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Watches and cars…the two clearly go hand in hand. Masculine, stylish, luxurious and powered by mechanical wonders, they might be very different in scale and purpose, but they have a lot in common. Though while watches describe one’s personal style, cars often describe a larger cultural aesthetic. As such, it’s no surpirse that watch brands often take inspiration directly from car design. Whether in literal design elements, the general feeling or the functionality of a watch, cars have had a direct influence on the history of watch design. Think chronographs, rally straps, tachymeter bezels, bull-heads, etc…The new March LA.B AM3 Shelby Cobra 50th Anniversary edition is not only a watch whose essential design is inspired by classic cars, it’s a tribute to one of the most famous and gorgeous cars ever made.
The AM3 line by March LA.B is a series of vintage inspired watches with a bold masculine edge that is owed to the bulky and aggressive lines of classic muscle cars. 38mm barrel shaped cases with wide beveled edges enwrap stark dials with chunky applied markers, and a dark masculine aesthetic. Finishing off the watches are a series of remarkably well considered details, such as the highly textured crown at 4, green on black date wheel, domed sapphire crystal, green display case back and a highly decorated rotor. Inside is a trust-worthy ETA 2892-A 21-jewel automatic. Coming in at $999, the price is as impressive as the looks.
For the 50th anniversary of the famous Cobra CSX2000, Shelby is releasing a special edition of 50 cars, the CSX8000, with the same design as the original. In honor of this, March LA.B has collaborated with Shelby on this highly limited edition of the AM3 that has styling based on the re-released Cobra. The details of the watch include a DLC black case, a red on black date, red seconds, a gold Cobra logo on the dial as well as screened on the sapphire display case back and a French made genuine perforated Alligator strap, with a black surface and red interior. The mix of the strong lines of the AM3 case, dense black of the DLC and the punctuations of red and gold make for a watch that is fierce, yet sophisticated enough to pay homage to the Cobra.
Matching both the year and the edition of cars, there will only be 50 AM3 50th Anniversary Shelby Cobra watches released worldwide, making them just about as rare as the car itself. This special edition also comes with a numbered wood dashboard replica, leather pouch and a special Shelby booklet. Reflecting the exclusivity and higher-end materials in play, the price of this edition is $2,999. While much more than the original price, considering many brands would charge more than 3K for a watch with these credentials to begin with, the price is not too outlandish.
by Zach Weiss
