I try to avoid using the analogy of things ‘running like clockwork’ for obvious reasons in this industry but if anything can be said to have that certainty and regularity then it’s the fact that American-Swiss brand March LA.B will launch a watch in the month of March every year. We’ve covered the 2024 edition, 2025 edition and now here we have the AM2 Nyctalope Carbon “Millésimée March 2026” edition.
The term Nyctalope is one that I must admit that I have never come across before and it’s a fascinating word. In English it effectively means night-blindness, the inability to see well in the dark, but in the French speaking world it actually means the opposite and it’s the ability to see well in the dark. It’s the latter meaning that March LA.B are referring to with this new launch because the AM2 Nyctalope Carbon “Millésimée March 2026” is their exploration of luminescent materials.
Starting with the case, it’s made from forged carbon: a material produced by taking carbon fibres and forging them together in ultra-tough resin. Here, the resin they’ve used is green in colour, creating a mottled appearance in conjunction with the black carbon, and crucially it emits a green light in dark conditions, creating an ethereal glow. Structurally the case measures 38mm x 44mm in an angular, octagonal shape with a thickness of 12.8mm.
On the dial, the focus on luminescence is shown through the hour markers, which follow the same shape and style as previous editions but are now produced from solid blocks of Super-LumiNova. I really like this change because it creates more of a clear intention and reason for having the different angles of each marker as you go around the display. The date window at 6 o’clock has green numerals to match the colour of the emission.
However, while the March LA.B AM2 Nyctalope Carbon “Millésimée March 2026” is designed to look good at night, it’s also designed to look good during the day too. To that end, the central portion of the dial feature’s an ‘armour’ pattern inspired by jacquard-woven fabrics, such as the material used for the watch’s strap. It creates a cool vertical through-line in the watch as your eye traces across from the strap, to the dial and back to the strap on the other side.
Beneath the dial is the La Joux-Perret G100 automatic calibre. It’s visible through a green-tinted exhibition caseback. This is one of the premier microbrand movements of the contemporary age, providing a 68-hour power reserve and great finishing thanks to its Côtes de Genève. It’s the same movement used in the other time and date special edition, the Millésimée March 2024 – the 2025 edition was a GMT instead.
The March LA.B AM2 Nyctalope Carbon “Millésimée March 2026” edition is limited to 169 pieces at a price of €2,495 (approx. £2,180). The adoption of a forged carbon case by a brand like March LA.B is quite exciting as it’s typically a material reserved for ultra-high-end brands. It’s a reflection of March LA.B’s new philosophy of producing fewer watches overall while creating higher quality watches.
Price and Specs:
More details at March LA.B.
