ARPIEM WATCHES

Racematic TJL 3 "Jacques Laffite"

€639,00

or 3 x €213,00 fee-free

The TJL 3 is the automatic version of the popular TJL 2 chronoquartz dedicated to Jacques Laffite. For this version, the watch focuses on a particular moment in Ligier’s history: the "1979 temporada."

This was the term used at the time to describe the South American "tour" where F1 began its season in Argentina and then Brazil. Ligier arrived there in 1979 following a complicated 1978 season, with a new car, the JS11, which wiped the slate clean: the JS11 abandoned the Matra V12 in favor of the more than proven Cosworth V8, and featured a chassis designed for the optimal exploitation of the ground effect introduced by Lotus the previous year. It was a "rocket ship": Jacques Laffite and Patrick Depailler dominated those two races, with 2 victories for Jacques and a 2nd place in Brazil for Patrick Depailler.

The season started off brightly, but actually became complicated in its second half due to limited budgets and a hang-gliding accident that sidelined Depailler from the circuits. However, Laffite and Ligier provided a demonstration that year: French drivers and teams could dominate and win in F1. Both Alain Prost and Renault would illustrate this in the years that followed.

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The TJL 3 is the automatic version of the popular TJL 2 chronoquartz dedicated to Jacques Laffite. For this version, the watch focuses on a particular moment in Ligier’s history: the "1979 temporada."

This was the term used at the time to describe the South American "tour" of F1, which began its season in Argentina and then moved to Brazil. Ligier arrived in 1979 fresh off a difficult 1978 season with a new car, the JS11, which wiped the slate clean: the JS11 abandoned the Matra V12 in favor of the time-tested Cosworth V8 and featured a chassis designed for optimal use of the ground effect introduced by Lotus the year before. And it was a "rocket": Jacques Laffite and Patrick Depailler dominated those two races, with 2 wins for Jacques and a 2nd place in Brazil for Patrick Depailler.

The season started off bright, but ultimately became complicated in its second half due to limited budgets and a hang-gliding accident that sidelined Depailler. Nevertheless, Laffite and Ligier provided a demonstration that year: French drivers and teams could dominate and win in F1. Both Alain Prost and Renault would illustrate this in the years that followed.

THE ARPIEM RACEMATIC CASE is made of 316L stainless steel. Its characteristics include a near-total absence of magnetism, which therefore does not interfere with the movement's operation, and a very low carbon content (less than 0.35%) which makes it particularly resistant to corrosion and wear. A water resistance of 10 ATM is provided, with a screw-down adjustment crown.

THE WATCH is assembled in France, in Bordeaux.

DLC BEZEL COATING: The DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coating is a material combining the structure of graphite carbon with that of diamond, along with a variable amount of hydrogen deposited under vacuum in thin layers. Its name refers to the qualities of diamond found in DLC: wear resistance, durability, and a low coefficient of friction. Thanks to these qualities, it is found in the design of drilling tools, engines, the optical industry, and, of course, watchmaking. The DLC treatment of the TJL3's bezel offers it shock and wear resistance far superior to that which would have been obtained with a classic PVD coating.

THE DIAL: the shape of the sub-dials (the "pandas") is inspired by the gauges of 1960s cars. The indices on the main dial represent the graduations of a tachometer.

THE TRIPLE-LAYER DIAL DESIGN gives the ARPIEM an elegant volume, which also recalls the "sandwich" alloy construction of race car chassis before the advent of carbon fiber.

THE MOVEMENT: automatic MIYOTA caliber 9132 with power reserve. Mounted on 26 jewels. Frequency = 28,800 vph.

THE DOMED SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL: it is the highest quality crystal available on the market. It is actually an aluminum oxide crystal and not glass. Although it is produced synthetically on an industrial scale, it has the same chemical composition and physical properties as natural sapphire. Its main virtue is its scratch resistance. On the MOHS scale, graded from 1 to 10, which evaluates the hardness of minerals, it is rated at 9; only diamond is harder, rated at 10. Most minerals that make up our everyday objects are between 4 and 7 on this scale. Its domed finish gives the watch its "vintage" look.

ANTI-REFLECTIVE TREATMENT: The crystal is treated with 6 layers of anti-reflective coating intended to limit light refraction on the sapphire crystal for perfect perception of colors and materials (the greater the number of layers applied, the lower the light refraction).

THE TACHYMETER: this has been reimagined. Indices are usually arranged irregularly on the bezel. On the ARPIEM, they are placed in the style of diving watches, with the speed given for each 5-second index on the dial.

CASE BACK: it is equipped with a sapphire crystal revealing the rotor of the automatic movement, decorated with Jacques Laffite's helmet.

Story

The TJL 3 is the automatic version of the popular TJL 2 chronoquartz dedicated to Jacques Laffite. For this version, the watch focuses on a particular moment in Ligier’s history: the "1979 temporada."

This was the term used at the time to describe the South American "tour" of F1, which began its season in Argentina and then moved to Brazil. Ligier arrived in 1979 fresh off a difficult 1978 season with a new car, the JS11, which wiped the slate clean: the JS11 abandoned the Matra V12 in favor of the time-tested Cosworth V8 and featured a chassis designed for optimal use of the ground effect introduced by Lotus the year before. And it was a "rocket": Jacques Laffite and Patrick Depailler dominated those two races, with 2 wins for Jacques and a 2nd place in Brazil for Patrick Depailler.

The season started off bright, but ultimately became complicated in its second half due to limited budgets and a hang-gliding accident that sidelined Depailler. Nevertheless, Laffite and Ligier provided a demonstration that year: French drivers and teams could dominate and win in F1. Both Alain Prost and Renault would illustrate this in the years that followed.

Description