MATWATCHES - History, Models and Owners' Reviews

This French watch is military-style. Its deep blue dial, applied indexes, oversized screw-down crown, brushed steel case with wide lugs and a 22 mm lug space make it a virile watch but whose dial softens its military origin. Its 39 mm diameter makes it an ideal everyday watch. Its thick and smooth leather strap from ABP (Atelier du bracelet parisien) reinforces its resistant side. A 3-hand watch, endearing, unusual and reliable. Its ETA 2824-2 movement ensures its reliability, although it would have been interesting to see it equipped with a French-speaking movement, which would have reinforced the "Made in France" proudly written at the bottom of the dial. The watch comes with a good quality Rubber strap and a tool for removing and reassembling the strap as well as a USB key on which there is a short film on the manufacture of the watch.

This watch is extremely rare (only 46 copies (all sold)) which is the result of a collaboration between the students of the ENSMM (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Micro Mécanique (of which my son is a member) which is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year and MAT. MAT provided the base (a California) and the students designed the background by integrating elements important to them: the lion of Besançon, the µ symbol of the school. The watch is supplied with several straps (leather, rubber and synthetic) but my son, who is passionate about cars, found that this Nato type "Gulf" suited him well. The movement is a Sellita. MAT has promised to never again produce this watch which will therefore remain very rare. The 1/46 copy was offered to the management of the School and sits in the entrance hall of the School. My son's is the 6/46