Latest Review
October 3, 2024 
Los Angeles, California instantly conjures images of sea, sun, and starlets. However L.A. is also a treasure trove of architectural gems, many of which have become icons of both film, design, and culture. Many of these buildings were either designed during or heavily influenced by the Art Deco movement of the 1920s and ‘30s.
March LA.B is a French watch company that’s deeply inspired by the design cues emanating from Southern California in the early 20th century—specifically in Los Angeles—hence the “LA” embedded within their name. Their watch design nods to the great architectural icons built during this booming area oozing with style, sophistication, and a certain je ne sais quoi.
We took March LA.B’s newest model, the AM2 GMT, along for the ride while photographing three of L.A.’s most iconic Art Deco architectural gems, the Los Angeles Central Library, the CalEdison Building, and the Griffith Observatory. Coming all the way from Biarritz, France (a.k.a. the B in their name), the AM2 GMT was created to be an ideal companion for both cross-continental travel and curated urban exploration.
Opened in 1926, the L.A.’s Central Library was the last work of the major American architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue. It is an Art Deco masterpiece that alludes to Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine, as well as Spanish colonial styles. The Central Library represents both the cultural achievements and the historical developments of the City of Los Angeles. The library creates a sense of space in the downtown area and bolsters its unique identity.
This fourteen-story steel-framed building, originally completed in 1931 as the CalEdison headquarters, follows classic Art Deco design cues. On the façade, the spandrels contain a cubic pattern, repeated in the central tower, lobby floor and elevator ceilings. On the entry façade, allegorical figures by sculptor Merrell Gage represent CalEdison’s focus on light, power, and energy. Now the headquarters of the Torrey Pines Bank, its purposefully harsh outer edges and angles famously contrast light and shadow when shot in just the right light.
Star of both science and the silver screen, the Griffith Observatory was completed in 1935. The building design is identified as Art Deco with both Modern and Modified Greek influences and Beaux-Arts influences. Its exterior reflects a wide range of detail, including the Greek key pattern cast directly into the concrete, the elegant bronze and glass on the main entrance doors, the decorative metal window grilles, and copper-covered domes intended to convey a sense of monumentality and importance, consistent with its cosmic purpose.
Unlike the vast majority of travel watches, the AM2 takes the illustrious La Joux-Perret G110 automatic ‘caller’ GMT movement and houses it in March LA.B’s architecturally-inspired square shaped 39mm case. This creates an absolutely unique 24-hour track that interacts wonderfully with their etched GMT fourth hand. This etching clearly reflects classic Art Deco detailing, which is also repeated on the grip of its screw-down crown, the custom rotor of its 68-hour power reserve movement, and even on the texture of the bespoke rubber strap. Its signature baton markers frame a textured green or black dial that contrasts its forked minute and hour hands. Together, this package feels all-at-once both classic and contemporary, both modern and maximalist.
The March LA.B AM2 GMT is designed to exist in a crossover universe where California design meets French taste and sensibilities. It’s a travel companion that inspires urban explorers to look up and soak in the design details around them. The Art Deco movement was characterized by boldly creating anti-traditional elegance and turning architecture into fashion. The AM2 GMT’s design urges you to leave well-trodden paths to seek and rediscover iconic environments that elevate your state of mind. March LA.B knows well that by looking back, you can see a new future.
SPECIFICATIONS
- 39 mm Square 316L Steel Case
- 12.5 mm Thick
- 22 mm Lug Width
- Automatic GMT Caliber La Joux-Perret G110
- 68 hours of Power Reserve
- Textured Dial
- Green Signature GMT Hand
- Customized Date Wheel
- Domed Sapphire Crystal
- Anti-reflective Treatment
- Screw-down Crown
- 10 ATM/100M Water Resistance
