March LA.B as a brand name is very simple to understand. The brand was founded in the month of March and the founders live in Los Angeles in the USA and Bierritz in France. Aesthetically their watches bring a retro French Art Deco influence to a wide range of watches that run the full gamut from practical divers to artistic dress watches. Plus, every year in March they produce a Millésimée or ‘vintage’ special edition to celebrate their anniversary. For this year, that special edition is the March LA.B AM2 “Millésimée March 2024” Titanium, which I have here.
It’s part of the AM2 collection, which means it has an octagonal case and a square dial. However, unlike the core AM2 collection, the “Millésimée March 2024” edition is made from titanium instead of steel. It makes the watch very lightweight, 91g to be precise and that’s including the full titanium bracelet. It’s almost disconcerting just how light it is considering that it’s a deceptively large timepiece.
On paper the main body of the watch has a 39mm width, the lug-to-lug is around 45mm and the height is 11.5mm. All of which are very reasonable specs that sound like a mid-size watch. However, the slight build up around the crown, which is positioned at 4 o’clock, means the lower portion of the case is more like 41mm at its widest point. That combined with the broad, flat surfaces and the facetted sides makes it seem much bigger than it is. Although I actually quite like that, it feels bold and industrial without requiring you to have wrists the size of a ham.
That industrial quality feels quite French in and of itself, especially in combination with the dial. It features a central section with a geometric pattern of lightly engraved lines creating vertical stripes on the bottom left portion and diagonal stripes on the top right. It’s a reinterpretation of the March LA.B’s logo, which has similar stripes on the M.
Plus, the hour markers on the recessed outer section are at striking and unusual angles – the 11, 1, 5 and 7 markers are completely horizontal, which I’ve never seen done anywhere else. It all feels very architectural like that most famous of all French landmarks, the Eiffel Tower. Full of interesting patterns and a character that demands attention.
If you want some Eiffel Tower trivia the structure is actually painted several different shades of brown/red so that when viewed from a distance it all looks the same colour. And the March LA.B AM2 “Millésimée March 2024” Titanium is similar in that it has a few different shades of grey across it, creating an overall monochrome appearance. There’s the grey of the titanium which looks subtly different depending on whether it’s brushed or polish, the grey of the dial and then the black seconds hand and white accents around the date window to book end the spectrum.
On the wrist the H-link titanium bracelet is very comfortable, fastened with a jewellery clasp (slightly fiddly, fine when you’re used to it). Taking the watch off reveals the solid caseback with the March LA.B logo engraved on the back. Behind it is the La Joux-Perret G100 automatic movement, which is one of the higher spec off the shelf movements that you’ll regularly see in a wide range of watches from a huge number of brands.
The calibre G100 has a 68-hour power reserve with a tungsten rotor and an accuracy of around +/- 12 seconds per day. On top of all that, it’s assembled in France, furthering March LA.B’s connection to the country.
The March LA.B AM2 “Millésimée March 2024” Titanium is limited to 133 pieces at a price of £1,679. For a full titanium watch with a La Joux-Perret movement, that’s really good value. I will be honest and say this was not a case of love at first sight but having spent a few days with the watch, it’s grown on me. Which, amusingly enough, was pretty much the whole of Paris’ reaction to the Eiffel Tower when it was initially constructed too.
Price and Specs:
More details at March LA.B.
