MAURICE LACROIX AIKON AUTOMATIC 42mm & AIKON AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH 44mm

Being among the eye-catching models, especially with their price/performance ratios, of the steel sports watch concept which has been very popular during the last few years, the Automatic 42mm and Automatic Chronograph 44mm models of Maurice Lacroix Aikon series have been with us for a while to review and experience with as a user.

Launched at the BaselWorld 2018, the renewed Aikon series has been subject to heated debates since its release. As all you may guess, the starting point of these debates was the known similarity. Some has argued that this similarity went beyond mere inspiration, and some has declared that being similar to a cult product was not that bad. Preferring to defer my personal idea and our team’s view for the end of the review, I want to talk firstly about the Maurice Lacroix brand and the watches.

Maurice Lacroix, though not a very old watch brand, is a firm that is accomplished at watch work and has gained a big experience in the sector during its relatively short history (since 1975). The founder of Maurice Lacroix is a firm named Desco von Schulthess (Desco, in short) with its roots tracing back to 1889. Also being a representative agency of the luxury Swiss watch brands such as Audemars Piguet, Heuer, Eterna and Jaeger Le Coultre since 1946, Desco buys a watch assembly factory in 1961 in the Canton Jura of Switzerland as a result of its increasing interest in the watch sector over the years. Producing watches for other companies at first, Desco establishes its own brand: Maurice Lacroix. When the date showed the year 1989, Maurice Lacroix buys the case manufacturing firm named Queloz S.A. Ensuring it with a case-manufacturing capacity, this acquisition puts Maurice Lacroix in a different place among other firms.

Without further ado, let’s talk about the Aikon series: we have the 42mm automatic version with a blue dial and a steel bracelet, and the 44mm automatic chronograph version with a black dial and a leather strap. We have made this choice of models for our review in order that we could be able to see their differences in use and their aesthetic appearances.

First and foremost, the greatest innovation in the Aikon series is that it is offered with an automatic movement. Besides, various updates have been made on the case, dial and hands. The ML115 caliber used in the 42mm automatic model is actually an elaborated Sellita SW200-1. Featuring hours, minutes, seconds and date functions, the caliber, with 26 jewels, is offering a power reserve of 38 hours, beating at a frequency of 28,800vph (4Hz). Decorated with Côtes de Genève and Perlage, the movement rotor bears the Maurice Lacroix brand.

Among the three dial colors offered in the steel model, my favorite is certainly this blue one we have. Here, the only point I may criticize is the date display with a white ground on the blue dial. However, the date apertures are used in harmony with the dials, as with a black ground on a black dial and with a white ground on a white dial. I’d prefer a date display with a blue ground, as harmonious with the blue dial. Hour indexes of the watch are applied as dual batons on 3, 6, 9 and 12, and single batons on the remaining hours. The night appearance is pretty successful, although only a little amount of luminova is used on the indexes and hands. A stylized initial M letter logo of the Maurice Lacroix is applied just below the 12 o’clock index, with Maurice Lacroix name just under the logo “M”. Above the 6 o’clock index is an AUTOMATIC inscription, and a SWISS MADE on both sides of the index. As for the dial pattern, it is, in fact, the Clous de Paris, a completely different pattern, though it resembles the petite tapisserie used in the famous model. We may call it as tiny pyramids. Let me mention a difference at this point: the thin outer circle with minutes scale is designed as a separate addition apart from the dial itself and it has no Clous de Paris pattern. The blue hue of the dial is so beautiful and different tones can be obtained under different lights.

The case and bracelet are the points that are Maurice Lacroix’s forte. As I mentioned above, having its own case manufacturing facilities, the brand has made a good fist keeping a close eye on quality control. Designing is a subjective matter itself but it’s impossible to find fault with the implementation of this design. Aikon’s bezel design is a hallmark; the surface of the thickset circular bezel is satin finished, whereas the embossed dual markers on 2, 4, 6, 10 and 12 o’clock are designed in a glossy polish. The outer edges of the case are also polished. The sapphire crystal on the front stands flat without brimming over the bezel and has an anti-reflective coating. The 42mmx11mm case shape reminded me, at first sight, of the Rolex Oyster Quartz models. The case is mostly satin finished, with an exception of the polished bevels connecting the upper and lower surfaces to the lateral surface. While these polished parts are emphasizing the case lines, they also provide you with the glow factor you need as you roll your wrist. A sapphire crystal casebak is screwed with seven screws. Water resistance is announced as 200m almost like a diver, thanks to the lock crown and screwed caseback.

Having a case-integrated design, the bracelet is another forte of Maurice Lacroix. The second and fourth pieces of the bracelet links, each having 5 pieces in total, are standing higher than the others and aligned with each other, while the other three pieces are also aligned with each other. Like the case, the bracelet is also mostly satin finished, with an exception of the polished bevel connecting the upper surface to the lateral surface. At the lugs of the case, it has an easy bracelet/strap change system. Although this easy change system ensures you to easily change between leather strap and steel bracelet, it disables the alternative choices such as Nato straps. The bracelet, starting from 25mm and tapering to 20mm, locks with a hidden butterfly clasp and when you unfold this this clasp you see the perlage decoration on the inner surface, which is also a pleasant detail. The clasp has a fine locking sound and feeling, and it makes you feel so secure. It’s very comfortable on your wrist, since the case and bracelet have an integrated designed. Although it is a watch with a steel case and bracelet, it is not cumbersome at all with a 173,9gr weight.

If we are to talk about the 44mm chronograph model, the first thing I want to say is that the two watches have very different characters. The model we have is the steel case model with a black dial and a leather strap. Case design is almost the same except for the dimensions. The day and date apertures on the black dial are, thanks God (!), harmoniously chosen in black ground. Just above the day and date apertures is applied the Maurice Lacroix logo and inscription, and just below them it reads AUTOMATIC. The dial has, instead of Clous de Paris, a petite tapisserie decoration with bigger squares which we may name mega tapisserie. The layout of chronograph sub-dials features a classical Valjoux 7750 configuration with the 30 minutes chronograph counter at 12 o’clock, the small seconds counter at 9 o’clock and the 12 hours counter at 6 o’clock. At the center are the hours and minutes hands and the chronograph seconds hand. While the dial has, in general, a squared decoration, the chronograph sub-dials are patterned in a disc-like decoration. Like the one in the standard automatic model, the outer circle with minutes is separately designed also on this dial, but this time with a difference of 05, 10, 15, 20, 25,… minute numerals on the 60 minutes scale. All hands and indexes are rhodium-plated.

On the front, the watch has an AR-coated sapphire crystal. Like the automatic version, the caseback is screwed with seven screws and through the sapphire crystal part the movement can be seen. Due to the lock crown and lock chronograph buttons, the water resistance level is 200m, which is a pretty challenging value. By the way, I must say that I didn’t find the chronograph buttons so practical. Unlock-lock, each time; a heavy burden!

Beating at the heart of the model, the ML112 caliber is actually the Valjoux 7750 with which the majority of watch lovers are very familiar. Decorated Côtes de Genève and perlage, the caliber with 25 jewels offers a power reserve of 48 hours operating at a frequency of 28,800vph (4Hz). It bears the Maurice Lacroix brand on the rotor.

As all watch afficionados know the 7750 is a very thick caliber and as a result, the watch in our hands is also pretty thicker. Yet, with its leather strap, it is very comfortable and fits well on your wrist and doesn’t wiggle. The crocodile printed calf leather strap has a high sense of quality. It has a butterfly buckle. Another novelty is that, as ones familiar with the Maurice Lacroix brand may know, there used to be an “M” logo of Maurice Lacroix applied on the leather strap and it would always drop and get lost; that logo is now renewed being embedded in the leather strap and I don’t think it will drop again.

I have told that the standard automatic and chronograph automatic models are of very different characters. The chronograph model has a more sportive feel on your wrist, and the other stands more traditional. Both models can be worn every day.

Turning back to the matter of similarity, in recent years, there has been a trend of steel watches with integrated bracelet. If we consider the pioneering models, we can easily say that all models have many similarities. Just as, when we say “diver”, all the models we may imagine are some “Submariner”, here each model is some “Royal Oak”.

The Royal Oak is a design that its designer Gerald Genta himself also was inspired with this design when producing for other brands later on. It would be a great injustice to compare Aikon with Royal Oak. In the end, there is a 10 times price gap between them. And yet Aikon is never a cheap homage. Aikon is a product having a high-quality case and bracelet due to its operational capacities I mentioned in the beginning and offering well-known and reliable calibers though not produced in-hose. Moreover, criticizing a watch for its similarity to Royal Oak is like criticizing a man for his resemblance to Brad Pitt.

In consequence, Aikon 42mm Automatic and Aikon 44mm Automatic Chronograph are two models that have a high ratio of price/performance, and are fitted with reliable calibers, and are pretty good-looking on the wrist and are giving a sense of quality. In my opinion, if those who desire to have a Royal Oak would buy these models, they shall soon understand that this is not what they have been looking for. Without lingering on the matter of this Royal Oak, those users who want to buy a quality, stylish, and safe sports watch with a good brand shall be more content with them.

I liked much, among the models, the standard automatic one with steel bracelet, under the effect of the blue dial and the bracelet. Watchmania himself says that he found the chronograph model more sportive and flashy, and that it is not much possible to buy a better watch on this price level.