Maurice Lacroix has introduced a new in-house Masterpiece calibre, the 26th movement developed by the Manufacture in Saignelégier.
Featuring a retrograde day display, a grand date and a skeletonised architecture, the calibre makes its debut in the new 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde.
The watch is housed in a 42 mm stainless steel case with a thickness of 13 mm, combining brushed and polished surfaces.
A box-shaped sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective coating provides an unobstructed view of the skeletonised dial, which reveals several components usually hidden from sight.
From the front, the underside of the mainplate is visible and finished with sandblasting and a black rhodium treatment, creating a contrasting backdrop for the indications above.
Rhodium-finished trait tirée (straight-line brushing) bridges sit on top of the mainplate, adding visual depth and tonal variation.
Trapeze-shaped hour and minute hands are filled with white Super-LumiNova, while a rhodium-plated external flange frames the display.
The two date discs, showing the tens and units, are fully exposed, allowing the wearer to observe the mechanism in action.
Positioned in the lower part of the dial, the retrograde day display presents the days of the week in a clear and intuitive manner.
The blued hand begins its cycle on Monday and progresses towards Sunday. At the end of the week, it snaps back instantly to its starting position, signalling the beginning of a new cycle. The arcing scale is made of sapphire crystal and deliberately kept slim to preserve visibility of the components beneath.
During development, particular attention was paid to the design of the dial-side bridges. Their thickness was carefully refined, with a focus on symmetry and optimal legibility of the indications.
Turning the watch over, the transparent sapphire crystal caseback reveals the Masterpiece calibre ML302, decorated with Côtes de Genève, perlage and colimaçon finishes.
Operating at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour), this self-winding movement offers a power reserve of 38 hours.
The watch is delivered on a black calf leather strap with an alligator-style embossing, signed with the Maurice Lacroix “M” logo. It is secured by a stainless-steel butterfly clasp and features the Easy Strap Exchange system, allowing quick strap changes without tools. The lug width measures 20 mm.
Water resistant to 5 bar (50 metres / 165 feet), the Maurice Lacroix 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde (ref. 758008-SS001-090-2) is priced at CHF 6,950. mauricelacroix.com
