Four color trims will are available for the Miura timepiece.
Cars and time have gone together since someone asked “how fast can it go from here to there?” and someone scribbled down the result, likely reading off the interval from a Victorian-era pocket watch. In that spirit, watchmaker Atelier Jalaper first melded a timepiece with an automobile icon in 2020, resulting in the Collection DB-5, a limited run of timepieces incorporating sections of the hood (or bonnet) from the iconic Aston Martin.
Now, Atelier Jalaper is back with a second watch that carries a bit of automobilia historica within its cases with the AJ-P400 collection, this time incorporating “a genuine piece” of a Lamborghini Miura, what many gearheads consider to be the first supercar, or at least the first Lamborghini supercar, the success of which eventually led to the iconic Lamborghini Countach in the late 1970s and grandfathered the Lamborghini supercars of today.
The Lamborghini Miura, the V-12 powered icon that brought us supercars.
In its day, the Miura was both rare and powerful, mysterious and exotic. While Ferrari was the flag bearer for exotic Italian autos in the 1960s and ‘70s, upstart Lamborghini, which had its company roots in much more mundane farm equipment, was on the rise with the definitely non-agricultural Miura, which features a 4.0-liter V12 making a robust 375 horsepower above a howling 7,000 rpms. In the early 1970s, it was the fastest street-legal car you could buy bar none, including Ferrari’s offerings. A docudrama on the history of Lamborghini recently hit theaters and streaming services (trailer below, with the Miura briefly at 1:10).
The highly modernized styling of the Miura, including pop-forward headlights with small vents that gave the headlights “lashes” when recessed is now iconic. When new, the cars cost about $20,000 USD depending on options, or about $120,000 in 2023 dollars. Less than a thousand Miuras were produced in total and surviving pristine examples commonly go for seven figures at auction.
At $2,000, the Swiss-made AJ-P400 Miura watches are a bit more attainable, but also limited in production. There are four color highlight options, Verde Scandal, Azzurro Mexico, Arancio Miura and the Nero Cangiante. Only 400 units per color are being produced.
Detail of the Atelier Jalaper AJ-P400 Lamborghini Miura wrist watch.
The exterior design of the 39.5mm steel case were “inspired by the simple and sensual curves of the Miura,” especially the iconic oval headlights according to Atelier Jalaper, and the dial digits and layout are reminiscent of the car’s speedometer and dashboard, according to the designers. Dial hands are light colored with luminescence for night viewing. The dial face is made from aluminum taken from the bodywork of an actual Lamborghini Miura. It is treated but retains its patina, a company spokesperson told Forbes.com, so no two watches are exactly identical.
The watch takes color, iconography and shape cues from the Miura.
A date window is at the three o’clock position and a small meter showing how much power remains is at six o’clock. An internal self-winding mechanism is powered by the wearer’s movements; there is no battery in the AJ-P400 and it is not a smartwatch. Once fully wound, the watch will continue to run for over 40 hours without needing “winding” by way of movement. The rear of the watch case is transparent and shows the Swiss Sellita SW270-1 M mechanism’s movements as well as the winding pendulum. The watch is sealed to five atmospheres of pressure and has a sapphire crystal face.
Love a Lamborghini? Few of us will ever get the opportunity to drive one in anger (or joy) let alone own one, but having a small bit of an iconic classic like the Miura on your wrist may help soothe that realization. And who knows, maybe you’ll get the chance to spin up that legendary V-12 some day down the line. If so, enjoy that time.
The AJ-P400 Miura watches are available for pre-order now from Atelier Jalaper, with delivery in July.
If you ever get to drive a Miura, at least you’ll have the right watch on.
link