Last year’s Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diving Chronograph gained publicity and fans alike, with its clutter-free profile, neat dial layout and some cleverly placed colour tones.  For 2013, Maurice Lacroix give automobile designer Henrik Fisker (think Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage…) a free rein, using the Pontos Chrono as a starting point.   Actually this has been a very restrained make-over – the best bits of last year’s model remain, with the addition of some cutting-edge materials.

The 43mm case has been made from a techy mix of aluminium, magnesium, titanium, zirconium and ceramics.  Termed “Powerlite” it promises to be light and durable, but its sandblasted finish will be tactile too.

The Valjoux 7750 Calibre is a movement which aligns its counters neatly allowing for a balanced layout, using it as a base for this model is perfectly suited to the Maurice Lacroix method of covertly slipping the divers rotational bezel beneath the sapphire, resulting in a usable divers watch which has the crisp neatness of a sports timer.

Adding just the right amount of animation, the inner timing ring, minute and seconds hand and the chrono pusher have all been picked up with a vivid red, further complimented by the stitching on the kevlar strap.

The Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Extreme will form part of the brand’s new portfolio for 2013.

A look-back at last year’s superb Pontos S Diving Chronograph ( it really is a stunner….)

Popularity: 1% [?]

2013 is set to be a great year for Maurice Lacroix.  Last week I featured the stunning and illusory Masterpiece Seconde Mystérieuse, now I turn my attention to something a little more casual – two new divers watches which will be officially unveiled at the upcoming BaselWorld, and so superb are they, that each is deserving of its own feature – so here we go back-to-back Maurice Lacroix….

First up, the Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diver – very vintage in style, but with some meritorious subtleties.

The 43mm steel case has some vertical brushing in the middle and on the lug-sides which  contrasts with the mirror-polished front bezel, the sapphire is slightly domed and, on the black sunray-brushed dial, the applied hour-markers and minute markers are very Memovox and wholly handsome.

This is a serious divers watch, capable of withstanding depths of up to 600m, but at a glance you’d never know it.  Maurice Lacroix have slipped the rotational divers bezel beneath the sapphire thus ensuring clean-edged aesthetics, so no serrated chunkyness – instead polished steel  provides a frame for this very  handsome face.

On the dial, the vivacity of red on the tip of the seconds hand and on the minute hand is both functional and cool.

Powered by the ML 115 Calibre with 38 hours of power reserve, the Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diver will be available with either black or opaline dial editions, with a choice of straps.

-  and coming up, the second divers piece, the Pontos S Extreme…..

Popularity: 1% [?]

New for BaselWorld 2013 is the Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Seconde Mystérieuse.

Maurice Lacroix produce some of the most stunning dial arrangements in the business – multiple retrogrades, arcs, wisp-like tapering hands, shapes which oppose and co-operate.  They bustle with activity, yet remain utterly serene and I find them quite compelling.  Now there’s something new – a piece which offers a little bit of holorogical trickery.

The dominating feature of the Masterpiece Seconde Mystérieuse is the seconds dial which features a “levitating” hand.  On a background of white, a blued steel hand rotates on its axis indicating the seconds on a linear display with both vertical and horizontal scales.  Such an illusory spectacle is no less stunning than some of the brand’s more traditional  time indications, but it is quite a departure all the same.

At 2 o’clock is a more conventional hours and minutes dial, but this is skeletonised to its bare minimum along with its surrounding area, resulting in a technical labyrinthine, and a glimpse through to  the rhodium and ruthenium-plated bridges.

A new calibre, the automatic ML215 has been created to power it, continuing the development by Maurice Lacroix of unique and innovative proprietary movements.

Two editions of the Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Seconde Mystérieuse will be produced, with stainless steel case or black PVD coated steel case, each 43mm across, each a 125 piece limited edition.

- and a look-back at the elegant and eccentric Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Roue Carrée Seconde Or Rose

Popularity: 1% [?]

In the run-up to Basel 2012 details have been released of the Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diving Chronograph, a new and very dapper divers watch to add to the Pontos collection.

We know and love this brand – mainly for their superb dial designs, for they are experts in maintaining elegance and readability on models which are quite literally bursting with activity and indications. Most divers watches have a chunky, clicky rotating bezel on the outside, Maurice Lacroix have taken the little life-saving feature and slipped it under the sapphire, so that rounded Pontos case remains clutter-free and as understated as ever.

The dial is totally functional – against the sun-brushed finish the counters are neatly laid out. The small seconds at 9 o’clock features snailing, the 30-minute and 12-hour counters are satin finished, edged with a snailed trim – this may be a divers watch, but Maurice Lacroix cannot resist some subtle decoration. The applied markers and hands are chubby and legible.

Inside is the self-winding calibre ML112 based on a Valjoux 7750 movement with a power reserve of 46 hours. Water resistance is to 200m. The stainless steel case measures 43mm and the winding crown and pushpieces are styled for grippy ease of use. In addition to a monochrome model, the piece will be available with orange or blue tones, with subtle colour-coordination on the dial.

The new Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diving Chronograph comes presented on a steel bracelet with a matching NATO strap also provided.

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The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Roue Carrée Seconde Or Rose

The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Lune Rétrograde 2012

Popularity: 8% [?]

New for 2012 comes the Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Roue Carrée Seconde Or Rose.

You may remember the first edition of this unusual timepiece, the Masterpiece Régulateur Roue Carrée, a combination of polished and brushed stainless steel with rather unusual dial indications.  We featured it and we loved it – we were not alone, the piece was a highly acclaimed at BaselWorld 2010 and it received a  Red Dot Design award.  Now it’s back with a reworked rich brown dial and an 18 karat pink gold case, a new-found elegance, yes – but it’s still eccentric.

On the dial, the jagged blends with the smooth, circles merge with squares, opposing shapes combine and co-operate.  The small seconds at 6 o’clock is indicated via an openworked square wheel, superluminova highlighted for readibility, which in turn is driven by the clover-leaf wheel at 9 o’clock, a truly eye-catching and mesmeric way to count the seconds. At 3 o’clock is a graduated power reserve indicator.

Inside is the patented ML 156 hand wound calibre, with a power reserve of 45 hours, and the dial is in fact the main plate of the movement.  Michel Vermont and his team at Le Locle’s Haute Ecole Arc brought the idea of “squaring the circle” from sketchpad to reality – the complicated process of ensuring consistency of power when working with irregular forms required not only horological skills, but also the minds of HE-Arc’s elite engineers.  Not suprisingly MLC have chosen M.Vermont to be responsible for future  movement development.

The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Roue Carrée Seconde Or Rose will be a limited edtion release of 88 pieces.

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The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Régulateur Roue Carrée – a look-back at the 2010 piece.

The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Lune Rétrograde 2012 – another superb addition to this year’s portfolio.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Just released are details of the Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Lune Rétrograde 2012.   The aptly named Masterpiece series is the “Flagship” of the brand’s portfolio and this superb Lune Rétrograde is a showcase piece within a showcase collection.

When it comes to dial design Maurice Lacroix are virtuosos.  Few brands can integrate multiple displays while maintaining dial elegance, Maurice Lacroix can.  Few brands can enliven a dial with multiple retrograde displays while maintaining an uncluttered dial, Maurice Lacroix can.  At Baselworld 2012 the Masterpiece Régulateur Roue Carrée caused quite a fuss with its unusual dial which displayed the hours through the use of a remarkable openworked square wheel – the piece went on to win a Red Dot Design Award, much publicity followed, yet this is a watch brand largely ignored by other watch knowledge websites. Why?  I know not.  These are superbly built timepieces powered by increasingly innovative in-house calibres.

This piece features not only the arcs, recesses and retrogrades you would expect to find on  a beautiful Masterpiece dial, but also that most compelling of features – the moonphase complication.  Located at 6 o’clock it is awarded a deservedly ample portion of the lower dial and it cleverly combines with a day of the week indication and revolves on an inky background reminiscent of the night sky.

At 10 o’clock is the retrograde date display with a power reserve display at 2 o’clock, enhanced by a graduating series of applied markers.  The central hours and minutes hands are eye-lash slim, elongated and embellished with a diamond finish.

Three versions will be available, black gold, navy blue or silver dial, all based on a solid silver plate and with rhodium diamond-cut applied markers for the black gold and navy blue editions and pink gold for the silver dial.

Following on from last year’s first Masterpiece automatic calibre, this one will also be powered by a new self-winding calibre, the ML192 with a power reserve of 52 hours.

The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Lune Rétrograde comes presented on a matching hand-stitched crocodile leather strap.

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The award-winning Masterpiece Régulateur Roue Carrée

The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Double Rétrograde Limited Edition

Popularity: 4% [?]

How do you make a dial which is bustling with activity appear utterly serene?  How do you create a dial which is alive with information seem totally harmonious?  Maurice Lacroix are accomplished in the art of dial design and every piece in their Masterpiece Collection confirms their expertise.  The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Double Rétrograde Limited Edition is no exception.

The piece features a retrograde 24-hour indication at the top of the dial, power reserve indication on the right, retrograde date function at the bottom and over on the right, an inset small seconds dial.  Hours and minutes are in the centre.

The Double Rétrograde dial with its arcs, curves and gliding wisp-like tapering hands will already be familiar to fans of the brand, but for the first time these functions are powered by an automatic movement, the ML 191 Calibre with 52 hours power reserve.  The blue dial is satin finished, those slender hands are crafted from 18 carat gold, a resplendent yet reserved mix – blue and gold never looked so good.   The case is 48mm, 18 carat satin/polished pink gold with the fine decoration reserved for the movement.

Presented on a black crocodile leather strap, the piece will be a limited edition of 50.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Maurice Lacroix release a new dial colour for their classical Pontos portfolio – the Maurice Lacroix Pontos Jours Date Blue Dial.

Blue – the official colour of the Conservative Party in the UK, the preferred colour of Corporate America, symbol of trust, loyalty and sincerity.  In F1 a waved blue flag tells the driver of a lapped car to move aside and let the faster car through, on a beach a blue flag tells of its high environmental standards.  You are twice as likely to be bitten by a mosquito when wearing blue, and if you are the boss of a luxury Swiss Watch Manufacture twice as likely to consider adding a blue dial watch to your collection, if this year’s new releases are anything to go by – blue dials are more popular than ever.

The latest Pontos Day/Date watch features a particularly rich “solar” blue dial, sun-brushed to catch the light and perfectly framed by the polished bezel and rounded Pontos case shape.  Elongated hour markers and a combination of dial surface finishing along with an inner chapter ring add interest to this rather elegant piece.

Maurice Lacroix Pontos Jours Date

There is something satisfyingly old fashioned about a watch dial which displays the day of the week in its own aperture.  Of course in this media-driven age few need a reminder of what day of the week it is, after all there is an “app” to meet almost every need.  I know of no-one but myself who uses a calendar in the traditional way, marking off each day with a large “X” in an almost childlike manner.  In this piece the  Day and Date apertures at 12 and 6 o’clock each have their own “metal stamped” slice of the dial which emphasise the functions beautifully and produce a slightly 3D effect.

The movement is the ML 09 self-winding Calibre with hand decorated  Côtes de Genève and Perlage, viewable through the exhibition caseback. Power reserve is 38 hours and the piece is water resistant to 50m.

The Maurice Lacroix Pontos Jours Date with blue dial is presented on a black crocodile strap with stainless steel folding clasp.

Maurice Lacroix Pontos Jours Date

Popularity: 7% [?]

From the workshop of Maurice Lacroix comes a new limited edition piece, the Maurice Lacroix Pontos Décentrique Phases de Lune.

Enthusiasts who appreciate unusual dial arrangements may have noticed previous Pontos Décentrique releases and this latest watch with its visually stunning atypical styling will not disappoint.

Display of hours, date and the exquisite moon phase are enabled via discs constantly rotating beneath the dial and are viewed through apertures positioned at the 4 o’clock position for the moon phase (which also doubles for the day/night feature),  the 10 o’clock for the hours and the 6 o’clock position for the date, leaving the only hand featured on the dial, the minutes hand to sweep around its off-centre dial alone.

The movement is the self-winding Calibre ML122 and the 45mm watchcase is constructed from titanium with a sand-blasted finish made all the more tactile with a coating of anti-fingermarking treatment.  The  Maurice Lacroix Pontos Décentrique Phases de Lune will be limited to 500 pieces world wide and will form part of the new 2010 portfolio.

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Popularity: 5% [?]