The new generation of Bianchi Marseille watches with the support of MAT Watches. I was not a fan of the imbroglio with the institutional Bianchi house and the association with MAT. Nevertheless this tide gauge limited to 150 copies for a contained price caught my attention. The dial is successful, the watch is robust and qualitative. A little imposing in width and thickness for me but real diver characteristics that fit well with a refined and fresh style.

Being passionate about diving watches, there was no doubt that I was surprised when I saw that Mr. Jacques Blanch had reissued his JB 200 with the participation of Mat, who knew all its history and had been looking for a JB 200 or 300 for years but had not been able to get it, unfortunately the happy owners did not want to part with it, not to my regret, I had to participate in the Kickstarter, a purchase that had a great sentimental value, and yes it happens.

Superb watch, nice and original, it is good company when you want to go out on the weekend for risky activities for your watches. The watch is remarkably solid, you can feel that the screwed crown is well made, no dust could get through! For the bezel, ditto, zero play. Surely hard to turn underwater without gloves. Despite this, a taste of too little concerning the finishes ... no crown signed, generic bracelet without customization. Too bad, for 1.5K new, it's a shame. In the same price range, I prefer an Akrone C-02!

All-terrain watch equipped with a Seiko NH35 movement. Purchased during the Kickstarter campaign which took inspiration from the Bianchi workshops based in Marseille. Despite the crown being on the left, the watch remains very comfortable on my right wrist. A perfect watch for any diving watch enthusiast.

Jacques Bianchi became a watchmaker in the 1950s. He learned his trade with watchmakers in the PACA region before settling in Marseille. His workshop grew in importance and brands such as Rolex and Omega entrusted him with repair contracts. Jacques Bianchi also rubbed shoulders with renowned divers such as Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Captain Albert Falco and members of COMEX. In the early 1980s, he created the JB200 (Jacques Bianchi) with the same case as the reissue offered on Kickstarter in 2021. The one from the 80s had a date and a mechanical movement. It was above all this fabulous story that pushed me to order a watch that I can't try on! You may know this, but I prefer to try on the watches I buy. I love the very crazy shape of the case with its crown on the left, the polished flange allows you to see the indexes reflected in it. The manufacturing quality had amazed me when I received the bindle which had two pearls, a Jacques Bianchi badge to sew, and a carrying pouch. For 560 euros, I had a beautiful case with an incredible lume worthy of the ZRC. The movement is a NH35 from Seiko with the disadvantages of the Seiko in terms of precision even if this jb200 is quite well adjusted. It is a watch that I wear whenever I have to do water activities and it is very pleasant to wear. A reissue faithful to the Jacques Bianchi workshops. I invite you to follow the Jacques Bianchi workshop on Instagram (instagram account @atelier-bianchi)