Marvin by Sébastien Loeb

• 
  
  
  
  
  
• 
• Share on Tumblr

• FRANCAIS

By Olivier Müller

It’s not that often that we have the chance to have a chat with the 7 times WRC world champion. Some would have expected an haughty man, coming with bodyguards on a big Citroën C6, with a horde of die-hard fans running after it.

For sure, there were fans glued on to the C42 (Citroen show-room) windows on the Champs-Elysées. But no bodyguards,: but just a man, just a man, right on time (“for once“, as he told us later in the evening !), simple and apparently happy to be there.

On In the right-hand corner, so we have Sebastien Loeb, World Rallye Championship legend, a hero for anyone interested in mechanical motor sports. A man with character, as well better known for his kindness and deep humanity than for losing his temper with tactless journalists. Copy that.

On In the left-hand corner, this “very small watch company led by a very small lady“, as our colleague and friend Gregory Pons from Business Montres affectionately presented Marvin Watches and its CEO Cécile Maye.

Their reunion gave birth to the highly awaited Loeb Special Edition Sports Watch. The steel chronograph is 44mm wide and will be available in both automatic and quartz versions. These two versions are a product of Sebastien’s specific will “to have an affordable model to offer to my fans, as 97% of them will not be able to afford the mechanical version“. This version will be sold at xxx around 2,000 euros in limited edition, while the quartz version will be proposed at xxx 650 euros. According to Cécile Maye, CEO, Marvin Watch, “we’ll be a little late on shipping the first units, expected to hit stores mid-December“. One good point for Marvin pricing policy : the first 777 Limited editions of the two versions, that will include 7 stars on the bezel, will be displayed at the same price as the regular version. “We don’t want to exclude our core clients with over-priced Premium versions. That’s not our philosophy“, explains Cécile Maye, CEO. Hats off, let’s hope than one day, her fellows on in the industry will follow her.

It’s a man’s watch !

We had quite a long chat with Sébastien about the very beginnings of his partnership with Marvin. “It’s a story of trust and friendship“, he answers us. In our case, friendship with Jean-François Ruchonnet – best known for the TAG Heuer Monaco V4 and the Cabestan, who was his neighbour in Switzerland before he moved to Monaco. “We have the same passion for cars and mechanics“, says Sébastien. “He used to wake up the whole valley with his Lambo. That’s why I bought my own helicopter, now I’m louder than him !“.

This friendship ended on ultimately produced a one- year collaboration with Marvin, with which xx was already working at the time. Sébastien Perret, long-time designer of some of the greatest Marvin’s models, was involved right from the beginning. “They both presented me different drafts upon which I built my own vision of a sport watch. I reviewed it several times and added a lot of details, like these springs up on the strap that directly refers to the shock absorbers of my Citroën C4. The final result is the watch as I really imagined it.“

And on the wrist ?

We had the pleasure to try Seb’s own model, number 001 of 777 (mechanical version). It’s quite heavy, solid, and original. The rubber strap fits perfectly supports the steel case. The inside movement is the 7750 (Valjoux), so no surprises expected for quite a few decades. We asked Sebastien if he would wear it during a race, as we cannot imagine how demanding it must be for a mechanical wristwatch. “Of course I will !“, he
answered. us. Not sure we’ll have the final conclusions of the test outcome, though ! Still, one quite strange thing on the dial : the mention of “Day” and “Date” under the windows displaying them, as if its owners might misunderstand could misunderstood the difference between “Nov” and “8″, for instance. No explanations was given on that !

One Our conclusion : try it

Great watch, great man, how could we resist ? The fact is that partnerships with race drivers often ends on very high produce collectible and exotic models that no fans can afford – just check the latest Hublot / Senna recent announcement : only 500 units priced at more than 17.000 euros.

Marvin and Sebastien Loeb, however, took had a consistent and realistic approach to and delivered a great result in which we can feel the touch of the world champion. A reliable movement, an original design, two affordable versions : what could we ask more? Nothing.

The author: Olivier Müller

---

Technical Details:

LOEB Automatic Chronograph – Limited Edition of 777 pieces – to celebrate Sébastien Loeb’s 7th consecutive World Rally Champion title, seven stars exclusively decorate the bezel of the automatic version.

LOEB Chronographe Quartz

• Movement ETA G10.711, quartz chronograph, 3 hands, date at 4.30, Swiss Made
• Case ø44 mm, steel case, screw-in caseback, screw-down crown, buttons treated in black PVD, sanded and fine-brushed finish
• Crystal Anti-reflection sapphire, shock resistant
• Dial Black or silver, Superluminova C1 on hour markers Special markings : Sébastien Loeb signature
• Strap Black rubber, tongue buckle
• Water-resistance 10 ATM (100 metres, 330 ft.)
• Guarantee 2 years

Ce qui ont lu cette article ont aussi lu:

Rejoignez la communauté des montres