Photo: Atelier Jalaper
Ever wanted an Aston Martin DB5 but didn’t have the money to buy one? Considering the average price is around $600,000 and can reach millions (Sean Connery’s was recently sold at auction for $2.4 million), DB5s aren’t particularly cheap. But what if you didn’t have to pay an arm and a leg to get one? Well, there’s a way.
How do you turn the hood of a 60s automotive legend into a wristwatch? There are four steps to it: do the research, find the right people, get funding, and get to work. Easier said than done.
Louis Jalaber and Simon Szleper wanted to combine the art and craft of watchmaking with the automotive world to create a fresh concept, along with a strong community around it.
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, a few years of research, and many obstacles along the way, Atelier Jalaper was born. With this brand, the two founders wanted to bring something unique to the market, to “create a watch which offers to the owner a fragment of a car legend.” And what better choice than the iconic Aston Martin DB5 made famous by the James Bond movies in the 60s?
Before rushing into anything, the team first tested their idea on hoods from other cars.
Seeing it can be done, the two founders went hunting for a DB5 and ultimately found one in a specialized garage in London, with the car’s hood being authenticated by the Aston Martin Heritage trust in North London.
Each one of the limited edition run of 600 watches incorporates a dial made out of that particular hood. The original paint was carefully removed and the patina maintained, making every one of the watches truly unique.
Production took almost a year, but the hard work paid off – most of the watches have been presold, with orders from all over the world. Now, Atelier Jalaper is already thinking about their next project.
Louis Jalaber and Simon Szleper wanted to combine the art and craft of watchmaking with the automotive world to create a fresh concept, along with a strong community around it.
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, a few years of research, and many obstacles along the way, Atelier Jalaper was born. With this brand, the two founders wanted to bring something unique to the market, to “create a watch which offers to the owner a fragment of a car legend.” And what better choice than the iconic Aston Martin DB5 made famous by the James Bond movies in the 60s?
Before rushing into anything, the team first tested their idea on hoods from other cars.
Seeing it can be done, the two founders went hunting for a DB5 and ultimately found one in a specialized garage in London, with the car’s hood being authenticated by the Aston Martin Heritage trust in North London.
Each one of the limited edition run of 600 watches incorporates a dial made out of that particular hood. The original paint was carefully removed and the patina maintained, making every one of the watches truly unique.
Production took almost a year, but the hard work paid off – most of the watches have been presold, with orders from all over the world. Now, Atelier Jalaper is already thinking about their next project.
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