Maurice Lacroix 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde Watch Review
The Maurice Lacroix 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde wonderfully showcases the Manufacture’s mechanical prowess and its impressive eye for design. Endowed with a large date display and a retrograde day indication, this model also reinforces the brand’s reputation for delivering accessible luxury. We tasked Marcus Henry, a twentysomething, with reviewing this model from a brand now celebrating its 51st birthday.
Maurice Lacroix 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde – introduction
Founded in 1975, Maurice Lacroix is no stranger to success. The Swiss marque enjoyed box office demand for its ‘urban watch’, the AIKON, and is widely known for its mastery of retrograde indications. Maurice Lacroix released the Calendar Retrograde in 1999 and then consolidated its success with the release of the Double Retrograde in 2002. Over the last 25 years, the Manufacture’s retrograde indications have become a brand signature. Now, with the release of the 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde, the Maison showcases its vast expertise with a model that discloses many of its thought processes courtesy of its openworked display.
Incorporating some of the know-how it amassed when creating the AIKON Master Grand Date (released in 2021), the new 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde features skeletonised bridges, sapphire elements and a complex date display that presents information in a simple-to-interpret format. Since the company was established in 1975, it has produced ‘26 Masterpiece calibres’ as well as ‘numerous in-house mechanisms’. With the advent of this latest model, the brand from the Franches Montagnes has harnessed its amassed knowledge, creating a shining example of microengineering. With its impressive specification and keen pricing, this new model also perpetuates the brand’s reputation for delivering accessible luxury.
Maurice Lacroix 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde – dial
Unlike most watches, the Master Grand Date Retrograde shuns a conventional dial. Instead, the surface of the mainplate serves as a backdrop for the various indications. Moreover, the skeletonised bridges, positioned front of house, reveal a plethora of parts at play.
The watch’s Grand Date display is located at 12 o’clock. The date is indicated using a combination of two discrete discs, one for tens and the other for units. Collectively, the two discs present the prevailing date in a widescreen format, while the associated mechanism is freely shown in the north-easterly region of the dial. A retrograde day-of-the-week indicator is presented on a curved sapphire track, arcing between 5 and 7 o’clock. Incorporating white printed text, the sapphire track grants sight of the various components located beneath. Against a monochromatic vista, a blue hand delivers a tasteful splash of colour while at the same time lucidly imparting meaning.
Good dial design requires that any 2D layout optimises available space, proves simple to read and confers aesthetic appeal. Great dial design takes that to another dimension – quite literally. Each element of this dial is arranged, not only delivering a harmonious planar layout, but also with due consideration to the thicknesses and layers that form this 3D composition. The resultant design proves beautiful from every angle. The brilliance of the model’s display is heightened with the fitment of a stunning box crystal that not only bathes the display with light, but also provides lateral views of the dial architecture and intricate mechanical elements.
Maurice Lacroix 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde – case
In order to harmoniously coexist with the complicated display, the housing has been designed with judicious restraint. It is functional but also acts as a foil for the performance front of house. The steel case, measuring 42 mm in diameter and with a thickness of 12.75 mm, is embellished with brushed and polished surfaces that are precisely delineated. The absence of a conventional bezel affords greater room for the various indications to breathe. Encircling the display, a fine circlet of polished steel frames the box crystal, accentuating the cambered profile of the glazing.
Beyond aesthetics, Maurice Lacroix has also given due consideration to practical matters. For instance, the caseband incorporates two correctors, providing a user-friendly means of adjusting the date and day indications. Moreover, the watch is water resistant to 50 metres (5 ATM) and the crown features a fluted grip for ease of manipulation. Interestingly, the lugs are neat and comparatively short, making the watch appear smaller on the wrist than the stated diameter would suggest.
Maurice Lacroix 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde – movement
Rather fittingly for 2026, the Master Grand Date Retrograde features Maurice Lacroix’s 26th in-house calibre. In this case, the Masterpiece ML302 calibre unites a trusty Sellita SW 200-1 base movement with an in-house module that orchestrates the eponymous grand date and retrograde indications. The balance has a cadence of 4 Hz and the movement will run autonomously for 38 hours. An exhibition caseback grants sight of the skeletonised rotor as well as an array of finishes, including perlage, Côtes de Genève and colimaçon.
Maurice Lacroix 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde – strap
The 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde is presented on a sumptuous black calf leather strap with an alligator-style texture, incorporating colour-matched black stitching. The strap secures to the wrist with a steel butterfly buckle, while a debossed M logo identifies the creator of this masterpiece. A further highlight of this watch is the ‘Easychange system’, a speciality of the house. With just ‘a few user-friendly clicks’, the strap can be removed and swapped for an alternative without the need for tools, providing endless possibilities for personalisation.
Conclusion
The Maurice Lacroix 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde is a remarkable watch, especially considering its modest asking price of CHF 6,950. The model’s talents are not limited to its beautiful display and its named complications; the whole composition is elegantly styled and beautifully executed. Most notably, the 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde strikes a fine balance between complexity and simplicity and its design successfully delivers restraint and intrigue in equal measure. For a 51-year-old Maison, Maurice Lacroix is still looking good.
Further reading
https://www.mauricelacroix.com/
Technical specifications
- Model: Maurice Lacroix 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde
- Case: stainless steel, diameter 42 mm, height 12.75 mm, water resistance 5 ATM (50 m), sapphire crystal to the front and exhibition case back.
- Functions: hours, minutes, central sweep seconds, grand date, retrograde day display
- Movement: Automatic Manufacture ML302, self-winding movement; frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz), 39 jewels, power reserve approximately 38 hours.
- Strap: black calf leather strap incorporating an alligator-style texture
paired with a steel butterfly buckle. Includes Easychange system - Price: CHF 6,950 (RRP as of 2.6.2026)