The must-have Macro Loupe for all watch lovers

This watch is, first and foremost, a superb souvenir brought back from Japan.

I was immediately captivated by its bronze case, the textured cream dial, and the overall comfort of the watch, which fits snugly on the wrist. It's slightly thick, but the overall proportions are perfect, in my opinion.

The bronze has patinated beautifully: the watch is much more beautiful than when I bought it, and its retro appearance is enhanced.
The Seiko NH35 mechanism doesn't perform miracles of precision, but it's very decent and robust.

There are a few minor design flaws, however, in my opinion:
- The included straps aren't exceptional, and the shiny gold PVD coating on the buckles no longer works once the watch has patinated;
- The same goes for the treatment of the hands; they should have been brushed, or even a matte steel one would work better than these gold PVD hands; depending on the lighting, this can sometimes be a bit of a shame.

I easily fixed the strap issue: the watch works wonderfully with an Erika parachute strap and its bronze buckle, the perfect match.

Retro charm

I really like the small seconds dial of this watch, with its large aperture, its retro look, and the font. The dial isn't a stark black, but a very dark shade of gray and brown, which pairs very well with fonts and all kinds of leather straps.

But what really stands out about this watch is its lightness (24g), its thinness (7.3mm), and the compact lug width (42mm). However, it fits very well on the wrist with the large dial aperture (very thin bezel).
Once on the wrist, it's impressive and extremely comfortable: you quickly forget it's there; it feels like a second skin.

Of course, this comes at the cost of limited water resistance (3 ATM), but it's still sufficient since it's still a dress watch.

Also worth noting is the very good luminescent treatment, which is very unusual for this type of watch: it's beautiful and, as far as my usage is concerned, very practical.

Maximum comfort and elegance

This is my second Nivada watch and another disappointment, unfortunately.

I was drawn to this skin diver for its beautiful dial, very retro, everything I love. On paper, it has good specifications too.

On the wrist, the watch is comfortable, the size is perfect, the movement seems to work well, and the dial is indeed quite attractive with a good luminescent treatment.

So what's wrong with it? Pretty much everything else, unfortunately.

The included steel bracelet is very low-end, ultra-light, with no quick adjustment. To think they sell it for €200 on their website, when it's at Ali Express level.

Then, the rotating bezel: my model had traces of black glue around it, glue that had certainly contaminated the inside. As a result, the bezel was stuck, especially when cold, and rubbed. I had to do a lot of cleaning to get it working (water, fine paper, dental floss), without it being perfectly smooth and optimal. So, there's a big problem with quality control and finishing.

Furthermore, the case feels quite low-end, due to the lightness of its steel and an overall lack of finishing.

Finally, the crown: screwed down, it's very unpleasant to handle and, especially, to put back in place (very fickle).

In short, once again, like the other Nivada model I've had in my hands, it's not worth the price with so many flaws and rather flimsy finishing.

Other surprises:
- Swiss-made watch but shipped from Hong Kong (a real shame, with the risk of customs fees added); serious doubts about Swiss manufacturing given the overall quality, which is quite poor;
- catastrophic communication with support: always polite but a real hassle, generic responses, sometimes very slow (1 week), most of the time off-topic. A lot of energy wasted trying to get them to take action.

Disappointment

It's a pretty watch, at first glance, with a perfect design and dimensions, especially for modest wrists, close to the original. Very comfortable to wear. The case back is also well decorated with a gold penguin engraving.

However, it suffers from some critical flaws that give it a low-end appearance: overly polished case, not sufficiently crafted; font not very clear; insufficient anti-reflective coating. Added to this are the applied indexes, the watch generates a lot of reflections and can be difficult to read.

The mechanism, a little-known Landeron 21, is well adjusted, but the crown is unpleasant: it's difficult to explain, but only a small part of the rotation seems to stick (noise and feel of the gears), the rest seems to spin sluggishly in a vacuum. It's odd and doesn't give an impression of solidity.

Other surprises:
- Swiss Made watch but shipped from Hong Kong (a real shame, with the risk of additional customs fees); Serious doubts about Swiss manufacturing given the overall quality, which is quite poor;
- catastrophic communication with support: always polite but a real pain, generic responses, sometimes very slow (1 week), most of the time off topic. A lot of energy wasted trying to get them to do something.

In short, it's a big disappointment. The finishing touches of a watch costing <€500, when it's selling for almost €1,000.
Move on if you want a quality watch; it's really for die-hard Nivada fans who want a reissue and won't be too picky.

Baltic has achieved the feat of making a watch that is truly wearable in all situations.
It is first of all elegant, discreet, with its military / explorer inspiration. Worn with a leather strap, it will look very dressy. On a steel or fabric, it will look like a field watch.
But the feat is not only on the aesthetics, it is also on the excellent specifications despite a very flat case:
- water-resistance up to 15 bars
- very robust Miyota movement
- recessed crown, therefore very well protected (almost equivalent to a screwed one)
- sapphire crystal
- splendid luminescence that lasts honorably a good part of the night
- very precise watch (+3sec / day), because very well adjusted by Baltic

The 37mm case actually has quite a bit of presence, especially since the lugs are long (a little too much for my taste, even).

I paired it with a Bonklip bracelet (from Joseph Bonnie), because it's a watch that I never take off: work, DIY, sports, swimming...
It's the perfect combination. Its flat profile means that it still hasn't taken a real hit, glass and case intact, despite intense activity.

Frankly, the only mixed points in my opinion are the bracelets provided: the plastic one is a little too firm and moderately comfortable, the metal (rice grains) is beautiful, but a little too heavy for the watch and not very comfortable if your wrist swells and deflates a lot during the day (no fine adjustment without a tool).

Concerning the crown, don't worry: it took me a while to figure it out, but it's actually very easy to handle once you get the hang of it. Just pinch it between your nails, case vertical.

The ultimate all-purpose watch

I was absolutely seduced by the design of this watch: refined, with a small red accent on the hands; a good overall balance with the date at 6 o'clock that does not spoil the symmetry; a very beautiful brushed metal finish.

The watch is also quite precise and very robust in appearance. It is a little thick, but without being bulky or heavy.

I prefer to wear it on NATO or a leather strap, rather than on the original steel strap which adds to the weight and lacks micro-adjustments.

That said, it is extremely versatile and can have a sporty or dressy look depending on the strap.

I find the dial magnificent and perfectly readable.

I would have kept it permanently, if it had not been for a comfort problem, which I think reserves this watch for large wrists.

I have a wrist of about 16.5 cm, so rather thin, and this watch has never been balanced on me: on the left wrist, the crown digs into my skin, on the right wrist, the horn touches the edge of my bone which ends up becoming painful.

I will therefore fall back, with regret, on watches of smaller dimensions.

Beautiful but uncomfortable

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)

Junghans Meister Driver Manual Winding Owner Review : Comfortable, fine and retro

Maximum comfort and elegance

Pros & Cons for this watch

Where to buy your Junghans?

YOU ARE :

Other reviews published by Spiritustempus

Kuoe
Old Smith

Nivada Grenchen
Antartic Diver

Nivada Grenchen
Super Antartic

Baltic
Hermétique Tourer

Alpina
Startimer Pilot

Customize your Junghans with our selection of accessories:

Eagle Eye Watches

ABP Concept

Junghans Meister Driver Manual Winding Owner Review : Comfortable, fine and retro

Maximum comfort and elegance

Pros & Cons for this watch

Where to buy your Junghans?

YOU ARE :

Other reviews published by Spiritustempus

KuoeOld Smith

Nivada GrenchenAntartic Diver

Nivada GrenchenSuper Antartic

BalticHermétique Tourer

AlpinaStartimer Pilot

Customize your Junghans with our selection of accessories:

Eagle Eye Watches

ABP Concept

Kuoe
Old Smith

Nivada Grenchen
Antartic Diver

Nivada Grenchen
Super Antartic

Baltic
Hermétique Tourer

Alpina
Startimer Pilot