Getting bored with that micro brand pilot watch? Is your Seiko 62MAS getting a little staid? Maybe your Speedmaster just doesn’t do it for you anymore. The Mr. Jones Last Laugh Tattoo may just be your ticket out of the doldrums. Here we’re taking a look at the brand new XL version.
Mr. Jones has been producing conversation-starting watches for years (several of which we’ve reviewed on WWR), including the Last Laugh in 37mm in both the version you see here (the Tattoo) as well as a more basic white skull. They also make the Last Laugh Ladies in a 31mm. I’d like to think that I’m a semi-serious, bordering on serious watch collector, so Mr. Jones is not a brand I’ve ever considered. With the exception of some of the six-figure-plus creations from guys like Vianey Halter or MB&F, I’m just not into art pieces…then I saw the Last Laugh Tattoo XL.
This particular version of the Last Laugh contains an ornate and colorful Day of the Dead skull. Day of the Dead, for those of you who don’t know, is a Mexican holiday that celebrates those family members who have passed. Loved ones gather to party and celebrate (I’m liking this holiday) with bright colors and fancy skulls made of sugar, among other things. The dial on the Tattoo is painted to look like a traditional Mexican sugar skull.
First and foremost, the Tattoo is a statement piece. To me it says, “I’m not wearing this watch to tell time. I’m wearing it because it’s cool looking artwork.” That’s pretty accurate since telling the time is not its forte. Housed inside the stainless PVD-coated 45mm case is a modified Chinese-made TY1723 automatic movement. The movement powers two wheels painted to look like the upper and lower teeth in the skull’s mouth. The hour is displayed on the upper teeth, while the lower teeth show the minute. It’s relatively easy to see the minute markers, but the hour wheel is buried so far down beneath the face of the dial that in anything but full light my middle-aged eyes consistently fail to pick up the hour. Do I care? No, I really don’t. I’m tickled by this watch. It’s FUN, and sometimes we need to remember to have fun with this hobby of ours.
Topping the dial is a vintage-style boxed sapphire crystal. Flipping the watch over we find a solid case back displaying the name of the piece and the Mr. Jones website address. The Tattoo ships on a black leather strap with green stitching, tying it in nicely with the green bits on the colorful dial. The black PVD-coated pin buckle has the Mr. Jones logo. The Last Laugh Tattoo XL is available direct from Mr. Jones Watches for $462. mrjoneswatches.com.
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Mr. Jones Last Laugh Tattoo XL
- Price: $462
- Who we think it might be for: All of us. Sometimes we all just need to loosen up and have some fun!
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen? I did.
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Make the hour marker more visible. The upper dial casts too much of a shadow on the upper teeth, making it very difficult to see the hour. Then again, who cares?
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: Just look at it!
Technical Specifications from Mr. Jones
- CASE
- Material: 316L Stainless Steel, Black PVD-Coated and Polished
- Size: 45m x 13mm, 53mm lug-to-lug
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Water Resistance: 5 atm
- Inter-lug Width: 22mm
- MOVEMENT: TY1723
- Functions: Hour, Minute
- STRAP
- Material: Leather
- Clasp: Signed Pin Buckle
