Maurice Lacroix AIKON Master Grand Date Black
The Maurice Lacroix AIKON Master Grand Date Black is the latest model to join the highly successful AIKON collection. Although it shares some elements with last year’s AIKON Master Grand Date, this new reference looks very different, courtesy of its distinctive white on black colour scheme. Angus Davies shares his thoughts on this latest product from Saignelégier.
It’s difficult not to stare at a mystery in your midst
Many moons ago, I would catch 0721 train from my home town and commute to Manchester where I worked. My journey would take approximately one hour and proved a tedious ritual. Every day, I saw the same weary faces, commuting to the office. We never spoke to each other, choosing to keep ourselves to ourselves, preferring to look into the far distance.
Eventually, I began to counter the monotony by observing my fellow passengers, often noting their physical characteristics and quirky mannerisms, supplementing this with fictitious identities I’d conceived in my head. For example, there was Maureen, nudging sixty, who always sat in the same seat. She always wore American tan tights that bulged at the ankles, no doubt a symptom of fluid retention. Barry was in his late forties, potbellied, he had a predilection for wearing garish ties, often stained with the remnants of his breakfast. His shoes were unduly worn on their outer edges, indicating he was a martyr to foot supination.
And then there was Hermione, the bewitching enigma. Black cascading hair, almond shaped eyes enlivened with Cleopatra-style makeup and always attired in a flowing blouse. Above the waist she didn’t subscribe to the notion of conventional office attire and yet below the waist, her skirt was straight, knee height and conventional, while her shoes were flat and functional. The aura of mystery was heightened still further when she removed a copy of Hyperion by John Keats and, with an HB pencil in hand, began making notes in the margins. Now, she was a mystery.
A different appearance
The reason for my elaborate, slightly wordy introduction is that seemingly disparate elements can make a person or object captivating to behold. Take the Maurice Lacroix AIKON Master Grand Date Black, it shares much of its DNA with the AIKON Master Grand Date, launched in 2021. Both watches display the same indications, measure 45mm in diameter and are equipped with the same ML331 calibre.
Image – Maurice Lacroix AIKON Master Grand Date (2021)
The AIKON Master Grand Date, dressed in blue, encompasses brushed and highly polished surfaces and freely discloses numerous details. Every element of the design contributes to the theme of openness, visibility and purity. However, despite sharing many of the same genes, the Maurice Lacroix AIKON Master Grand Date Black looks and feels very different. Allow me to elaborate.
It’s not a dial, it’s a plate
In common with the AIKON Master Grand Date, the new AIKON Master Grand Date Black eschews a conventional dial. The black horological canvas presented is actually the recto side of the movement, a dial plate. It’s an unusual approach that provides the first indication that this watch shuns convention.
The hours and minutes are shown on a dedicated off-centre dial, positioned in the north-easterly region of the display. Black hour and minute hands, lined with white Super-LumiNova collaborate with matching indexes to proclaim the prevailing time. The central area of this off-centre dial is appointed with Clous de Paris decoration and is framed with a smooth, raised track. By endowing the off-centre dial with white detail, set against a black backdrop, the hands, indexes and numerals step forward, making their presence known.
A small seconds dial sits beneath the off-centre hour and minutes display. The seconds hand is dressed in a covert cloak of blackness that could easily go unnoticed if it wasn’t for the white tip that chats with the adjacent seconds track. Furthermore, the seconds display is openworked revealing brass-toned wheels and affording views through the watch.
An inverted watch movement
Maurice Lacroix has also chosen to reveal the movement components via two additional dial-side openings. The inverted movement, the automatic ML331 calibre, is partly visible. Most notably, the screwed balance wheel and escapement are revealed for the delectation of horological voyeurs. The wearer can see the pallets kissing the escape wheel, the hairspring pulsing with life and the balance wheel oscillating to and fro.
The balance wheel is secured with a black twin-spoke, arcing bridge, a feature that delivers superior stability when compared with a simple balance cock. Once again, the Swiss marque has played with contrasts, affixing the black balance bridge to the dial plate with two gleaming, silvery screws. If the watch is held aloft, the wearer can see daylight, an endearing characteristic of many openworked watches that grant front-to-back views.
At 10 o’clock, the eponymous Grand Date makes an appearance. Unlike a conventional date display that imparts meaning with one disc, on this timepiece, the big date indication employs two discs, proclaiming the date in a widescreen format. Where the AIKON Master Grand Date proclaimed the date with black numerals atop a white disc, the AIKON Master Grand Date Black uses white numerals and a black disc. The polarity of the two hues employed accentuates the information presented.
A 45mm stainless steel case treated in black DLC
Housed in a 45mm stainless steel case treated in black DLC, the AIKON Master Grand Date Black may sound large, however, not everything is as it seems. This model shuns conventional lugs with the strap integrating into the case, making the watch appear smaller when placed on the wrist. The bezel incorporates the six-arm design found on other AIKON models. Everything is suffused in clandestine black, acting as a foil for the white-toned details to sing.
The timepiece is presented on a sporty black rubber strap featuring the watch firm’s name, presented in relief. In common with other AIKON timepieces, this model is fitted with the brand’s Easy Strap Exchange System. Turn over the watch and you will see four ‘M-branded’ catches, allowing the wearer to easily remove the strap and swap it for an alternative without the need for tools. Maurice Lacroix supplies this model with an additional strap in black calf leather, allowing the owner to change the appearance of their AIKON with minimal fuss.
To the rear of the watch, a pane of sapphire crystal grants sight of the self-winding movement.
Automatic ML331 calibre
The automatic ML331 calibre encompasses a number of refined finishes, some of which are presented dial-side. For example, the dial plate is vertically brushed and the balance bridge is sun-brushed, both of which are subsequently treated with black DLC. Meanwhile, the remaining surfaces are sandblasted and again coated in the ubiquitous black DLC.
The balance has a frequency of 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz) and the movement contains 43 jewels. Assuming the watch is fully wound, it will run autonomously for 50 hours.
Closing remarks
When I reviewed the AIKON Master Grand Date in 2021, I liked it. I also like this new version dressed in black, albeit it looks very different from its older sibling. In common with many watch obsessives, I always appreciate being given more choice and congratulate the Swiss brand for providing additional ownership options.
Where the 2021 model has a very open character, showcasing its inner thought processes and proclaiming the indications in modulated tone, the Master Grand Date Black has a very different personality. Despite the dial openings revealing many parts in motion, with this new model, everything feels just a bit more discrete.
Throughout the dial, the use of monochromatic tones creates extraordinary contrast between white and black hues. The latter shade plays a deferential role, inviting the white numerals to speak with clear tone. The use of black DLC for the case and strap imbues the watch with an understated vibe. And yet, this watch shares some characteristics with other AIKON models. This new urban-themed watch is incredibly comfortable to wear and the habillage (everything, save for the movement) feels well made.
In common with its older sibling, the Maurice Lacroix AIKON Master Grand Date Black is equipped with a Manufacture movement, usually the preserve of the brand’s high-end Masterpiece collection. Considering the complexity of this model and its notable refinement, the retail price of €8,660 (RRP as of 3.12.2022) seems remarkably keen, upholding the brand’s reputation for delivering ‘high perceived value’.
Ultimately, it is the juxtaposition of overt and covert characteristics that makes this watch a captivating beauty, albeit in an enchantingly mysterious way.
Further reading
https://www.mauricelacroix.com/
Technical specifications
- Model: Maurice Lacroix AIKON Grand Date Black
- Reference: AI6118-DLB0B-330-2
- Case: black DLC stainless steel, diameter 45mm, height 15mm, water resistance 10ATM (100m), sapphire crystal to the front and exhibition case back.
- Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, big date
- Movement: automatic ML331 calibre, self-winding movement; frequency 18,000 vph (2.5Hz), 43 jewels, power reserve 50 hours.
- Strap: black rubber with Easy Strap Exchange system paired with black PVD pin buckle
- Price: €8660 including VAT (RRP as of 3.12.2022)