The must-have Macro Loupe for all watch lovers

Iconic watch art prints. Made in Switzerland, lifetime guarantee

My story is that of a motorsport fanatic who extended his passion to watches with a Depancel Pista GT. Its design inspired by racing cars makes it a remarkable piece because it is very close to the attributes that I like in racing cars. Before choosing, I looked at a few other brands inspired by cars or racing such as BRM, Reservoir or Autodromo and I decided on the Pista GT which was the one that most resembles my aspirations: fairing look, black case like the tires and visible caliber like the linkage of an engine. Every time I wear this watch, I feel transported to the world of motor racing at Spa at Le Mans or Laguna Seca for fans of California. I find - on a very personal level - that it goes beyond the status of an accessory to become a real extension of my passion for speed and adrenaline... All at a sweet price of €1250! Thank you Dialicious for this opportunity to tell my story of Depancel 🙏

Vroom...

Depancel is a watch brand founded in 2018 in France by engineer Cl&eacute;ment Meynier, with the declared ambition to unite automotive culture and watchmaking know-how. Born within a community of enthusiasts, it offers sporty watches and chronographs with a road-inspired aesthetic, meant for daily wear as much as for weekend drives, with a direct-to-consumer approach and a catalogue that evolves through successive releases.
<h3>From engineering to the dashboard: a 100% automotive DNA</h3>
The name &ldquo;Depancel&rdquo; blends three French automotive legends&mdash;Delage, Panhard, Facel Vega&mdash;and encapsulates the brand&rsquo;s obsession with expressive mechanics; it&rsquo;s a three-syllable manifesto that sets the tone. The founder&rsquo;s path, from engineering to watchmaking training, informs a design language of &ldquo;road&rdquo; textures, positive-action pushers and signal colours, with orange often acting as the starting flag.
This identity reads across cases and dials alike: radiator-grille reliefs, understated bezels, high-contrast markers and strap stitching reminiscent of upholstery; the watch becomes an extension of the dashboard, readable at a glance. The stance avoids decorative excess in favour of a &ldquo;driving feel&rdquo;: clarity, wrist stability and immediate functionality.
<h3>Allure, S&eacute;rie-R, D[r]iver: families and use-cases</h3>
The range is structured around two complementary pillars&mdash;round Allure and shaped S&eacute;rie-R&mdash;supplemented by more specialised offshoots (D[r]iver, Autosport, limited runs); together they form a short, coherent line-up for motoring aficionados. Allure speaks the 1960s&ndash;70s chronograph dialect&mdash;tachymeter scales, mushroom pushers, perforated straps&mdash;while S&eacute;rie-R embraces a softened-edge rectangular silhouette directly echoing classic radiator grilles.
<ul>
<li>Depancel Allure Chronograph MecaQ &mdash; compact seventies vibe, mecaquartz drive for snappy everyday timing.</li>
<li>Depancel Allure Automatic Chronograph &mdash; bolder format with a Swiss automatic engine, a track-ready chrono.</li>
<li>Depancel S&eacute;rie R01 &mdash; shaped case inspired by vintage grilles, calendar display and instrument-like legibility.</li>
<li>Depancel Pista Offroad &mdash; a more &ldquo;adventurous&rdquo; riff on the racing theme, textured details and rally spirit.</li>
<li>Depancel D[r]iver &mdash; pilot-inspired three-hander, conceived as a straightforward daily tool-watch.</li>
</ul>
Each family branches into restrained colours (blue, ivory, panda, black) with occasional orange &ldquo;chequered flag&rdquo; accents; the aim is to offer distinct configurations without losing the brand&rsquo;s signature. Special editions play with material cues (box crystals, perforated leather, brushed/polished steel) to shift the wrist feel.
<h3>Assembly in France, movements and finishing</h3>
Depancel designs, assembles and quality-checks its watches in France, relying on selected industrial partners and local assembly; this footprint helps to control quality and after-sales. Movement choices span mecaquartz (crisp actuation, accuracy and simple upkeep), hand-wound chronographs derived from the ST19 lineage (revisiting &ldquo;column-wheel&rdquo; charm) and Swiss automatic calibres for higher-grade pieces.
Finishing is purpose-driven: box-type sapphire crystals, generously lumed applied markers, mushroom pushers, display backs on automatic models, and leather straps with racing upholstery cues; the goal is a technical object first, a decorative one second. Some references adopt solid-link integrated steel bracelets designed to follow the wrist&rsquo;s curve while keeping the &ldquo;instrument&rdquo; feel.
<h3>Pricing, DTC model and warranty</h3>
True to its community roots, the brand first emerged via crowdfunding before consolidating a primarily direct online distribution with a few specialist partners; this model trims intermediaries and clarifies price positioning. Depending on line and movement, you&rsquo;ll find very accessible mecaquartz entries, competitively-priced hand-wound chronographs and higher-positioned automatic chronographs in line with their componentry.
Current offers highlight worldwide shipping, easy returns and multi-year warranty coverage&mdash;reassuring signals for remote purchases; this service environment is part of the perceived-value equation. In terms of buyer profiles, Depancel attracts both &ldquo;daily drivers&rdquo; seeking a reliable tool and connoisseurs of old-school racing chronographs.
<h3>Which model for which wrist? Selection advice</h3>
Start with your main use: spirited driving and weekends, dynamic office wear, or a themed &ldquo;racing chrono&rdquo; collection; then judge your tolerance for diameter and lug-to-lug length. Allure suits wrists that enjoy 1970s roundness, while S&eacute;rie-R appeals to those who favour shaped cases with strong personality. An integrated steel bracelet adds presence; a perforated leather strap lightens the feel and boosts the cockpit vibe.
<ul>
<li>For a snappy, lightweight daily: Depancel Allure Chronograph MecaQ in a compact format.</li>
<li>For mechanical depth and a fuller sports-chrono experience: Depancel Allure Automatic Chronograph.</li>
<li>For assertive geometry and clean, instrument-grade legibility: Depancel S&eacute;rie R01.</li>
<li>For a more off-road/rally register: Depancel Pista Offroad.</li>
<li>For a pilot-leaning, three-hand tool watch: Depancel D[r]iver.</li>
</ul>
Before purchasing, check thickness (shirt-cuff clearance), pusher ergonomics and colour balance against your wardrobe; on the wrist, a Depancel convinces when it &ldquo;disappears&rdquo; into your gestures like a good steering wheel. If torn between two sizes, try the more compact option: motoring aesthetics often gain elegance as footprint shrinks.
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
Depancel targets enthusiasts who want a characterful sports watch powered by genuine automotive culture and built for real-world use. Its signature&mdash;racing cues, at-a-glance legibility, pragmatic finishing&mdash;makes it instantly identifiable, in both round (Allure) and shaped (S&eacute;rie-R) guises. To decide, begin with your use-case, wrist, and desired dose of &ldquo;mechanical feel.&rdquo; To compare promise with long-term impressions, rely on Dialicious customer reviews. This experience compass will help you pick the right configuration and the right engine.
Check out the <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/top/the_best_brands_of_motor_sports_watches">Ranking of the best watch brands inspired by motorports</a>, including Depancel.
(Updated September 2025)

A lifelong watch lover, I was looking for a quality automatic to wear every day. If possible, made in France.

After being exposed to the launch campaign on social media, it was in pre-order in the summer of 2021 that I was tempted by this P model, Pista GT.

Delivered in bulky, slightly outdated packaging, the watch itself looks great.

Despite a somewhat large-looking case, the watch on the wrist is still quite thin, very comfortable to wear. Its beautifully crafted black leather strap is perforated, stitched with red thread, and optionally equipped with a 22mm folding clasp.

While many codes from motorsport adorn it (red stitching on the strap, red edging on the crown, graduation like the red zone of a rev counter), the design of the Pista GT is balanced and remains elegant. The sporty details can be appreciated by looking at it closely, which makes it less flashy than many models of the same kind.

Its 42mm steel case equipped with an anti-reflective sapphire crystal is highlighted by a black PVD coated, notched outline, with the appearance of a sports tire. Within it, a skeleton dial reminiscent of a supercar rim and its brake disc.

On the mechanical side, it is powered by a Swiss automatic movement (STP - caliber 6-15) with a 44-hour reserve, whose witness is judiciously placed in the location of the 'brake disc'.

After a year, this Pista GT continues to proudly wear it on my wrist daily, without sparing it: as a biker, it endures the ravages of the weather....

In addition to a very good quality-price ratio, I do not regret this purchase at any time. The quality of assembly and the finishing details even impressed a friend working in Swiss precision watchmaking, a guarantee of quality.

The only defect due to wear is at the level of the leather loops which are starting to split.

Pista GT, elegant and sporty.

Passionate about F1, it was through a LucasParleF1 competition that I discovered the Depancel brand and the Pista GT.

With the appearance of a sports watch, its finesse allows it to keep a classy look, associated with its sobriety and the combination of black and red make this watch a watch that can be worn every day.
The shape of the dial is reminiscent of the rim of a hypercar like a Lamborghini or Pagani Zonta

a sports car wheel in a watch

Atelier Jalaper est une marque horlog&egrave;re franco-belge fond&eacute;e en 2019 par Louis Jalaber et Simon Szleper. Elle se distingue par une approche unique qui fusionne l'horlogerie traditionnelle avec l'h&eacute;ritage automobile en int&eacute;grant des &eacute;l&eacute;ments authentiques de voitures l&eacute;gendaires dans ses montres.
<h3>Origines et Fondation</h3>
Louis Jalaber et Simon Szleper se sont rencontr&eacute;s lors de leurs &eacute;tudes &agrave; l'ESCP Europe, partageant une passion commune pour l'horlogerie et l'automobile. Leur ambition &eacute;tait de cr&eacute;er une montre qui ne se contenterait pas de s'inspirer du design automobile, mais qui int&eacute;grerait v&eacute;ritablement une partie de l'histoire automobile. Cette vision les a conduits &agrave; fonder Atelier Jalaper en 2019.
<h3>Concept et Philosophie</h3>
La philosophie d'Atelier Jalaper repose sur l'id&eacute;e de donner une nouvelle vie &agrave; des voitures embl&eacute;matiques en les int&eacute;grant dans des montres de haute qualit&eacute;. Chaque garde-temps est con&ccedil;u avec des cadrans fabriqu&eacute;s &agrave; partir de pi&egrave;ces authentiques de voitures l&eacute;gendaires, offrant ainsi aux passionn&eacute;s une connexion tangible avec l'histoire automobile.
<h3>Collections et Mod&egrave;les</h3>
Collection DB5
La premi&egrave;re collection d'Atelier Jalaper rend hommage &agrave; l'Aston Martin DB5, une ic&ocirc;ne des ann&eacute;es 1960. Les cadrans de ces montres sont d&eacute;coup&eacute;s dans le capot en aluminium d'une v&eacute;ritable DB5, conf&eacute;rant &agrave; chaque pi&egrave;ce une patine unique. La collection comprend quatre mod&egrave;les :
<ul>
<li>AJ001-S : Mod&egrave;le avec affichage de la date, bo&icirc;tier en acier inoxydable</li>
<li>AJ001-B : Version avec bo&icirc;tier en PVD noir</li>
<li>AJ002-S : Mod&egrave;le avec affichage du jour et de la date, bo&icirc;tier en acier inoxydable</li>
<li>AJ002-B : Version avec bo&icirc;tier en PVD noir</li>
</ul>
Ces montres sont &eacute;quip&eacute;es de mouvements automatiques Miyota, offrant une r&eacute;serve de marche de 42 heures.
Collection Miura
La deuxi&egrave;me collection s'inspire de la Lamborghini Miura, souvent consid&eacute;r&eacute;e comme la premi&egrave;re supercar au monde. Les cadrans sont fabriqu&eacute;s &agrave; partir de pi&egrave;ces authentiques de la Miura, et la collection propose plusieurs variantes :
<ul>
<li>AJ-P400-V : Version avec r&eacute;haut vert</li>
<li>AJ-P400-N : Version avec r&eacute;haut noir</li>
<li>AJ-P400-O : Version avec r&eacute;haut orange</li>
<li>AJ-P400-B : Version avec r&eacute;haut bleu</li>
</ul>
Ces mod&egrave;les sont anim&eacute;s par des mouvements &agrave; remontage manuel Sellita SW270-1 M, offrant une r&eacute;serve de marche d'environ 45 heures.
Collection Jaguar Type E
La troisi&egrave;me collection s'inspire de la Jaguar Type E, l'une des autos les plus reconnaissables entre toutes. Les cadrans sont fabriqu&eacute;s &agrave; partir de pi&egrave;ces authentiques d'une Jaguar Type E semi-lightweight de 1962, et la collection propose deux variantes :
<ul>
<li>AJ-003-B : Version au cadran stri&eacute;</li>
<li>AJ-003-W : Version au cadran noir anodis&eacute;</li>
</ul>
Ces mod&egrave;les sont anim&eacute;s par des mouvements &agrave; remontage automatique Sellita SW300-1, offrant une r&eacute;serve de marche d'environ 42 heures.
<h3>Processus de Fabrication et Savoir-Faire</h3>
Atelier Jalaper collabore avec des artisans et des experts horlogers bas&eacute;s &agrave; La Chaux-de-Fonds, en Suisse, pour assurer une qualit&eacute; exceptionnelle. Le processus de fabrication implique une d&eacute;coupe pr&eacute;cise des pi&egrave;ces automobiles pour cr&eacute;er des cadrans uniques, suivie d'un assemblage minutieux pour garantir la fiabilit&eacute; et l'esth&eacute;tique de chaque montre.
<h3>Engagement envers l'Authenticit&eacute; et l'Innovation</h3>
La marque s'engage &agrave; pr&eacute;server l'authenticit&eacute; des mat&eacute;riaux utilis&eacute;s tout en innovant dans le design et la fonctionnalit&eacute;. Chaque montre est num&eacute;rot&eacute;e et porte en elle l'&acirc;me de la voiture dont elle est issue, offrant aux collectionneurs et aux passionn&eacute;s une pi&egrave;ce de l'histoire automobile &agrave; leur poignet.
<h3>R&eacute;ception et Perspectives d'Avenir</h3>
Depuis son lancement, Atelier Jalaper a re&ccedil;u des retours positifs pour son concept novateur et la qualit&eacute; de ses montres. La marque continue d'explorer de nouvelles collaborations avec des voitures l&eacute;gendaires, &eacute;largissant ainsi sa collection et renfor&ccedil;ant sa position unique &agrave; l'intersection de l'horlogerie et de l'automobile.
En conclusion, Atelier Jalaper se distingue par sa capacit&eacute; &agrave; fusionner l'art horloger avec l'h&eacute;ritage automobile, cr&eacute;ant des montres qui racontent une histoire unique et offrent une exp&eacute;rience &eacute;motionnelle aux passionn&eacute;s des deux univers.
Inspirez-vous des avis clients Dialicious pour choisir la montre Atelier Jalaper qui vous convient le mieux. D&eacute;couvrez &eacute;galement le <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/top/les_meilleures_marques_de_montres_de_sports_mecaniques">classement des marques de montres inspir&eacute;es du sport automobile</a>.
(Mise &agrave; jour Mars 2025)

Atelier Jalaper is a Franco-Belgian watch brand founded in 2019 by Louis Jalaber and Simon Szleper. It is distinguished by a unique approach that merges traditional watchmaking with automotive heritage by integrating authentic elements of legendary cars into its watches.
<h3 dir="ltr">Origins and Foundation</h3>
Louis Jalaber and Simon Szleper met during their studies at ESCP Europe, sharing a common passion for watchmaking and automobiles. Their ambition was to create a watch that would not only be inspired by automotive design, but would truly incorporate a part of automotive history. This vision led them to found Atelier Jalaper in 2019.
<h3 dir="ltr">Concept and Philosophy</h3>
Atelier Jalaper's philosophy is based on the idea of ​​giving new life to iconic cars by integrating them into high-quality watches. Each timepiece is designed with dials made from authentic parts from legendary cars, providing enthusiasts with a tangible connection to automotive history.
<h3 dir="ltr">Collections and Models</h3>
Collection DB5
Atelier Jalaper's first collection pays homage to the Aston Martin DB5, an icon of the 1960s. The dials of these watches are cut from the aluminum cover of a real DB5, giving each piece a unique patina. The collection includes four models:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
AJ001-S: Model with date display, stainless steel case
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
AJ001-B:&nbsp;Version with black PVD case
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
AJ002-S: Model with day and date display, stainless steel case
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
AJ002-B: Version with black PVD case
</li>
</ul>
These watches are equipped with Miyota automatic movements, offering a power reserve of 42 hours.
Collection Miura
The second collection is inspired by the Lamborghini Miura, often considered the world's first supercar. The dials are made from authentic Miura parts, and the collection offers several variations:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
AJ-P400-V: Version with green flange
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
AJ-P400-N: Version with black flange
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
AJ-P400-O: Version with orange flange
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
AJ-P400-B: Version with blue flange
</li>
</ul>
These models are powered by Sellita SW270-1 M hand-wound movements, offering a power reserve of approximately 45 hours.
Jaguar E-Type Collection
The third collection is inspired by the Jaguar E-Type, one of the most recognizable cars of all. The dials are made from genuine parts from a 1962&nbsp;Jaguar E-Type semi-lightweight, and the collection offers two variants:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
AJ-003-B: Version with vertically brushed dial
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
AJ-003-W: Version with black anodized dial
</li>
</ul>
These models are driven by Sellita SW300-1 self-winding movements, offering a power reserve of approximately 42 hours.
<h3 dir="ltr">Manufacturing Process and Know-How</h3>
Atelier Jalaper collaborates with artisans and watchmaking experts based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, to ensure exceptional quality. The manufacturing process involves precise cutting of automotive parts to create unique dials, followed by careful assembly to ensure the reliability and aesthetics of each watch.
<h3 dir="ltr">Commitment to Authenticity and Innovation</h3>
The brand is committed to preserving the authenticity of the materials used while innovating in design and functionality. Each watch is numbered and carries within it the soul of the car from which it comes, offering collectors and enthusiasts a piece of automotive history on their wrist.
<h3 dir="ltr">Reception and Future Prospects</h3>
Since its launch, Atelier Jalaper has received positive feedback for its innovative concept and the quality of its watches. The brand continues to explore new collaborations with legendary cars, expanding its collection and strengthening its unique position at the intersection of watchmaking and automobiles.&nbsp;In conclusion, Atelier Jalaper stands out for its ability to merge the art of watchmaking with automotive heritage, creating watches that tell a unique story and offer an emotional experience to enthusiasts of both worlds.
Take inspiration from Dialicious customer reviews to choose the Atelier Jalaper watch that suits you best. Also discover the <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/top/the_best_brands_of_motor_sports_watches">ranking of watch brands inspired by motorsport</a>.
(Updated March 2025)

Depancel Pista GT Owner Review : Aggressive, enthralling and spicy

Vroom...

Where to buy your Depancel?

YOU ARE :

Customize your Depancel with our selection of accessories:

Eagle Eye Watches

Iconic Switzerland