Jewellery & Watch News
Alongside the release of their new Aikon Master Grand Date which we covered here, Swiss watch manufacturer Maurice Lacroix have extended their flagship collection once again with a new trio of special editions. Designed in celebration of their partnership with Mahindra Racing, a team which Maurice Lacroix have been the Official Timekeeper for since late 2020, the new Aikon Mahindra Formula E Special Editions deliver formidable chronograph complication dressed in the racing team’s red, white and blue livery.
The parallels between luxury watchmaking and motorsport have been celebrated abundantly in the watch industry, and Maurice Lacroix is no different. They announced in November last year that their urban mindset was finely intertwined with those part of the Mahindra Racing team who like Maurice Lacroix immerse themselves in city life, technology, precision and of course, unbeatable performance. As their new Official Timekeeper, Maurice Lacroix was welcomed for the first time in the seventh season of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship where their branding could be spotted on the M7Electro racing cars and on the drivers racing gloves. Maurice Lacroix watches could also be seen on the drivers’ wrists.
Now to celebrate their partnership even further, Maurice Lacroix have launched a trio of special edition chronographs suitably dressed in the colour palette of the team’s uniform. The new models include an Aikon Chronograph Quartz, an Aikon Chronograph Automatic and a stunning Aikon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic. Let’s take a look at each of these models in more detail…
Maurice Lacroix Aikon Chronograph Quartz Mahindra Racing Special Edition
First up in the line-up is the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Chronograph Quartz Mahindra Racing Special Edition under reference AI1018-TT031-130-2. Boasting a 44mm titanium case, 100 metre water resistance and a colour-coordinated racing inspired rubber strap, this quartz chronograph is the first Aikon quartz watch to be endowed with brand’s iconic square dial pattern, a design usually reserved for their higher-end automatic watches. The square patterned white sunray dial is framed by a grey minutes track and detailed with blue, red and grey tones in celebration of the Mahindra Racing team.
At the centre, the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Chronograph Quartz Mahindra Racing watch is equipped with two Superluminova central hands for hours and minutes, a bold red chronographs seconds hand and three registers for small seconds in blue at 6 o’clock, 1/10th of a second at 12 o’clock and a vivid red 30 minutes counter at 9 o’clock. A date window can also be spotted at 6 o’clock, blended nicely into the running seconds counter. Powering these functions is a Swiss made quartz movement protected behind a screw down case back detailed with the Mahindra Racing emblem.
Specifications:
- Case Size: 44mm
- Case Material: Titanium
- Bezel: Fixed
- Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
- Crown: Screw in
- Case Back: Screw down
- Water Resistance: 100 metres
- Movement: Quartz
- Functions: Hours, minutes, chronograph seconds, small seconds, 30 minutes counter, 1/10th second counter, date
- Dial: White sunray with Superluminova hour and minute hands
- Strap: Grey rubber
- Buckle: Pin, titanium
- RRP: £1,290
Maurice Lacroix Aikon Chronograph Mahindra Racing Special Edition
Similar in style to its quartz counterpart above, the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Chronograph Mahindra Racing Special Edition under reference AI6038-SS001-133-2 delivers chronograph complication in the racing team’s livery but this time powered by an automatic winding movement. The 44mm case is also engineered from polished stainless steel with a 200 metre water resistant rating, screw down crown and a sporty blue perforated calfskin leather strap enlivened by contrasting red stitching and a stainless steel folding buckle.
Powering the two chronograph subsidiary dials for 12 hours at 6 o’clock and 30 minutes at 12 o’clock is the automatic ML112 movement which can be viewed through the crisp sapphire crystal case back. As well as bringing to life the vertical Côtes de Genève decorated rotor, the Swiss made calibre delivers a double day and date window at 3 o’clock, central hands hours and minutes and a red chronograph seconds hand to match with the red small seconds register at 9 o’clock. The movement also provides the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Mahindra Racing Automatic watch a power reserve of 42 hours.
Specifications:
- Case Size: 44mm
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Bezel: Fixed
- Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
- Crown: Screw in
- Case Back: Exhibition
- Water Resistance: 200 metres
- Movement: ML112 automatic
- Functions: Hours, minutes, chronograph seconds, small seconds, 30 minutes counter, 12 hours counter, day, date
- Power Reserve: 42 hours
- Dial: White sunray with Superluminova hour and minute hands
- Strap: Blue leather
- Buckle: Butterfly, stainless steel
- RRP: £2,790
Maurice Lacroix Aikon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic Mahindra Racing Special Edition
The most significant release in the Mahindra Racing trio is the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic watch under reference AI6098-SS001-091-2. Its overwhelmingly intricate dial is a sight to behold and delivers an unprecedented view of the automatic ML206 movement housed within including a ruthenium sandblasted skeleton upper bridge. The Swiss made calibre can also be seen through the exhibition case back where the vertical Côtes de Genève and sun brushed rotor spins with every flick of the wrist.
Following the DNA of all Aikon watches before it, the Maurice Lacroix Skeleton Mahindra Racing Special Edition boasts a 44mm stainless steel case characterised by its six pronged bezel, now adorned with a 60 minute scale, integrated lugs and a black perforated leather strap with contrasting red stitching detailing. Housed beneath scratch resistant sapphire crystal glass, the skeleton dial is home to two counters positioned at 3 and 9 o’clock for small seconds and a chronograph 30 minutes counter. Again, bold splashes of red are scattered across the dial in honour of the racing team’s uniform colour.
Specifications:
- Case Size: 44mm
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Bezel: Fixed
- Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
- Crown: Screw in
- Case Back: Exhibition
- Water Resistance: 200 metres
- Movement: ML206 automatic
- Functions: Hours, minutes, chronograph seconds, small seconds, 30 minutes counter
- Power Reserve: 48 hours
- Dial: Skeleton with Superluminova hour and minute hands
- Strap: Black leather
- Buckle: Butterfly, stainless steel
- RRP: £6,850
