Review: March LAB AM2 Slim

You’d be surprised by the number of small French watch brands out there. I’m talking about brands owned by French people and actually operated out of France. Maybe everyone knows about Baltic and Yema, but what about March LAB? As with he March LAB AM2 considered herein, March LAB’s designs celebrate the past, and while its quite a new brand, it’s not as new as you may think. Founded by Alain Marhic in 2008, the brand seeks to strike a “balance between modern L.A. style and French heritage detailing—the brand’s name, slized as “March LA.B,” is a nod to Marhic’s March birth month (the same as his two brothers) and the connection between Head Designer Jerome Mage’s Los Angeles home and Marhic’s Biarritz. Looking through the catalogue, what you’ll find is a variety of appealing models that all have retro-cool designs grounded in 70’s aesthetics.

The March LAB AM2 Slim is the brand’s latest model, and represents the progress the brand has made towards being fully French. Until 2021, March LAB used Miyota movements, but has started using Swiss La Joux-Perret movements that are fully assembled in Besançon, France (often regarded as the country’s watchmaking capital). The watch is peak 1970s, with a modest case, gold partial dial, and bold design. But what you’re wondering is, how good is it? Let’s find out.

The layered dial with the luster of gold and silver and the case with its protuberant crown guard are the biggest standouts. The whole watch has a clear 70s vibe, as was the design’s intent.

The Case

The faceted case is a great throwback to some of the hyper-angular watches of the 1970s, when brands took big chances and made wild watches. This seems to find the balance between the crazier designs and the more reasonable ones, with enough variation and intriguing but without feeling too outré. The blend of polished and brushed surfaces gives the case a lot of light play, but I’m especially fond of the structure of the lugs, with steep slopes from the top to where the case meets the bracelet. One thing I heard from people who saw this watch was taht they didn’t like the bulge around the crown. I can understand the quibble, but given the location of the crown, it was a necessary design element—lest you have a crown stem exposed—and I think it adds some extra quirk, which I welcome.

The small case dimensions let this watch wear effortlessly on the wrist. The bracelets connection and small links mean it articulates well for a comfortable fit all the way around the wrist. There are undoubtedly some who will find this watch a bit too small for them—I loved the sizing and it wore perfectly on my flat 7-inch wrist, but larger wrists (or those poisoned by the jumbo watch trend) may shy away. Those people should know, though, that the original AM2 (not the Slim as reviewed here) is a bit larger, offering the same style is available in a larger platform.

The Dial

This dial is everything. From the chopstick hands to the channeled markers, it kills. There’s even contrast to the brushing: the raised silver center dial is vertical brushed, while the lower gold portion has a sunburst finish. And this stepped dial isn’t some subtle difference, this is the horological equivalent of the continental shelf, a precipitous drop-off that casts shadows. Its an astonishing use of depth and the gold furthers that 70s vibe.

Why is the ‘3’ green? Well, though it’s a date wheel, Marhic wanted to double down on the March idea and as you probably know, March is the third month. And green is his favorite color. In fact, the March LAB website has an entire section that lets you look at all of its green watches (and there are plenty).

The lume is disappointing. The hand lume is poorly applied and barely shines, with the lume plots significantly brighter, but still unimpressive. Frankly, I don’t why lume was included. This is arguably a dress watch, if a somewhat sporty one, and it certainly didn’t need lume. For my part, I would’ve been happy without the lume, and I think the watch would’ve been better for it. If you’re going to do something, do it well or not at all, right?

The Rest

Soylent green is people! There’s a green caseback that shrouds the movement in a thin veil of verdant mystery. Look closely and you can just make out the edges of the La Joux-Perret G100, a Swiss movement assembled in France for March LAB. The G100 is LJP’s version of the ETA 2824, but with the added bonus of an exceptional 68-hour power reserve at 28,800 vph. So, it’s the 2824, but better (Your move, Sellita).

The bracelet is lovely and continues the faceted case’s vibe with its beveled edges. It is quick-release, though you have to seat it just right when reattaching it. The clasp, though, engendered a lot of feelings in me. Aesthetic love and practical hate. I don’t mind when watches don’t have microadjustments, as I’m usually able to get a perfect fit. What bothered me here is the closure. It’s basically a bracelet closure, with a folding portion (where the logo is) hooking into and back over a bar (the other part). And if you’ve got it sized for a nice snug fit, it’s a huge pain in the ass to get it on and off. Thank the gods the watch paired well with all my thin straps.

I’ve written before about how a lot of smaller brands don’t deliver complete packages. It’s clear that they either have a unique dial design or a unique case design, but rarely both and rarely refined enough to merit your money. On the other hand, there are brands, like March LAB, that manage to create novel designs that are clearly thought out, distilled to their best forms, and executed to near perfection. I’m not saying the March LAB AM2 Slim has universal appeal or is a perfect watch. Rather, I’m asserting that the design perfectly achieves its goal and that for those to whom it appeals, it’s sure to please.

You can learn more and explore March LAB’s full catalogue on its website.