Independent French brand March LA.B certainly can’t be classed as newcomers anymore, but although its watches can be found in bricks and mortar retail stores across their home country, it’s still a relatively unknown brand in the UK. Therefore, allow me a brief introduction before delving into the review. For those, already familiar, feel free to just skip ahead a few paragraphs!
March LA.B was established in 2009 and produced its first square watches, or ‘shaped watches’ as it likes to call them in 2013. Whilst the AM2 ‘shaped’ watch is iconic, over time the brand has established certain design signatures that carry across all ranges. As obvious as it seems, this is not something a lot of brands do, so kudos for March LA.B for establish a strong identity so quickly. The design language includes bold, angular case shapes, use of the brand’s signature Green Line colour, distinctive indices, 4 o’clock crowns, seventies typography and design patterns taken from the ‘M’ logo and used on dials and crowns knurling. The house philosophy is ‘to be as French as possible, as far as possible…’ and since 2013 all watches have been assembled in France. Now, even the Swiss movements are assembled in Besançon, the historical capital of watchmaking in France.
Oh, and one more thing. Have you guessed the origins of the brand name? March is the founders’ favourite month and LA.B is a mash up of Los Angeles and Biarritz! California and March LA.B are inextricably linked, as California is where one of the brand’s founders, Jerome Mage is based. The other two founders (Alain Marhic and Joseph Chatel) are based in Biarritz.
March LA.B AM2 Collection Overview
The octagonal AM2 is staple of the range and forever growing. Its avant-garde angular case and idiosyncratic French style is attention-grabbing and attractive. The AM2 comes in four case sizes, 34mm, 36mm, 39mm and 41mm. Regular and Slim versions are available most sizes. Within this there are many dial variants, movement choices, complications and case materials to choose from. Prices range from £494/€695 for Ronda quartz powered models to £1788/€2095 for the top of the range models.
The new Corporate / Ultimate collection comprise three models all priced at £1788/€2095/$1895. Choose from the 36mm Slim Automatic Ultimate with green dial and black PVD case as reviewed here, the 39mm Automatic Ultimate with black dial and black DLC case, and the 36mm Slim Corporate with green dial and green tinged PVD coating. The warranty is two years from date of purchase.
The Case and Wearing Experience
The instantly recognisable octagonal AM2 case has been slimed down so it’s now just 11.3mm thick, which combined with the 36mm case diameter and 44mm lug-to-lug measurement, makes it a versatile unisex watch suitable for a wide range of wrist sizes. It wears very well and is comfortable. The dimensions are actually very similar to the ever-popular Cartier Santos Medium, so it’s certainly in good company.
The Ultimate’s 316L stainless steel three-part case is entirely stain-brushed with a black Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating and cleverly combines angles and curves to give the watch a retro-modern look with a healthy dash of 70s style. Working from dial side to rear, the slightly domed sapphire crystal with three layers of anti-reflective coating rises above the case and has curved edges creating a beautiful halo around the brushed bezel, which is not DLC coated, adding to the visual appeal and giving a welcome lift to the otherwise monotone appearance.
The dial side of the mid-case has substantial flat facets to the four corners leading to straight-cut and angled sides. The side profile of the middle section is one continuous curve which thins towards the lugs broken only by sharp angles around the crown. The dramatic angles continue between the integrated lugs, which themselves have interior facets. The underside of the mid-case is gently contoured with soft curves. The exhibition caseback is secured with four screws and uses green K1 mineral glass. Specification highlights and model details are radially etched around the DLC section of the caseback, which only protrudes slightly, so the watch sits nice and flat against the wrist. Whilst I understand the branding reasons for using green crystal, I kind of think it’s a bit over-the-top and somewhat spoils the view of the movement.
March LA.B ‘s signature 4 o’clock crown has a diameter of 6.5mm and is extremely grippy, thanks to the unique knurling. A black crown insert features the brand’s logo in silver, to match the uncoated stainless steel crown. Unlike typical four o’clock crowns, such as those found on Seiko watches which are typically recessed into the case, the AM2’s crown sits proudly out on a limb, a typically quirky move, but one which does make it incredibly easy to use. The action on the crown is extremely positive with confident clicks between each setting and a good screw-down. Water resistance is a healthy 100 metres, more than adequate for this type of watch.
The AM2 Slim Ultimate has a H-link bracelet with satin-brushed finish to match the case. The finishing is superb with polished facets that run along the edge of every link, as well as to the top and bottom of each H-link and connecting link. The bracelet is very fluid and comfortable against the wrist and together with the faceting, certainly adds to the premium feel. The bracelet tapers from 20mm down to 18mm at the clasp. End links attach to the watch head via quick-release spring bars (dubbed the ‘presto’ system by March LA.B), but don’t articulate. However, because of the extreme downturned angle, thankfully they don’t really add to the true lug-to-lug measurement. Links are secured by double-sided screws, which does make resizing a frustrating task and one which you wouldn’t want to do too often.
The tiny bracelet clasp is a very unusual choice and one which despite some positives, certainly doesn’t get my seal of approval. Yes, it’s discrete, ultra-thin and means the bracelet sits completely flush with your wrist with no extra bulk. It could also be argued that it’s in-keeping with the 70s theme. However, whilst comfortable, this clasp really belongs on jewellery and has no place on a watch. You have to feed the clasp through the open link on the opposite side of the bracelet and then fold it back on itself. It’s very difficult to use and non-captive, so dexterity is needed and fastening and unfastening becomes a fear-inducing task and it’s one that’s best done over a soft surface, just in case! A standard double fold-over deployant clasp would have been a better option in my opinion. However, it’s easy to swap the bracelet out for another strap should you wish, thanks to the standard 20mm lug width. I tried it on a grey suede, green suede and green double stitch leather and it looked awesome on all of them!
The Movement
The AM2 Slim Ultimate houses the highest-grade version of the G100, a modern Swiss made automatic 24 jewel movement from La Joux-Perret. Machined in Switzerland and assembled at March LA.B’s workshop in Besançon, France, this movement is an admirable choice over the more typical Selita SW200 as it offers more power reserve (68 hours as opposed to 38 hours). March LA.B regulates the movement in-house and claims accuracy of between – 4 and + 6 seconds per day, which is impressive and within COSC (although it’s not certified COSC). Whilst not as tried and tested as the Sellita, it should prove to be very reliable and is backed by Citizen, a company with an exemplary track record. You can hack the movement to stop the seconds hand for precise setting of the time, and the beat rate is 28,800 bph (4Hz) which gives a nice smooth glide to the seconds hand. Decoration includes cote de Geneva stripes, bevelled angles and perforated March LA.B ‘M’ lines on the oscillating rotor. The rotor is quite noisy, which might be more to do with case design rather than the rotor itself, as every case has its own acoustic qualities.
The Dial
The square dial is dual-layered, with the green centre section being raised and having bevelled edges and angled corners. The outer matt-black dial sits beneath this and comprises small round C1 Super-LumiNova pips placed around the permitter at each hour mark and a minute/seconds track printed with gold hash marks for whole minutes/seconds and smaller white hash marks for every fifth of a second/minute. Inwards of this sits the distinctive signature March LA.B applied hour indices. The construction of these tall baton-shaped indices is complex. They are straight-cut to each end, feature a deep groove down the middle, painted black, and high-polished facets to the longitudinal edges. They are well executed and bring added depth to the dial. The indices on the top and bottom planes (11, 1, 5 and 7 o’clock) are rotated horizontally, again adding to the 70’s vibe.
The matt, army-green inner dial features the signature March LA.B debossed pattern, applied silver pictorial ‘M’ logo at 12 o’clock and March LA.B printed in gold beneath. ‘Automatic’ is printed in gold beneath the pinion and ‘Made in France’ is printed in white. The hour and minute hands are fork-shaped for an optimum readability and feature a centre strip filled with C1 Super-LumiNova. The seconds hand is a simple needle shape and not lumed.
The six o’clock silver-framed date window is bevelled and on the third of each month, the date turns green, a little nod to the founders’ favourite month (March), and the brand’s corporate colour. Every other date is printed white on black in March LA.B’s retro 70s font.
Overall, legibility is good, thanks to the faceted hour markers and hand design, but I do feel like the combination of the black case and dark green dial is a bit drab in all but the strongest of lighting conditions. In low light it looks almost black. I would like to have seen March LA.B use either their ‘electric’ sunburst green dial or the ‘Forest’ green, instead of the signature green. This is not a watch for lume lovers, as it’s very weak, to the point that it’s almost impossible to perceive it on the hands. March LA.B even omit to mention lume on promotional materials though, so it’s clear that it’s not meant to be a selling point and it’s certainly not something that would bother me on this style of watch.
Final Thoughts
The AM2 Slim Ultimate is a watch that will undoubtedly divide opinion. Heck, I’m even divided on my own opinion of it. There are things I absolutely love about it and things I would change. So I guess it’s time for that type of sandwich filling that nobody likes…if you know what I mean?! (thinking face emoji).
Ever since I saw the AM2 range on the March LA.B website, I fell in love with its boldness, it’s charm, dare I say it, it’s idiosyncratic French-ness! If it were a car, I think it would be the Citroen DS. Futuristic body design, unorthodox, daring, quirky, sculptural, design driven, slightly majestic. The case geometry and facets are its greatest asset and because of them, you can’t really mistake it for any other watch, which is a huge complement. Other signature March LA.B design cues such as the patterned dial and crown, and bold indices are also very cool.
What doesn’t work for me personally though is the combination of black DLC with March LA.B’s signature green dial. It’s all a bit too sombre and subdued for the adventurous case and doesn’t quite gel for me. I think if March LA.B had used its green sunray dial it would lift it considerably, and if I had the stainless steel version in my hands I suspect my enthusiasm palpable! Of course, these are just my preferences though and the Corporate Slim is always an option if green-tinged PVD appeals to you. In terms of actual design and fit and finish, I have very few negatives, so if you like more sombre dials and don’t mind black DLC on dressier watches, then I’d thoroughly recommend it, with a couple of caveats. The rotor is a bit noisy and the green tinted caseback is overkill, but the biggest consideration is the bracelet, or more specifically, the clasp. It’s awkward, precarious and doesn’t allow for any micro-adjustment. And although the bracelet links themselves are small, it might not be possible to get the perfect fit. The plus side is that the watch is slim and light so, worst comes to the worst, you should be able to get away with wearing it slightly loose. The overall wearing experience and comfort factor though is spot on. It has a great movement with good power reserve, the finishing is done to a high standard and it’s got character in spades. It will appeal to buyers who, like me, love ‘off-the-beaten-track’ watches. One thing is for certain, the March LA.B AM2 Slim Ultimate is freakin’ cool and definitive proof that being a square doesn’t make you dull!
