remembers how difficult it was to make that dial because it's hand painted enamel with little dots, which is the remarkable thing about Juran. They're really known for their dials. Yeah. But you get an idea of this collection. I'm not a guy that goes through the technological advantages or disadvantages of each caliber. I don't give a shit about that. What I care about is, is the dial unique? Is it a beautiful piece? Does it start a conversation? And you know, and these watches do all of that and more. Whenever I watch where any of these pieces, I mean technically they're all different in some way or another, but some guys love to get into, you know, the reserve power. I don't give a shit about any of that. Yeah, to me it's.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

I would go into this, I wouldn't go into the size of this crew like in 2003. And that for me, I don't understand. But to understand the essence, Jean, is about the chronometry, the watches, to be precise. I show you one watch here that is the exception and then we're going to talk about this. So it's all about this. Now, obviously it would also. Who cares about chronometry and precision of time when you have your telephone? But this is what he's trying to do. He's going back to Abraham Ludreguet, Georges Daniels, these mentors, all the Les Pin and Berthoud that he has as his idols. This is what it's about. If you're not really ticked by chronometry, maybe you shouldn't buy genre because that's what it's about. Especially on the condemn, souven optimum and resonance. The three chronometers that we have that's this is the optimum here, which is the black label version. This is a resonance and this is basically economy. So you have an automatic in the middle. But the rest here is what we call the trilogy.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Sure.

[Podcast Host]

Well, I think what's, what's interesting, you know, a lot of people that are watching, going to be watching this, are not into watches at all.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Right.

[Podcast Host]

They appreciate it, but they don't know a lot of times anything about watch.

[Kevin O'Leary]

They like ours, but they like our thing. They like, I mean, this, there's, you know, I have many, many boxes with many watches in them, but there's nothing quite like this when you display the artistry of these dials. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Well, I think what's, what's always fun is, you know, Jorn's entry level piece, if you will, is an elegant. And when you explain to people, but when you explain to people, it's not just a quartz. But when you explain to. When I explain to people, rather, I have a lot of friends who don't care about watches, but when I explain to them, you know, this is why it's this, or this is why it's this shape or this is why it has this movement. But when I explain to them how the elegant works, their minds are absolutely blown. And I think it's such an interesting topic because it gets people that are really not into watches. It kind of enters them in, it kind of ushers them in in this way of like, Wait, you're saying I could set this on my nightstand and wake up and it's gonna change the time originally, right?

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Yeah.

[Kevin O'Leary]

My wife has one and she loves it because she never has to worry about winding it or anything. She, she goes to it all the time. She said, oh, it always has the right time on it. That's all she cares about, was a great idea. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Now, Kevin, you started with the Tokyo, and I mean, the legend has it that you bought four watches at once and.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Well, that's. It's true. I was so. I fell in love so much with the Jordan Society because I met Brad Schwarz that night and some very eclectic crazy people. And you know, the fellow in the, in the UAE who told me, you're going to have a really good time. He was right. And so I said to Brad, how do I get into society? So you can't. You got to have at least three. I think it's two. Two.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Now it's three. I thought that's baby.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah. So. So it's my wife Linda. I mean, honey, I'm gonna call you right Back. I'm gonna call you right back. You know, it's, she was calling to.

[Podcast Host]

See if she could get a Jordan.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah, I'll be asking.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

She would put.

[Kevin O'Leary]

My wife and I, I sat down with, I wanted to, I can't remember. I, I, we had a discussion in New York and we ended up in Miami, I think right here at Zuma. And I think you believed me when I said I was passionate and.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Oh, that. Then we had discussions before. So that was the. This. So, so what happened? So, yes, he does buy all these watches, but there was the price money, which was a CTT.

[Kevin O'Leary]

The of the New York.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

So, so the, the issue that we had about this is that. But you don't qualify because you don't own your journey because you buy like you could buy 20 now. Doesn't make a difference. You cannot qualify. You don't have the history. So we bargaining and bargaining. And one time he said, you're going to send me this watch because of your son.

[Kevin O'Leary]

That's right.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

What now they remember.

[Kevin O'Leary]

What are you talking about?

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

So I don't know if Kevin is a good salesperson. He's a very good buyer person. He gave me the reason that I would basically. What do you mean? I said, you told me that your son is at Babson, and if I can acquire this watch. Obviously not give. We don't give anything, but if I can acquire this watch, I will do a speech at Babson in honor of your son. Is your watch. Yeah, that's it. And I mean, I know he's already passionate. I know who he was. So he had to check all these boxes.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Then the pandemic hit. We had to wait two years. And then I did the keynote. I thought it was very successful.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

It was amazing. And then I had my second son over there. So now we had my two sons. And he did come and every time, said, as soon as the pandemic is over, we'll talk to Nancy and we'll organize this. And he did.

[Kevin O'Leary]

And we had a great time at entrepreneurship. And by then I had many other journeys. But that's true. Sometimes it's just serendipitous. A lot can't help.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

So people in New York, the people that got it or didn't get it, it was yelling at me or yelling at myself over there. I said, tell them the truth.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Because of myself. What would you have done? Now you're a father. Okay, so what would you have done? Of course, your son.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

I mean, not going to sell the son to a guy that's going to flip it. Don't get me wrong, but if, if I know that you're going to be okay. Yes, I'm going to push it for this, you know, that's okay. I don't need more speeches at Babson. They left, so I don't need another one.

[Podcast Host]

Well, no, I think that story, you know, doesn't get told enough in the right light of, you know, because you're talking about this stuff and you mentioned.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Like I bought four outlines and money. It really wasn't.

[Podcast Host]

Well, and I think that's what I want to imagine.

[Kevin O'Leary]

So set to Pierre, walk me through the calibers. What should I collect? Correct. Where should I go? But I love the blue. I love. And there was one available.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Yeah.

[Kevin O'Leary]

And that piece, I mean I've been all over the world with that piece. People go crazy for the blue. They go out of their friggin minds. It's the simplest dial. Yeah.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

I mean there's one thing we didn't talk about because I know a lot of other companies especially did this now it's a bit more complicated for them. But you say, oh, you have to buy this, this, this to buy that. Oh, that's, we never did this in our lives. And then on top of it kind of laughing right now because he's saying, okay, if we were to do this, we don't have this, we don't have this, we don't have this and we don't have that. So I don't know how I'm going to start to sell these three before you get that. The only reason why sometimes we need to know the history. Like for example, a black label at this one, you come in, you order black label. Not possible. You need to be a known entity and supporting the boutique for quite a while before you can even have one. Sure. So yes, you need to buy this. Whatever. If you don't want to buy anything, don't buy anything. We're not pushing you and it's not easy to get anything else. And also if there's a progression, if you like, some people would start with a resonance. Now sometimes we say I shouldn't start with the resonance. But if the guy is like that level at Vacheron, all this and it only has high complication. Do I starting with an elegant. Yeah, no, right. That we have to compose. That's what depends the relationship we have.

[Kevin O'Leary]

A lot of the guys I met at Jordan at the First Society were very hardcore Patek guys.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Absolutely.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Had drifted as a red company. And it's, it's I have a lot of texts too, but. And I love Patek. I mean, I like all watches, but Jorn is a different kind of. They're all different, but Jorn is something else, and it's hard to put your finger on it. Yeah, but that's what, expansive?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, 100%. Well, and I think, you know, I'm looking at your collection here, and we talked about this story of buying the four watches at once. And, you know, we talked about the investment side of things. But it's true that you are a collector. I mean, you can look at this collection and understand that you're a collector. I mean, to, To. To get a vertical tourbillon and, and put a red K on it is. Is something else. And it's so you and it's so yours.

[Kevin O'Leary]

You know, But I have to tell you something. I have no idea what I paid for these pieces. And it doesn't mean I don't care. It's just. That's not why I bought them.

[Podcast Host]

Well, and I think that debunks a thing that a lot of people think about. The reason that you collect is this money thing, because, sure, you. You talk about stocks a lot.

[Kevin O'Leary]

I'm never gonna sell it. I'm never going to sell it. So it's really not that it's. Does it fit? Is it a new dial? Does it start a conversation? And for me, Jordan's the journey. I mean, you know, I'm lucky to get one or two pieces a year. Right?

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Where's your second?

[Kevin O'Leary]

I know, maybe only one.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

This year it's only one. But, you know, we have a maximum per one and one maximum. So people ask me. So I didn't get mine. I said, no, it's maximum one. Because if I do for everyone that I know one, I don't have the dog words. And then it's always a joke, said the karanid one. I said, listen, if you want, come back tomorrow, I'm going to use my hammer and my screwdriver. I'm going to make you one. Autobot is going to be unique in.

[Podcast Host]

The world, and it's going to say Tag Heuer.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

It's not like I don't want to say to you is like, I don't have it. So. So stop harassing me. I don't have it. I don't have it.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Right. I don't. I've never. I. I don't obviously harass. But my point is Azure in a collection like this is pretty rare. Yeah, it's pretty rare.

[Podcast Host]

I mean, black label yeah, something that happened.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

But no, it didn't happen overnight.

[Kevin O'Leary]

But it's also when I. I always open the Jordan for usually I'm going to wear a Jorn during the day because I wear six. There's always a Jordan in there somewhere. Sure. But when I'm. I just find in certain seasons, I'm drifting into different looks. It's really amazing. It's amazing. Well, I think that vertical tourbillon I set out for dinner sometimes people go crazy. Look at that. Yeah, That's a crazy piece. This is spectacular. Crazy piece. It's just beautiful. Yeah, I was. I was wearing that on a flight to Dubai and. And I was waiting in the lounge to go on the plane here in Miami, actually, maybe it was in New York. And a woman comes up to me and says, what is that monstrosity on your wrist? How do you tell the time with that? I said, I joke. It's the same story.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Who gets as.

[Kevin O'Leary]

It doesn't matter. It doesn't have the right time on it. And she said, well, what is it? I said, what it is, is a conversation starter.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

You came over.

[Kevin O'Leary]

You walked all the way over here with that little cheese ball in your hand to ask me about this one.

[Podcast Host]

And for those reasons, I'm out.

[Kevin O'Leary]

He's. It's a true story.

[Podcast Host]

That's great.

[Kevin O'Leary]

I love it.

[Podcast Host]

Well, Kevin, this collection is absolute madness. I can't wait to see what you have on the way. And I know Pierre brought some really special things, but before we wrap this up, is there another watching here that you want to talk about? That that is just. You find to be such a culmination of everything that you love about Jorg.

[Kevin O'Leary]

I think it has to be the Tokyo. I don't even hesitate.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

These two guys right here.

[Kevin O'Leary]

The Tokyo is.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Well, the. Both Tokyo.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yes.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

But this is called. We. We call that with the. The Tokyo Crawler.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Well, the Tokyo.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Yeah. So. Yes.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

I'm not a crazy guy. On the Tokyo series, this one had to go because it looks vintage. It looks smaller than what it is.

[Podcast Host]

I mean, when you think about all the colors on here, you would never put these colors on a palette and say, this is going to work. And it works so well.

[Kevin O'Leary]

It works. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

It's a lot.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

You have to remember, Francois, Paul has a very good eye. I mean, you look at all the boutiques also put in all this boutique.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Sure.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

If you take one shot of the boutique. Everything here has been decided by micromanage. We had to change this column because it was quite. I don't like it? What do we do? Everything. So this is a true macro management story.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah. By the way, these two Tokyos are the rarest other than the piece unique. Number six, New York. Number six New York.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

We made a total of 8010 per boutique. So New York, New York.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah, that's pretty rare.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

No, no, it is rare. I mean, everything Jean is rare. There's no thing in middle of the mass produce. But in terms of the Tokyo, I think the. The. The one that was when resonance was like 12 and then was 21 back when.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah. Well, I consider that a piece unique. There's not really going to the red K on it for a while, I don't think. No.

[Podcast Host]

At least I shouldn't be.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah, it shouldn't be. But I look, it. It is. They're all fantastic.

[Podcast Host]

I mean, you know, thank you for bringing them here. They're. They're all special in their own way. So individualistic. But like we said, all part of the same family. And I know Pierre has some crazy stuff that he wants to show us.

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[Kevin O'Leary]

It's crazy stuff.

[Podcast Host]

Let's see what we got.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

So all the watches I'm going to show you, I don't own them. My trust owns them. Now, these are the actually eight watches that belong now to my kids and my wife. Something happens. All right, so here you have what we call the Brass collection. Reserve de Marche, Lune Chronograph, Calandrier, Resonance Tourbillon. All these are in Brass Movement. All these bear the number 100. There are only two sets left in the world. One is located in Chicago. Set number 1000 and set number 100. The set 1000 is spectacular because it's a set that was done all like this because our DNA at that time was platinum yellow. Mine was acquired through took me 22 years to do this. These two my father purchased at the beginning had no money. All the money was staying in the company. Then I bought these three after, when my father was still alive. And this one I discovered about three years ago. So just a good deal on the.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Celadon at this house.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

This is the vagabondage. So then you have the set brass. There's only six different calibers, so you can have a seventh one. So that's why this one was very important for me to acquire. Then I brought this vagabondage. It's called the vagabondage one now. At that time, it was called the vagabondage. Sure. Vagabondage is a central escapement with a disc that basically jumps and turns. It turns, obviously, and it jumps at 12.

[Podcast Host]

And these are 38 millimeter.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Well, I don't know how you calculate on the shape. I mean, it is a smaller watch. So this one came out, I think 2005 for soap. Did a limited edition of three pieces, all for charity. I think it was the 150th anniversary of the Red Cross. And it was a yellow gold, which he never does, a white gold, which he never does only once in his life, and then a rose gold. So that was. I was there with Gino, his ex partner that unfortunately passed away. I said, you have to do something for the collectors. You can't just do this, sure, and then do that. The origin of this is the movement existed before. And he offered it to Cartier back in the 90s. He said, too complicated for us. So he had in a drawer. He said, well, let's do something with it. Francois Point has a lot of things on his drawers. I would love one day to sit down with him that never has time to go through his drawers. He has no idea the wealth of things that he has sometimes finished, sometimes not finished. So he said, after long discussions, a lot of wine, a lot of bargaining, said, okay, I'll do it. But it is not a precise watch. It is not the future of things to come, therefore. And it's not accurate because it's a disc. Disc cannot be accurate. You know, compared to a hand that's light, a whole disc is. Jean Duquette cannot bear my name. Doesn't say pigeon here. It's not in trouble. No kidding. The man makes it even more valuable. The mansion of reverse marketing. Like you have no idea. No pictures taken, no press release, nothing. We had nothing to work with. And then there's only on the subsequent catalog. I Remember which year 2006, I think there's page 15 on the way bottom, on the right, a little drawing of the vagabond. I said, like, yes, I recognize it. It says Epigon in the back. So it's not a fake one. But this is the true Journe in a sense that if it's not precise, it's not Jordan. So don't buy it.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Vagabonds have been sold on auction. Absolutely, they have, yeah.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

So this one was the first one, and then we never thought about the second one. And then he came up with a V2, which is now a jump minute. And then we have the john second. So that's the end of the.

[Kevin O'Leary]

This is the original. And I think. But didn't. Didn't 1916 auction some of these at some point.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Very possible. We made. We made six. We made 70 of these, 69 that we sold.

[Kevin O'Leary]

I remember George telling me about how well that sold. That was crazy.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

There's another one, which I don't know if we have a picture here. The Francis Ford Coppola. The hand watch, if you notice it.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Sure.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

No name. Joan. Not precise. I mean, just imagine the friction, the movement, the weight. It's not possible. It's not a trouble. I mean, just imagine. And then I want to show you this one, which is basically the grill. This is. This is a fantastic watch. It's called the T30. It is to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Francois Paul making watches, which is not the date of the creation of the company. 1999. We're talking about 1982. The guy's been making watches for 50 years. The first one was a pocket watch about this big, with a tomio. Reggae numerals, you know, Roman numerals. Things that he doesn't do anymore.

[Podcast Host]

When he was working for his uncle, right?

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Yeah, it was working his uncle. It took him five years to complete his pocket watch. Because he was to work at night and the weekends during the day, had to work for his uncle Michel. So he couldn't do it. So it took a long time. I remember when we launched it, I think 2012. I can't remember the years. I was in my farm upstairs, New York, and Fosible called me, said, can you squeeze your margins on the T30? I said, sure. Zaudi squeezed mine, but what's the deal? I said, verbetin, obviously, in French, I'm translating, but verbetin said, sometimes you talk from your heart, sometimes you talk from your wallet. This is a hard watch. This is the first application watch. Because without collectors that bought us all the way to 2012, we will not be here. So it was a gift and we put a price at 99,000 for a limited edition of a movement that we never make again. Just imagine the thing is, when you look at the movement and this is true, Jean, you say, look, it looks exactly the same as the pocket watch. Do you think inside is the same? After 30 years of mistake, I'm going to make other mistakes. I'm not going to make the same ones.

[Kevin O'Leary]

So it looks unbelievable.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

The same as the pocket watch is that inside it is not at all unbelievable.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah, that's great.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

And then you have Hunter's case with the serial number and mine is number eight. These guilloche back, the giver, she back and then silver and gold. So maybe we're romancing it. But we said he couldn't do all gold on the first one because he didn't have enough money to buy all gold. So he had to buy silver and gold to minimize the price.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Spectacular.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

And so note that the pocket watch was never sold. He still owns it. We showed it once in New York and right after the exhibit, but we showed this one, the, the tourbillon that the number one wristwatch in 91 and also the pocket watch. We had the three together and he was so anxious, so nervous. I said, if we lose them, I'm finished. So they never leave the, they never leave the manufacturer. After that, it's split tax.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah, you know, it's fine. You'll never hold another one in your hand.

[Podcast Host]

No, I mean the hunter's case back.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Too is, you know, the case is a little bit oxidized, which I like it this way, you know.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

I mean, you, you see this engine turning of on Items like old 1960s Hermes pieces that they used to do for the home and all these things. They used to do these, you know, engine turn pieces, you know, from Revenant, Dim Fair and. And all these people. And it's just such of the time.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

That you see the great thing about this watch was I can tell you on each and every watch a story that you don't care about. I care about. Yeah. There's an emotion in each of these watches. If I selected this eight and to give it to my kids, and then I told them, you know, who to contact if, if something happens, obviously Francois, Paul, Paul Boutroux and William Massena. Those are the three people you have to contact, you know, because what are you going to do with this? And what I'm asking my kids is that set of 100. If, of course, if you break it, you're going to make more money. That's why the old auction has to do with. In my memory. Don't do it. Let's try to keep that set intact for another generation after that.

[Kevin O'Leary]

This would. This would be sold intact. It would be a crazy auction.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Yes. But they said number one, which only five watching number one. So that was.

[Kevin O'Leary]

It would be a crazy day.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

It was $12 million.

[Podcast Host]

Well, the good thing for you is that Paul Boutros may stop calling you and start calling him now.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Yeah.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Because.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Or me.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah, it is.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

I.

[Kevin O'Leary]

And Phillips is probably the right guys to do this. They have such a history with Jordan.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

You're talking about Paul Boutro. That was part of the Winnie we're talking about watch clubs and communities. The first one was the watch enthusiast Studio.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Sure.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Paul was part of it. So is William Massena. A lot of these young collectors, all these were part of the whamy. The first really club that I knew about was New York.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Sure.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

So there is things. And Paul Boutrose is an early collector back from the early 2000s.

[Kevin O'Leary]

So major guy at the New York Horological Society.

[Podcast Host]

CERN launches a.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

Absolutely.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Yeah. Very interesting. We just had. Their gala was the largest ever. Ever. Ever. It just shows you there's such an interest now in the renaissance of mechanical watches in terms of collecting.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

They're doing a fantastic job at the HSNY. Next year is the 160th anniversary. 160th anniversary in America. Even in other association that is no older than this.

[Kevin O'Leary]

They have the largest watch library books around the world.

[Podcast Host]

Amazing. All right, guys, there you have it. Thanks so much again for coming on Collector's Dream Radio today was really, really special.

[Kevin O'Leary]

Thank you.

[Pierre (Head of Americas for FP Journe)]

I think we should.

[Podcast Host]

I don't see why we don't.

[Kevin O'Leary]

We're not savage.

[Podcast Host]

All right, that does it for this episode. Thank you all for listening to collectors Gene Radio.