March LA.B Watches: French Watch Design with LA Attitude!
The French microbrand scene is having something of a moment right now. In fact, if microbrand media sites were fashion runways, the French would currently be strutting down them with the confidence of someone who knows their espresso is stronger and their jackets fit better.
And honestly, we’re not complaining.
There’s a genuine resurgence in French design at the moment. It’s confident, slightly rebellious, and just polished enough to remind everyone that the French have been doing “effortless style” long before the rest of us worked out how to tie a scarf properly. Naturally, that attitude has started creeping into the watch world as well.
One brand we’ve had quietly sitting on our radar for a while is March LA.B.
The name itself already tells you a lot about the brand’s personality. “March” is the founders’ favourite month, a time associated with renewal and fresh starts, while “LA.B” reflects the slightly unlikely partnership between Los Angeles and Biarritz. One brings Californian sunshine and surf culture, the other brings French design sensibility and a certain refusal to take life too seriously.
The result is a brand that feels very different from the traditional Swiss crowd, who, let’s be honest, sometimes look like they’ve been wearing the same grey suit since 1954.
Founded in 2009 by three friends with a shared love of watches, cars and surf culture, March LA.B has always leaned heavily into retro design. Many of their watches feel like they could have been spotted on the wrist of a film director in the 1970s, possibly while leaning against a Porsche somewhere on the Côte d’Azur.
But importantly, they stop short of simply reissuing vintage ideas. Instead, they take those bold shapes and reinterpret them using modern materials and movements, giving the watches a sense of nostalgia without feeling like they’re stuck in a time capsule.
That philosophy is perhaps best captured by the AM2, a model that has quietly become one of the brand’s signature pieces and one that proves the 1970s still had a few good ideas left in it.
The AM2 Nyctalope Carbon: A Watch That Comes Alive at Night
The AM2 Automatique “Nyctalope” Carbon – Millésime March 2026 is not a subtle watch. And frankly, it has absolutely no interest in being one.
The AM2 has always carried a strong 1970s personality, thanks largely to its angular octagonal case and bold architectural lines. It is the sort of design that looks like it belongs on the wrist of someone driving a vintage sports car along the coast somewhere, preferably with the window down and questionable sunglasses firmly in place.
The Millésime March 2026 edition pushes that character a step further by introducing a forged carbon case infused with green fibres. The material creates a marbled texture across the surface, meaning no two cases are exactly the same. It also happens to be incredibly light and impressively tough, which is always reassuring when a watch leans this far into sporty territory.
Then there is the dial. March LA.B has something of a well-known fondness for the colour green, and the AM2 Nyctalope fully embraces that obsession. Beneath the crystal sits a textured dial inspired by the woven pattern found on the brand’s French-made jacquard straps. It adds depth without being overly busy, allowing the large applied indices to do most of the talking.
Those indices, incidentally, are carved from solid blocks of Super-LumiNova, which brings us neatly to the name. “Nyctalope” is a French term for someone who can see clearly in the dark, and the watch leans fully into that idea. When the lights go down, the dial lights up with an intensity that borders on theatrical. It is the sort of lume that makes you glance at your wrist purely for the fun of it.
Powering the watch is the La Joux-Perret G100 automatic movement, offering a comfortable 68-hour power reserve and the kind of dependable Swiss engineering you would expect beneath a design-led exterior.
The final twist is that the watch is limited to just 169 pieces. Which means it will likely disappear quietly onto collectors’ wrists long before most people realise it was ever available.
The Belza Titanium: Understated, But Not Ordinary
If the AM2 Nyctalope is the loud one in the room, the Belza Titanium is the one quietly standing at the bar, looking effortlessly well put together. It takes a slightly more restrained approach, but that restraint is exactly what gives the watch its charm.
The Belza collection sits on the more elegant side of the March LA.B catalogue, with a smoother case profile and a dial layout that feels a touch more refined. But the brand’s DNA is still unmistakably present. The proportions are carefully balanced, the design feels deliberate, and there is still just enough personality to remind you this is not another anonymous sports watch.
The use of titanium is the key detail here. Not only does it make the watch noticeably lighter than its steel counterparts, but it also gives the case a soft matte finish that feels quietly modern. Titanium has a way of looking good without trying too hard, which happens to be exactly the sort of aesthetic the Belza seems to be going for.
The result is a watch that works remarkably well as a daily companion. It has enough presence to feel interesting on the wrist, but never crosses the line into trying too hard to get noticed. Like many of March LA.B’s designs, it walks a very comfortable line between vintage inspiration and contemporary engineering. The finishing is sharp, the proportions feel modern, and the movement inside delivers the kind of reliability you expect from a serious mechanical watch.
In short, it is the sort of watch that quietly grows on you. The longer you wear it, the more you realise just how well it sits between sport and refinement.
Why March LA.B Is Worth Watching
One of the more refreshing things about March LA.B is how confidently the brand sticks to its own identity. In a market where many microbrands seem to chase whatever trend happens to be fashionable that month, March LA.B has spent the last decade refining a design language that feels distinctly its own. Strong geometric cases, a clear love of green dials, and a playful blend of French creativity with Swiss watchmaking discipline run through the entire collection.
The result is a catalogue that feels cohesive. You can usually spot a March LA.B watch from across the room, which is more than can be said for many watches currently fighting for attention in the same price bracket, and in an industry where many pieces are beginning to look suspiciously similar, that kind of recognisable character is becoming increasingly rare.
Winding Things Up
The AM2 Nyctalope Carbon and the Belza Titanium represent two very different sides of the March LA.B personality. One leans into bold materials, strong colours and a dial that glows like a small lighthouse once the sun goes down. The other takes a more refined route, offering a lightweight titanium case and a design that quietly earns its place on the wrist over time.
Both, however, capture the essence of the brand perfectly. These are watches that respect vintage inspiration but are not afraid to experiment with modern materials and design, and in a watch world that occasionally takes itself a little too seriously, that slightly rebellious spirit is rather refreshing.
If you find yourself wandering the halls of the next watch event or scrolling through the endless sea of Swiss releases, March LA.B is a brand well worth keeping on your radar. Just don’t be surprised if you walk away with a sudden and entirely unexpected appreciation for green dials.
Credit all images - March LA.B
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