Jacques Bianchi
Marseille, France · Est. 1982
Founded by Jacques Bianchi
Jacques Bianchi is an independent French watchmaker producing bespoke and limited-edition timepieces with a focus on classical finishing and traditional savoir-faire. The brand operates at the artisanal scale of independent watchmaking.
- Founded
- 1982
- Headquarters
- Marseille, France
- Group
- Independent
- Price Segment
- Mid
- Status
- Active
Key Collections
- JB200 (2021) — Jacques Bianchi JB200 is the Marseille brand's modern reissue of its historic French dive watch, keeping the 42 mm skin-diver profile, left-crown identity, 200 m water resistance, luminous dial language, and automatic Swiss movement format. Key references: JB200 Posidonie, JB200 Goudron, JB200 Night Diver.
- JB200 Maxi Dial — Variant of the JB200 with enlarged markers and hands for maximum underwater legibility.
- JB200 PoulPro (2024) — The JB200 PoulPro is Jacques Bianchi Marseille’s octopus-dial evolution of the revived JB200 diver: a 42 mm left-crown tool watch with 200 m water resistance, Swiss automatic movement, and a high-visibility Super-LumiNova execution built for modern daily wear and nighttime legibility. Key references: JB200 PoulPro, JB200 PoulPro Night Diver, JB200.
Timeline
- 1950 — Jacques Bianchi trains as a watchmaker in Provence before settling in Marseille.
- 1982 — Bianchi releases the JB200 dive watch, supplying examples to French Navy divers and South-of-France dive shops.
- 2020 — Fabrice Pougez and Simo Tber acquire the rights and relaunch the brand as Jacques Bianchi Marseille.
- 2021 — A Kickstarter campaign for the reissued JB200 raises €791,406, bringing the watch back to the market.
- 2023 — Collaborations with Revolution ('Méduse') and Fratello ('PoulPro') establish the reissue as a collector favourite.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jacques Bianchi
- Who was Jacques Bianchi?
- A Marseille-based watchmaker who in 1982 released the JB200, a professional dive watch used by French Navy divers and local diving shops in the south of France.
- Is Jacques Bianchi still made today?
- Yes. The brand was revived as Jacques Bianchi Marseille by Fabrice Pougez and Simo Tber and relaunched the JB200 via Kickstarter in 2021.
Other independent France watch brands
- LVMH — Paris, France
- Dior — Paris, France
- Ralf Tech — Paris, France
- Ludovic Ballouard — Paris, France