The New March LA-B Mansart Small Second Collection

March LA-B is a French brand with a characterful design language, founded in 2008 by three close friends – Alain Marhic, Jérôme Mage and Joseph Châtel – fusing French horological heritage and Los Angeles design culture. The watches are original and full of character, fairly accessible and, for most of them, rely on a distinctive case design. In recent years, we’ve mostly covered the AM2 collection, a bolder and more casual expression of this style. There is, however, another collection that needs to be explored, something dressier, more compact but no less distinctive, the Mansart. Today, the collection expands with an automatic movement and a new display, becoming the March LA-B Mansart Small Second.

The name Mansart will certainly sound strange for many, and very French too… And there’s a good reason for that. The collection is indeed named after Jules Hardouin-Mansart, architect to Louis XIV, responsible for the design of the Place Vendôme, known today as the temple of watch and jewellery boutiques in the French capital. And just like the Parisian square, the case bears an original shape, somewhere between a square and an octagon, due to the angled corners of the Place. And while this shape is also used in the AM2 collection, it dons a different appeal in the Mansart; dressier, thinner and surprisingly, it is even edgier while ultimately more elegant.

The case of the new Mansart Small Second has a unique appeal, with its combination of octagon and facets, as well as a raised bezel with vertical flanks. Reinforcing the architectural style of this watch, the case combines polished and brushed surfaces, and is topped by a flat sapphire crystal. Here, the watch has fairly compact dimensions, being 35mm in width, 39mm in length and 11mm in thickness. The position of the crown at 4 o’clock, as well as its shape, only adds to the distinctiveness of this collection. A dressy watch that isn’t shy to be bold… And, depending on the chosen edition, that can be discreetly elegant or more casual.

The main novelty here comes from the display, with an off-centred small seconds sub-dial – mimicking the shape of the case – and a new striped pattern. Hands and markers are thin and polished, without lume. Three editions of the Mansart Small Second are released at launch. First is the Graal edition, the most casual of them all, with a steel case and here presented with a multi-link bracelet (alligator and lizard straps also available), and a dark green dial (the brand’s signature colour). Next is the most classic of the trio, the Shelter edition, with a silvery-white dial, gold-coloured hands and markers, and a black alligator strap (steel bracelet and lizard strap also available).

Last, the brand also releases a Golden Hour edition. This version is housed in a gold-plated (3 microns) case, paired with a tone-on-tone light gold-coloured dial. It is worn on a black alligator strap. But if you open the special packaging, you’ll see that another dial is included, in signature green, with gold-coloured hardware, offering the freedom to transform your watch to suit your mood. For the occasion of this launch, the first dial change is offered in the brand’s stores.

Under the green-tinted case back is a well-known movement supplied by La Joux-Perret. The calibre G121 relies on the G100 architecture with an additional small second, and thus stores a comfortable 68-hour power reserve. It is finished with a brand-specific rotor.

Now available from the brand’s online and physical boutiques, the March LA-B Mansart Small Second is priced from EUR 1,745 in steel, or at EUR 2,995 for the Golden Hour edition. For more details, please visit march-lab.com.