Tony P's Baselworld 2009 report on Maurice Lacroix provides a comprehensive look at the brand's strategic move upmarket, focusing on their innovative Masterpiece range. His insights into the Masterpiece Chronographe Squelette and Lune Retrograde highlight ML's commitment to in-house movements and distinctive design. This article offers valuable context for understanding Maurice Lacroix's trajectory in the luxury watch market.
Baselworld 2009: Maurice Lacroix
by Tony P
Maurice Lacroix are a family-owned, medium-size (less than 100,000 pieces per annum) medium-tier watch brand which has
gradually been moving up-market over the past few years, releasing some bold and innovative designs through their flagship
Masterpiece range, developing in-house movements, and taking on a hugely aggressive step in announcing the development
of a chronograph with "mechanical memory", the Memoire One.
ML's biggest release for 2009 is the Masterpiece Chronographe Squelette, which presents the in-house chrono calibre they
announced a couple of years back, packaged inside a cutting-edge design featuring generous glimpses of its movement through
an open-worked dial.
The watch sports a number of interesting features, including a 60-minute chronograph counter, an 18,000vph frequency
which allows measurements in 1/5 second increments, double anti-reflective coatings on the front crystal to enhance
readability (and increase the owner's enjoyment of its openworked innards), and a 45mm case diameter.
Unlike the vast majority of LE watches which are cased in precious metals, the Chronographe Squelette is offered
as a limited edition of 250 pieces, available only in steel. This is a clever marketing decision by ML, as it gives the
watch an aura of exclusivity while keeping its price point realistic for these difficult times.
Also new for this year is the Masterpiece Lune Retrograde, with retrograde date and power reserve, and again featuring
a very modern openworked dial design.
I liked the gently spiralling brushwork on the rear movement bridge, contrasted with subtly snailed frosting on the barrel covers -
At the entry level, ML have introduced a new case material and colour scheme for their Pontos Décentrique GMT.
A new pink gold version joins the previously available steel and titanium versions of this model. I really like this dial
design, with its translucent cover over the day-night disc, and I think the colours are pretty damn funky. There are
some clever touches to the date display too, as well as the crown -
Flipping the watch over gives rise to a slight disappointment - the familiar small-movement-inside-a-big-case syndrome.
Oh well, after all, this is an entry-level watch. At least the front is classy.
To finish, here are a couple of snaps of the prototype Memoire One, an ambitious project which has caused some
headaches for Maurice Lacroix. They are open about the problems, but maintain that they are soluble and will be solved.
Cheers
Tony P This message has been edited by Marcus Hanke on 2009-04-14 08:30:50 This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2009-04-16 06:16:17 
