Le Jour Takes You Back to the 1970s with the New Hammerhead Diver

Le Jour, a brand once killed off during the quartz crisis, and relaunched in recent years, has introduced their newest watch, the Hammerhead. Like other watches launched by the brand since reforming, the Hammerhead takes its cues from the heyday of 1970s sports watches, with plenty of color and funk in a watch that has the specs to compete with much more expensive watches, but doesn’t take itself too seriously. We obviously see a lot of vintage inspired watches here at Worn & Wound, but there’s something a little different about this type of strategy when it’s from a brand with actual roots in the time period the contemporary watch is inspired by.

Le Jour Hammerhead

• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Dial: Black, blue, gray, green
• Dimensions: 42 x 14 x 48mm
• Crystal: Sapphire      
• Water Resistance: 200 meters 
• Crown: Screw down                 
• Movement: ETA 2824
• Strap/bracelet: Stainless steel   
• Price: $800 
• Reference Number: n/a
• Expected Release: Available now 

The Hammerhead is a dive watch with a cushion case, a style that is seeing a surge of new interest recently. The 42mm case is crafted from stainless steel and measures 48mm lug to lug, which is something of a magic number that fits a variety of wrist sizes well, and can prove to have a real presence in watch of this genre, with a thickness and heft to it. Finishing is a combination of satin brushing and high polish, and the watch is secured to the wrist with an Oyster style stainless steel bracelet that feels like the right choice for a watch that’s trying to remind us of the 70s. 

While the case certainly appears to be nicely made and is a faithful recreation of the popular style of the time, the real draw of the Hammerheads seen here are the colorful dials. Available in black, blue, gray, and green, each dial features a contrasting color in the first quarter of the minutes track, creating just a hint of asymmetry and allowing for some really pleasing combinations. The gray dial with a blue accent is a personal favorite, and feels like a somewhat more modern interpretation of the style, while the black and red is completely classic, and could easily have been used on a vintage Le Jour in the 70s. Square, lume filled hour markers circle the dial just inside the minutes track, and a bezel with a ceramic insert is also lumed, a feature I absolutely love to see on a watch at this price point. 

On the technical side, the Hammerhead is rated to 200 meters of water resistance, shows the date at 3:00, and is powered by an ETA 2824 movement. Obviously, this is an incredibly reliable movement that is often used in watches far more expensive than the sub $1000 Hammerhead, but this likely  isn’t a watch for movement nerds anway. This one is all about recreating that very specific 70s look, with a name on the dial that has been around for a while. 

At $800, Le Jour is offering a watch with a lot of character and style at a competitive price point. Critics and cynics might complain that brands like Le Jour being reconstituted after many years represents some kind of money grab for entrepreneurs looking to get into the world of small brand watchmaking, which is certainly on the rise. But as our review of an earlier “new” Le Jour showed, the new owners seem to have the best intentions and want to put out a quality product. The Hammerhead might be a contemporary invention, but for many there’s still a ton of appeal in having something really well made in a vintage style with the name of a heritage brand on the dial. Le Jour