The Lebois & Co. Heritage Chronograph Indian Motorcycle

Who doesn’t like a good collaboration, especially when it involves watches and motorcycles. Dutch watch enthusiast Tom van Wijlick recently revived the Lebois & Co. watch brand and has collaborated with Indian Motorcycle for a special edition of the Heritage Chronograph. Both brands are known for reviving classics and this is a perfect marriage of timeless craftsmanship and design. If you want both the bike and watch, the VIN number will even be engraved on the case back for a perfect “matching numbers” set. Of course, the watch can be purchased separately as well.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a watch/motorcycle collab. William Wood Watches also collaborated with Indian for a special Scout model to support The Fire Fighter Charity in the UK. Bulgari teamed up with Ducati for the Aluminium Chronograph Ducati Special Edition and so on. This one really highlights the revival of classics with modern engineering, however, and is a natural partnership.

The Indian in question is the Sport Chief model, first released in 1921 and the Heritage Chronograph goes back to the 1940s. The stainless steel case is unchanged from the standard models with a diameter of 39mm and height of 10.5mm (47.35 lug-to-lug). A double-domed AR sapphire crystal protects the dial, while a sapphire exhibition case back displays the column wheel movement. Wide pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock make operating the chrono functions a breeze and water resistance is rated at 50 metres. A 20mm black suede leather strap comes standard.

The dial really highlights the collaboration with colours and fonts inspired by the Indian Chief. A deep red tachymeter and chronograph hand over a cream dial match the bike’s signature colour, while Indian Motorcycle is printed within a red, tank-like shape at 6 o’clock. This is a bi-compax design with a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock and small seconds at 9 o’clock. Dark grey hour, minute and sub-dial hands provide excellent contrast and there’s no date window for a clean, retro vibe. For those that love the revived American motorcycle brand, this dial is as cool as it gets.

Powering the new Lebois & Co. Heritage Chronograph Indian Motorcycle is a hand-wound column wheel chronograph – calibre LC-450 produced by La Joux-Perret. It has 24 jewels, beats at 28,800vph (4Hz) and features a 60-hour power reserve. It’s adjusted in five positions and is nicely finished with Côtes de Genève, blued screws and a prominent blue column wheel.

The Heritage Chronograph is part of CDMLEC (Compagnie des Montres Lebois et Co.), a parent company of sorts that has revived both the Lebois & Co. and Airain watch brands. Tom van Wijlick also strongly believes in community involvement and introduced the CoLAB collaborative designer platform. Design and technical aspects of watches can be voted on during four phases – design, technical development, prototyping and final production. In addition, fans had an opportunity to become early investors and shareholders via an equity crowdfunding campaign, which provides discounts and potential seats on the advisory board. Both Lebois & Co. and Airain were originally founded by the Dodane family in the early 20th century.

The Lebois & Co. Heritage Chronograph Indian Motorcycle retails for EUR 2,800 with preorders available now. Deliveries are expected to start in Q1 2024. For more information and to place an order, please visit the Lebois & Co. website.