American Brands
BY GARY GEORGE
LESS IS MORE AT
LAMOTTE
ike so many watch enthusiasts , brothers Jonnie and Jeff LaMotte had a vision to create a watch of their own
L
- and unlike the vast majority of dreamers , the brothers LaMotte have actually brought their dream to life .
Crafted with a less-is-more approach , the Balboa by the California-based LaMotte Watch Company embraces a design that is crisp and clean without excess - anything .
When you open the ( California-sourced ) packaging , the LaMotte Balboa is not a shock-watch with a rampant rainbow of colors , nor will you be in awe of a massive 50mm case better suited for a desk clock than a watch . What you will see is a rightsized watch with a subtlety that can be underwhelming at first – but grows on you the more closely you look and the more you wear it .
At 39mm , the 316L stainless Steel Balboa is easy to wear as the mid-size case rides very nicely on the wrist without reminding you that it ’ s on your arm every minute of the day . When you do roll your wrist to check the time , the hand-made leather strap leads the eye to the applied numerals standing tall as they rise from the silver circular grained dial .
Like the hands , the numerals are enhanced with X1 Superluminova that glows an electric blue for ease of reading in low light conditions . Both the front and the back have flat sapphire crystals , and each watch is individually pressure tested to 10atm .
108 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | FALL 2023