fter graduating from ESCP Europe in 2019, the two partners and friends, Louis Jalaber and Simon Szleper, realised the dream of many entrepreneurs: to devote their professional lives to their two passions - vintage cars and watchmaking - by skilfully combining them in a watch. Atelier Jalaper - a contraction of their two names - was born.

Their idea: to introduce into a watch, in this case the dial, a fragment of aluminium from the bonnet of an Aston Martin DB5, one of the great automobile myths of the last century, produced in only 1,021 examples between 1963 and 1965; at a reasonable price. The concept and the idea hit the bull’s-eye right away because they focus exclusively on exceptional cars.

After having sold a first series of their timepieces in only a few months, new productions are regularly and rapidly finding enthusiasts in the four corners from across the globe. The two partners are now ready to write and imagine the next part of their story without delay in order to satisfy a growing community of customers, some of whom have become friends.

The initial idea, to pay tribute to an icon of the automobile, naturally guides them towards the mythical Lamborghini Miura, without question the very first supercar and, undeniably, one of the most beautiful cars in the world to this day. For Atelier Jalaper, it is also and above all a perfect alliance between a high-tech mechanic and a fluid and elegant style, the founding concept of their new timepiece, the AJ-P400.

The crucial design process required a year and a half of hard work, multiple work sessions and exchanges between the experienced designer Xavier Perrenoud and the Atelier team. The guiding principle and absolute priority has always been the perfection of the design and volume, which is why three prototyping phases were necessary to arrive at the final drawings.

The design of the case is directly inspired by the simple and sensual curves of the Miura. Its proportions have been worked in the same spirit as those of the car. With its taut and very low profile, the visual effect is identical to the one you feel when facing the Lamborghini. As for the dial, it is inspired by the iconic speedometers. Its indexes of different sizes and its revolution on 270° leave a free space at 6 o’clock in which the power reserve is perfectly integrated, also inspired by the hand counters of the time but also the dashboard.

“To complete this design,” explains Simon, “we had to observe the Miura for hours in all its details, from every angle and light. In order to keep the elegance that such a watch requires, it was imperative not to take the details as they were or the messages that this car was sending us, but to reinterpret them in our own way. The values of rebellion and audacity, the foundation of the creation of this supercar and of Lamborghini, have been a strong axis in our development process. Each element of the car is part of the final design in a totally new and original way: the rims, the glass surface and the curves of the windshield, the rear wings; all these elements have guided the designer’s hand in their own way to make an ultra-elegant, sensual and powerful object. Three adjectives that perfectly characterise the AJ-P400.”

With a unique personality thanks to the shape of its hornless case, a rarity but also a technical feat, the bezel is oval in shape reminiscent of the legendary Miura eyelash lighthouse, a perfect circle nestled in an elliptical orbit. The back of the watch features an elegant case back with a transparent smoked glass in reference to the legendary “incendiary disease” of the Miura. This case back allows a glimpse of the Swiss manual wounding caliber, an essential component in the design of this piece. The Atelier was particularly keen that this new watch should be handled, that its owner should be able to appreciate it and take the full measure of its mechanics.

Four variations of this model are available and differ in the colour of their highlights referring to the legendary “dresses” of the Miura: : the Verde Scandal, Azzurro Mexico, Arancio Miura and the Nero Cangiante.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

CASE

• Material: 316L polished / brushed finished steel case
• Diameter: 39.5 mm
• Thickness: 10.3 mm
• Back: Screwed and open
• Bezel: Polished bezel with an oval shape referring to the mythical Miura’s headlights
• Crown: Screwed crown with AJ decoration
• Front glass: Sapphire glass with antireflective coating
• Back glass: Smoked grey mineral glass
• Water resistance: 5 ATM

DIAL

• Material: Aluminum
• Source: Genuine Lamborghini Miura P400 S
• Treatment: The dial has been treated by anodizing to give it a matte black color while keeping the original patina of the piece.
• Indexes: The indexes is the same on the Miura speedometer. The hour markers are luminescent in the dark.
• Minute ring: Four versions are available: Black, Green, Blue and Orange (corresponding to the most iconic Miura paintings). The bezel features a white minute track.
• Hands: The hands refer to the Lamborghini Miura’s counter hands. They are luminescent and white in the dark.

STRAP

• Material: Calf leather inspired by the design of the Miura’s elegant seats
• Width at lugs: 19mm
• Buckle: Deployant
• Feature: “Flash” pumps for quick and easy strap change

MOVEMENT

• Caliber: Sellita SW270-1 M
• Movement type: Mechanical
• Winding: Manual
• Frequency: 28’800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz)
• Power reserve: About 45 hours
• Functions: Hours, minutes and central seconds
• Power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock
• Date with quick change settings
• Stop seconds feature