Jacques Bianchi, the Marseille based brand specializing in dive watches, has released the first watch in what is expected to be an ongoing partnership with Olympique de Marseille, the city’s historic football club. This has been a big summer for soccer, of course, with the World Cup being held in North America right in the middle of summer, and if your individual case of football fever hasn’t exactly been cured yet, the new diver based on the brand’s popular JB200 platform might be of interest. And even if it’s not, it’s an interesting diversion from Jacques Bianchi that might point to some broader ambition from the brand as it relates to artistic craft, and chronometry.
First, let me say that while I have no particular allegiance to Olympique de Marseille, I have a soft spot for soccer watches. The first watch I bought after writing about it for Worn & Wound was a Timex x Nigel Cabourn “Referee Watch,” which sits on my desk to this day, ticking away. Soccer of course has a unique approach to timing among the major team sports in that a clock counts up to the end of a 45 minute half, with the referee having a great deal of latitude to add time to the clock at his or discretion that takes into account the normal stoppages of play. This principle is further complicated by the fact that the referee solely holds this information – the clock counting up that players and spectators see in the stadium or on television is essentially always just an estimate. The referee is constantly making little adjustments to the actual time that will be played and makes a judgment whenever the whistle is blown to signal the end.
The importance of the 45 minute period is referenced on this new JB200 with a change to the standard design of the dive bezel. A blue insert is graduated over a 45 minute period to reference the scheduled period of play, with the period between 45 and 60 contrasts in gray to represent stoppage time. It’s not a perfect solution for an actual working referee for a number of reasons, but as a nod to the sport it’s a fitting and easy adjustment to the standard dive bezel execution.
I think the real appeal of this watch is going to come down to the dial. Olympique de Marseille logo serves as a motif and centerpiece. Jacques Bianchi says the dial is created in multiple layers of enamel (20, according to the brand) to get the precise tone of deep blue. The logo motif is embossed, brushed with a sunray pattern, and then enamelled to create additional depth. I give credit to Jacques Bianchi here for not simply applying a logo graphic on the dial at 6:00 or something similar, which is frankly what a lot of brands might do. Instead, they’ve upped the degree of difficulty a little and have likely wound up with something with a little more universal appeal that leans into some traditional watchmaking craft. The press materials state that the counterweight of the seconds hand is meant to be styled in the manner of a soccer ball, but I actually don’t see it – it’s just a circular counterweight. That’s a good thing, as a hand that immediately conjured a soccer ball would be a little on the nose and let down the rest of the watch.
The watch runs on a Soprod P024 movement, which for the first time Jacques Bianchi has had it chronometer certified by the COSC. That’s a solid new development for the brand, and allows them to keep pace with many of their competitors at this price point who have also begun to have their watches certified as a way to offer a little additional value. I’m personally not too picky about COSC certification, but it makes a certain amount of sense for any watch associated with a sport that has such a clear timing aspect associated with it, and it does add peace of mind that the watch will operate to a high level. Otherwise, specs line up with other watches in the JB200 family: a 42mm steel case, 200 meters of water resistance, sapphire crystal and screw down crown, and so forth.
Jacques Bianchi describes the watch as a limited edition, but at press time have not disclosed the number of watches that will be produced. A pre-order window is set to open on September 3 for a period of three weeks, with delivery beginning in December and finishing in early 2027. The retail price is €995, inclusive of VAT. Jacques Bianchi
