Recently I reviewed a watch from REC—a brand known for incorporating salvaged parts from cars, motorcycles, and aircraft into its timepieces. That encounter sparked my interest in watches that carry fragments of mechanical history, but few brands take this idea as far—or execute it as elegantly—as Atelier Jalaper. The Belgian independent is back with its third collection, the AJ-003, and like its predecessors, it revolves around the transformation of automotive legacy into horological form. The brand’s signature move? Crafting dials from the hoods (or bonnets, if you prefer) of iconic vintage cars. This time, the material comes from a genuine piece of racing history: the original aluminum bonnet of a 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Semi-Lightweight. This particular E-Type raced and won the prestigious Tour Auto in France in 2020, and was later involved in a crash. Atelier Jalaper reached out to the owner and salvaged the hood, repurposing it to create dials for just 200 limited edition watches. Each dial is stamped with the car’s license plate number—“1480 WK”—as a subtle, permanent tribute.
The AJ-003 comes in two dial variants: a deep, anodized black and the silver-toned version you see here, which highlights the raw brushed aluminum texture of the salvaged Jaguar bodywork. Both are beautiful, but the silver dial, in particular, emphasizes the authenticity of the metal, down to the texture left behind by decades of speed and history. More than a themed novelty, the AJ-003 is a wearable piece of design that seamlessly blends storytelling with sharp aesthetics and solid mechanics. Let’s dive into what makes this watch such a compelling piece.
The AJ-003 arrived in an unexpectedly large package—so large, in fact, that I did a double-take when I saw the FedEx box. Inside the oversized outer box was a substantial rectangular cardboard container, housing a foam insert with multiple compartments. One held the watch box itself, another a travel pouch, and a third contained the warranty card presented in a leather holder, which could easily double as a slim wallet. While I always appreciate a good unboxing experience, I can’t help but feel that this packaging could have been significantly more compact.
As I’ve mentioned in other reviews, smaller boxes—or better yet, just a high-quality travel pouch—make for more sustainable and reusable packaging. Large boxes tend to end up forgotten in closets, gathering dust. As someone with an ever-growing watch collection, I’ve already started discarding boxes for pieces I know I’ll never sell, and I still find myself running out of space. A streamlined package with just the essentials—the watch, pouch, and warranty card holder—would have been more than sufficient and far easier to store. That said, my first impressions of the watch itself were immediately positive. The proportions are elegant, and the overall design is tastefully understated. One small wish: I would’ve loved to see Atelier Jalaper leave a hint of the original red paint from the salvaged E-Type bonnet on the dial. It would’ve been a striking visual callback to the watch’s automotive roots, and a bold reminder of the material’s previous life.
At first glance, the AJ-003’s case is clean, compact, and unassuming. But a deeper look reveals a design rich in nuance, built to subtly reflect the Jaguar E-Type without falling into caricature. Measuring 39mm in diameter, 11.5mm thick (9.45mm excluding the double domed sapphire crystal), and 45.55mm lug-to-lug, the 316L stainless steel case strikes a balance between classic proportions and characterful execution. One of the AJ-003’s most fascinating and unconventional traits lies in its asymmetrical lugs. The lugs on the 12 o’clock side are intentionally longer and more tapered than those on the 6 o’clock side—a nod to the long clamshell hood of the E-Type, which extended well beyond its compact rear. This offbeat lug geometry isn’t just a stylistic Easter egg; it offers improved comfort by adjusting how the watch sits on the wrist, especially for those with flatter or larger wrists.
There’s not a hard edge in sight—every line is curved or softened, a tribute to the E-Type’s famously flowing silhouette. The flanks, lugs, and bezel are all carefully rounded, and surfaces are finished with a mix of brushing and polishing. The upper lug surfaces receive sunburst brushing for added visual dynamism, while the tall, smooth bezel is mirror-polished, framing the dial with refined contrast. A semi-recessed crown at 3 o’clock—hooded to resemble the way the E-Type’s fenders envelop its wheels—completes the case’s automotive homage. While the screw-down exhibition caseback ensures some protection from the elements, the crown itself does not screw down, capping water resistance at 50 meters—enough for daily wear. Still, the case is a triumph of subtlety. Rather than a literal or heavy-handed reinterpretation, it takes design cues and translates them into a unique silhouette that could just as easily pass as a well-considered design with no external reference at all. That’s the point: it’s meaningful to those who know, and quietly attractive to those who don’t.
The dial is, without question, the soul of the AJ-003. It’s not just inspired by a Jaguar E-Type; it is one. Specifically, it’s crafted from the aluminum bonnet of a 1962 E-Type Series 1 Semi-Lightweight—a car that saw motorsport glory and then, fatefully, suffered a crash in 2020 during the French Tour Auto. Rather than consigning the wreck to history, Atelier Jalaper has given a part of it new life. After acquiring the bonnet from the car’s owner, the brand stripped away layers of paint, cut the raw aluminum into circular blanks, and then applied a fine vertical brushing. Two distinct dial treatments are offered: one retains the original brushed aluminum tone with a dark gray chapter ring, while the other is anodized black and paired with a white chapter ring. The chapter ring is slightly raised above the dial and secured by two visible screws, which may divide opinions. Some see them as honest tributes to automotive engineering; others may find them disruptive to the dial’s symmetry.
The chapter ring itself is a masterstroke. Evoking the Smiths gauges in the original E-Type’s dashboard, it features chemin-de-fer track markings and bold Arabic numerals at 5-minute intervals. The outer scale provides just enough visual hierarchy to tell time intuitively, despite the absence of hour markers. At 12 o’clock sits the Atelier Jalaper logo, while at 6 o’clock you’ll find the “1480 WK” registration number of the donor Jaguar—a detail as romantic as it is specific. The handset consists of polished, obelisk-shaped hour and minute hands, both filled with lume, and a needle-thin polished seconds hand that extends gracefully across the dial. Their forms subtly echo the pointed needles found on vintage Smiths gauges, reinforcing the automotive theme without shouting.
As mentioned earlier, one detail I personally would have loved to see is the inclusion of a trace of the original paint—perhaps a hint of the red from the car, or even an entirely red dial option. While the vertically brushed aluminum dial looks clean and refined, it could just as easily be made from any sheet of aluminum. There’s nothing visually that definitively ties it to the hood of the Jaguar E-Type. That’s not to say I doubt the brand’s authenticity or transparency, but from a storytelling perspective, retaining a small portion of the original finish would have made the connection to the car much more immediate and emotionally compelling. It would have served as a unique visual reminder of the watch’s origin and given the wearer something truly one-of-a-kind to appreciate at a glance.
Powering the AJ-003 is the Sellita SW300-1 b, a Swiss automatic movement known for its reliability, slim profile, and ease of service. But Atelier Jalaper takes it a step further: the movement is COSC-certified, meaning it meets chronometer-grade accuracy standards of −4/+6 seconds per day. This is no small feat for a microbrand and ind Flip the watch over, and the sapphire exhibition caseback reveals the movement’s decoration: perlage on the plates, and a custom gold-toned skeleton rotor with Côtes de Genève striping and the Atelier Jalaper logo. The finishing is attractive and appropriate for the price, balancing industrial robustness with refined touches. While not an in-house movement, the COSC-certified Sellita offers both performance and serviceability—two features that any collector, regardless of their interest in motorsport, can appreciate.
Another missed opportunity, in my opinion, lies in the design of the rotor. While the current execution is clean and nicely finished, incorporating a design element inspired by the Jaguar E-Type’s iconic steering wheel—perhaps even shaping the rotor to resemble it, or a stylized half of it—would have added a unique touch to the movement and further reinforced the automotive narrative. Given the strong story behind the dial material, extending that storytelling to the movement side would have brought the whole concept full circle and elevated the AJ-003’s sense of identity and connection to its source of inspiration.
Completing the package is a black leather strap with color-matched stitching and a deployant clasp. The 20mm lug width offers plenty of aftermarket versatility, but the included strap is comfortable, classic, and in keeping with the watch’s elegant ethos. The leather itself feels premium and supple, and its minimal design does not distract from the focal point: the dial. It complements the AJ-003 without competing with it, which is exactly what you want from a good strap. The strap is equipped with quick-release spring bars, allowing for fast and hassle-free strap changes—always a welcome feature for enthusiasts who enjoy rotating straps. The deployant clasp is signed and boasts a thoughtful, original design. A particularly nice touch is the perlage finishing on the inner side of the clasp, where many brands at this price point often leave things plain. The clasp itself feels solid and well-engineered, far from the afterthought-like components I’ve encountered on watches in a similar price range before. On the wrist, the AJ-003 wears comfortably, with the clasp sitting flush and never digging into the skin—contributing to an overall refined wearing experience.
The Atelier Jalaper AJ-003 is a rare example of a concept watch that doesn’t just tell time—it tells a story. And more importantly, it tells it with restraint, style, and mechanical integrity. The idea of turning a salvaged car hood into a dial could easily veer into gimmick territory, but here, it feels authentic, elevated, and considered. The decision to use metal from a real, historically significant 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Semi-Lightweight—and to do so with clear storytelling elements like the engraved “1480 WK” plate number—grounds the watch in something real and tangible. That kind of provenance, especially in a watch limited to just 200 pieces, carries real emotional and collector value.
That said, there are areas where Atelier Jalaper could have pushed the concept even further. A touch of the original red paint on the dial, or a rotor design inspired by the E-Type’s iconic steering wheel, would have deepened the watch’s connection to its automotive roots and added an extra layer of visual storytelling. And while the brushed aluminum dial is refined, without those distinguishing traces, it does visually risk blending in with more generic materials. These are small critiques, though, and more a reflection of how compelling the concept already is—and how much potential still lies within it.
From a design and wearability standpoint, the AJ-003 impresses. The asymmetric lugs, nuanced case finishing, thoughtful clasp, and COSC-certified SW300 movement all speak to a brand that’s thinking well beyond surface-level thematics. This isn’t just a good-looking watch with a good story; it’s a well-executed piece of horology with everyday practicality and comfort. And in today’s crowded microbrand space, that’s a rare balance to strike. Whether you’re a car enthusiast, a design purist, or simply someone who appreciates meaningful watchmaking, the AJ-003 offers something unique. It’s a timepiece that connects past and present—one that puts a slice of racing history on your wrist, without shouting about it. And that quiet confidence may just be its greatest strength.
KaminskyBlog 