The March LA.B Belza Surf Watch, Now in a Sleek Titanium Edition

March LA.B is a multi-product French company founded in 2009 by three friends passionate about surfing and 1970s retro design. Named after the month March, followed by an acronym for Los Angeles and Biarritz, where the founding partners reside, March LA.B retails a portfolio of surfer-friendly products with eyewear, wetsuits, small leather goods, shorts and Schwinn bikes. Watches were added to the mix in 2011, offering a blend of French design, quirky details, and Swiss movements. Inspired by the brand’s surfing origins, the 1970s-inspired Belza dive watch surfaced last year in a heavy bronze case and returns today in a lightweight yet resilient titanium case.

Built for outdoor sports, the 40mm case has a chunky 14.5mm profile, all the better to withstand knocks and blows. Crafted in grade 2 titanium, the 200m water-resistant case is brushed for a sportier appeal and features an engraved screw-down crown at 4 o’clock with the interlaced lines of the brand’s M-shaped logo. Moreover, the notched grip on the bezel also features this crisscrossing pattern.

Another characteristic feature of the Belza is its wide dive bezel, noticeably reducing the dial diameter to 32mm. The latest titanium edition features a green ceramic insert with silver-coloured markings in the 120-click unidirectional rotating bezel. Fitted with thick, straight, angular lugs, the overall impression is one of solidity and robustness. The screw-down caseback is engraved with an image of Villa Belza in Biarritz, and the dial is protected by a box-shaped sapphire anti-reflective crystal.

The sandblasted black dial is embossed with a series of horizontal waves with applied steel indices filled with white Super-LumiNova. The blunt-tipped hour and minute hands, as well as the circle on the lollipop central seconds hand, are also luminous. The brand’s M logo at noon and the watch name, followed by Made in France, are printed in white on the dial. Completing the functions, the framed date window at 3 o’clock has a matching black background and a bright green number “3”, a nod to the brand’s name, which is the third month of the year.

Inside the case is a Swiss automatic movement by La Joux-Perret assembled in Besançon, France. An alternative to the ETA 2824, the powerful calibre G100 operates at 4Hz and delivers a solid 68-hour power reserve.

Proud of its French roots, the Belza is paired with a khaki-green jacquard strap woven in France by Manufacture Julien Faure and a titanium pin buckle. The watch is a limited edition of 99 pieces and retails for EUR 2,195. More information at march-lab.com.