A STORY OF ENCOUNTERS
March LA.B story is a story of encounters.
Two friends who cherish the wild and irresponsible idea of being part of the exclusive circle of Swiss watchmakers.
A simple idea at first sight, reflecting their life philosophy.
The idea to offer something beautiful at the best price for as many people as possible. An intimate, ecumenical project driven by absolute sincerity.
A path of life.
THREE FOUNDERS
lain Marhic and Joseph Chatel, friends of 35 years, brainstormed this irrational idea that they could add a new French piece to the highly coded and locked global watchmaking puzzle. Drawing on his experience in the watch industry at the renowned Quiksilver Surf brand, Alain went back to the Vallée de Joux to refine his refined timepieces knowledge. He asked Jérôme Mage ( creator of the amazing eyewear brand Jacques Marie Mage) to join the adventure as the creative director, and his friend Joseph to oversee the financial strategy of their new venture. It was 2009, and March LA.B was born. "March" for the month of March, dear to the founders, and "LA.B" an acronym for Los Angeles and Biarritz, the cities where the three founding partners reside.
CHAPTER 1 & 2...
Two years of research and development later, the first March LA.B watches, aptly named AM1, JC1, and JM1 like the initials of the three founders, entered the market in 2011. These watches were refined, with a bold style inspired by the 70’s, offered at a more affordable price than those from major manufacturers. They weren't a “ photocopy ” of the past but contemporary objects of proven modernity. Five years later, in 2013, the shift to French manufacturing began with the assembly of watches as well as the straps production in Franche-Comté.
CHAPTER 3...
For the past two years, Swiss movements used in the watches have been fully assembled by highly skilled watchmakers in Besançon before being fitted into March LA.B timepieces. The house philosophy is upheld; to be as French as possible, as far as possible...
Today, fourteen years after its inception, March LA.B can proudly claim recognition from its peers, represented by the best watchmakers in every major city in France. This recognition is owed to our unique style coupled with high-end quality, our iconoclastic watchmaking approach, and the genuine closeness tinged with great humanity that we share with our earliest reseller partners from the start.
The adventure goes on...
THE LA.B
March LA.B roots are both French and Californian.
LA for Los Angeles where our founding partner and design director Jérôme MAGE is based.
B for Biarritz, city where Alain MARHIC established himself 25 years ago as well as Joseph CHATEL, the two other founding partners and friends. The LA.B is an Atlanticist journey through space and time.
Los Angeles, which is probably the “coolest” city in the world, where boardriding cultures (surfing and skateboarding) were born, first witness of the 60s / 70s design revolution found in the mid-century houses, the Eames furniture and other fast Ford Mustangs back driven by Inspector Frank Bullitt…
Biarritz, a French and historical famous worldwide city that has welcomed Napoleon 3, Eugénie de Montejo, Coco Chanel, Jeanne Lanvin, Vassily Kandisnky and a lot of other emblematic influent figures to enjoy “ La grande plage” waves bathing of this charming and trendy seaside town. The LA.B that we add to our name is a subtle addition of these two different cultures. This is the spirit of March; Simply elegant and always cool.
MORE WITH LESS
Our "More with less" is a Mantra twist of the famous BAHAUS school that changed the architectural and design world in the 1930s.
A school of brilliant thoughts that changed the world, pretending that simplicity was the true creation strength ! The famous "Less is more".
In that respect of the BAUHAUS, our "More with less" approach is an intimate desire to offer more with less;
More strength with less frills.
More beauty with less complexity.
More quality with less budget.
And above all, more emotion with less show off...
Antoine de Saint Exupéry has written about the Aeropostale planes shapes in "Terres des Hommes";
" It seems that perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away".
THE GREEN LINE
March LA.B’s « Green Line » is a green signature that is omnipresent through subtle details. The green number 3 on our custom date reminds us of the brand’s founders’ favourite month. The green lining of the bracelets, stitched with our emblema- tic green colour. The luminous green « skeleton » case back on the automatic versions. The emerald green interior of our travel case... This « Green Line » extends the « design repertoire » that we have developed to identify our time- pieces through precise and redundant aesthetic codes: The crown and its guilloche patterns fol- lowing the intertwined lines of our brand’s « M » always at 4 o’clock, the dials without numbers with chiselled or even notched indexes, the Seventies typography of the date, the raised curved glass, the omnipresent angles on the invariably poli- shed-brushed cases... All of these aesthetic and chromatic codes, to discover intimately, shape the common thread of March LA.B watches, which leads straight to the heart.
LE MANTRA DE MARCH LA.B
“Love is something that you can leave behind you when you die. It’s that powerful.”
John Fire Lame Deer.
MONTRES FRANÇAISES
RETOURS ET ÉCHANGES GRATUITS
GARANTIE INTERNATIONALE DE 2 ANS
