For military watch collectors, few nations offer the sort of variety, provenance, and sheer horological charisma that France does. The French armed forces have offered some of the most desirable and interesting military-issue timepieces in the world over the years, and this is especially true for France’s navy – the Marine Nationale. Boutique French dive equipment supplier and watchmaker Jacques Bianchi has a long history supplying the Marine Nationale stretching back to the early ‘80s, and for its latest release, the Marseille-based company aims to revive what might well be its most celebrated naval-issue model: the JB300. The new Jacques Bianchi JB300 captures the style and gleefully Gallic funk of this ‘90s-era classic military diver, but adds massaged proportions and a sense of build quality far beyond its forebear.
The not-quite-Monnin cushion case of the Jacques Bianchi JB300 sets this watch off to a bold, muscular start. Measuring 42mm wide, this stainless steel case manages to both carry an outsized wrist presence and wear more manageably than the numbers might suggest. The new short, square-cut lugs keep the perceived on-wrist length to a minimum, while the broad, continuous polished case side chamfers add some much-needed brightwork and sharply frame the overall silhouette. Between these chamfers, the main case’s mix of radial and horizontal brushing helps to emphasize the case’s broader planes, without actually adding mass on the wrist. Even though this modern JB300 is significantly upsized from the original, this change in case design helps the overall package to feel ruggedly substantial while also remaining wearable even on smaller wrists. This stylistic balancing act also shines through in some of the JB300’s finer details. Take the tapering, pointed crown guards, for instance. Despite protruding far past the already sizeable case sides, the flowing, sinuous shapes here help to decrease the sense of visual mass during wear. On the other hand, the dive bezel design is carried over from the original JB300 and remains deliberately, gloriously oversized. The matte-black aluminum bezel insert, with its full 60-minute scale, is old-school utilitarian and should pick up serious patina if the watch sees heavy use. Controversial retro bezel inserts aside, it’s the 60-click unidirectional bezel itself that contributes the most to the JB300’s character. The edge is an unorthodox, asymmetrical design, with chunky scooped teeth that call to mind a circular saw blade as much as anything else. Like the original ‘90s variant, Jacques Bianchi claims this is for easy operation while wearing heavy diving gloves (and it is extremely easy to grip, to be fair), but it also adds a sinister utilitarian edge to the watch on the wrist. This aggressive, heavy-duty feel is reinforced by the bezel mechanism itself, with a heavy, precise thud between each one-minute increment that would feel at home in a massive socket wrench. Around back, Jacques Bianchi finishes the case with a straightforward engraved solid caseback, which helps the watch to reach a beefy 300 meters of water resistance.
Like the case, the dial of the Jacques Bianchi JB300 is beefy and utilitarian at first glance, but its details reward closer inspection. There’s a passing resemblance to the classic Heuer ref. 844 diver in this layout, with its cream-toned dive indices and diminutive inner 24-hour scale in red. However, this is a bolder, more athletic take on the theme overall, with oversized “maxi dial” printed indices and larger, tighter-packed Arabic numerals for the inner scale. The handset reflects this heftier, more functional approach as well, with a broad arrow-tipped minute hand paired with a classic sword hours hand. Even the rectangular lume pip on the central seconds hand is big and brutalist. Although the maxi-dial approach may divide opinions overall, this dial layout works surprisingly well with the traditional 3 o’clock date window. With the average circular hour marker measuring roughly the same diameter as the date window, the carved-out feeling common to many date-equipped dials is virtually nonexistent here. Instead, visual weight distribution remains remarkably balanced across the entire layout.
Rather than the Seiko movements used in previous modern Jacques Bianchi releases, the JB300 instead opts for a Swiss powerplant, the automatic Soprod P024. First released in 2020, the P024 has quickly become a go-to option for independent brands seeking an alternative to the ubiquitous offerings from ETA and Sellita. The P024’s performance is broadly in line with its 2824 or SW200 counterparts, including a middling 40-hour power reserve and a 28,800 bph beat rate. To complete the design, Jacques Bianchi fits the JB300 with a tropic-style vented strap in classic black rubber. Naturally, it’s a classic pairing for a military-style dive watch, but the softness, thickness, and nigh-on perfectly flush case fitment of this strap help elevate the feel of the JB300 beyond the usual government-issue military timepiece. When combined with the cushion case, it’s a remarkably comfortable wearing experience, especially considering the watch’s not-insubstantial dimensions.
Classic French military-issue watches, particularly those designed for the French Navy, are a treasure trove of compelling designs for military watch collectors. By refining and modernizing one of the most sought-after ‘90s French Navy offerings, the new Jacques Bianchi JB300 combines a fun, idiosyncratic Gallic military look with genuinely impressive build quality for its price point. In short, it’s easy to imagine the JB300 as a hit both within military watch enthusiast circles and with the broader enthusiast public. The Jacques Bianchi JB300 is available now for preorder through the brand’s e-commerce platform. MSRP for this watch stands at €741 Euros as of press time. For more details, please visit the brand’s website.
