The Jaguar-Inspired Atelier Jalaper AJ-ETYPE

Atelier Jalaper is a relatively new brand that specializes in car-themed watches. Founded in 2019 by automotive/watch enthusiasts Louis Jalaber and Simon Szleper, the brand has two prior collections based on the Aston Martin DB5 and Lamborghini Miura. A piece of each car is infused in every watch, so you’re wearing true automotive history. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this as other brands have incorporated automotive and even aircraft metal into designs, but Atelier Jalaper does it well, and the latest ETYPE-B and ETYPE-W are both classy and understated and pay homage to the iconic 1962 Jaguar E-Type Semi lightweight.

The polished and brushed stainless steel case is a very wearable 39mm in diameter and 11.5mm in height (45.55mm lug-to-lug). Veteran designer Xavier Perrenoud helped design the watches to echo E-Type characteristics, and it starts with the lugs, which are longer at the top than bottom. This represents the unique stretch of the hood from the driver, while the crown is partially integrated with the case as the body of the Jaguar partially envelops the wheels.

The case itself emphasizes roundness and curves like the coachwork with no sharp angles. A curved sapphire crystal protects the dial, and there’s a mineral glass exhibition case back. Water resistance is rated at 50 metres. Both watches come with a 20mm black leather strap with curved ends, a steel pin buckle, and stitching that matches the chapter rings.

The dials are actual aluminum from the bonnet of a 1962 Series 1 E-Type Semi Lightweight that won the French Tour Auto competition in 2020. It comes in either silver (AJ-003-B) or anodized black (AJ-003-W) with a vertical brushed finish, and two exposed screws at 10:30 and 4:30 are inspired by the car’s gauges. A black chapter ring/railroad track spans the silver dial’s perimeter, while a white counterpart adorns the black dial. Silver hands are seen on both dials with lume inserts. The dial text is clean and minimal, with ‘Chronometer Certified’ above 6 o’clock.

Powering the AJ-ETYPE watches is a COSC-certified Sellita SW300-1 b automatic (clone of the ETA 2892-A2). The “b” indicates that this is a true no-date variant. It has 25 jewels, beats at 28,800vph (4Hz) and comes with a 56-hour power reserve. Functions are time-only with central hours, minutes and hacking seconds. Seen through the exhibition case back, decorations include Côtes de Genève, perlage and a gold coloured open-worked rotor. As a COSC-certified movement, accuracy is rated at -4/+6 seconds per day.

The Atalier Jalaper AJ-ETYPE watches are limited to 200 pieces per colour and retail for EUR 2,400, USD 2,500 or GBP 2,000, and are available to preorder with shipping scheduled for August 2025.

For more information and to place an order, please visit Atelier Jalaper’s website.

Sponsored post: This article is sponsored by Atelier Jalaper. However, it reflects the writer’s opinion and has been written according to MONOCHROME’s editorial policy.