Maurice Lacroix, like many brands of late, has been embracing metals beyond stainless steel for affordable yet key collections in its portfolio. Bronze has been a popular one throughout the industry, and the brand’s been using it since 2017 for models like the Aikon Venturer Bronze 43; another is titanium with its unique colour tone, durability and lightweight properties. The steel Aikon Automatic Chronograph from 2018 has been updated with a titanium case and new dial. The refresh is more than just the sum of its parts, bringing a whole new character to this accessible, luxury sports watch.
The new Aikon Automatic Chronograph Titanium is much lighter on the wrist than its steel counterpart. In fact, titanium is about fifty per cent lighter than steel, allowing larger pieces with metal bracelets to almost disappear throughout the day, never weighing you down. That’s significant here as the case is sizable at 44mm in diameter and 15mm in height. The integrated design means it wears smaller than those measurements suggest and coupled with the new material, it’s perfect for daily wear. The five-link bracelet seamlessly blends with the case, down to the bevelled edges and brushed finish.
The colour is also darker than steel, with a satin grey that’s more resistant to scratches and abrasions. The bezel has Maurice Lacroix’s six-arm aesthetic with polished double plates circling every ten minutes, referencing the original Calypso collection from the 1990s. The chronograph pushers are shrouded in hexagonal bases, becoming visual extensions of the bezel arms at 2 and 4 o’clock. The unique knurling on the crown blends with this design as well. The sapphire crystal is flat, which helps keep overall thickness in check and the caseback is solid, allowing for water-resistance of 200 metres. It’s not a dive watch by design but will certainly get the job done.
The dial of the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Automatic Chronograph Titanium matches the darker metal with a sunray-brushed gunmetal tone, featuring the same embossed square pattern as the original steel models. The three sub-dials are a contrasting blue with subtle snailed patterns, displaying the small seconds at 9 o’clock, 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock and 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock. This matches the dial layout on the steel variants but has a more masculine vibe with the darker tones. The hands and applied indices are rhodium plated with Super-LumiNova inserts in the hour and minute hands. A day/date window sits at 3 o’clock, rounding out a feature-rich sports watch. Overall legibility is excellent and the colour palette is my favourite of the Aikon Automatic Chronograph collection.
Powering the watch is the calibre ML112, based on the Sellita SW500 and the same used for the other Aikon chronographs. It has 25 jewels, beats at 28,800vph (4Hz) with a 48-hour power reserve. Functions include central hours, minutes and chronograph seconds, small seconds at 9 o’clock, 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock, 12 hour counter at 6 o’clock and day/date at 3 o’clock. This is an alternative to the ubiquitous ETA 7750 and is often decorated with perlage and Côtes de Genève, but it’s hidden behind the solid caseback.
Thoughts
It’s great to see brands branch off from steel with affordable collections and Maurice Lacroix has really enhanced the Aikon collection with bronze and now titanium. It’s not just the improved aesthetics; the significant weight reduction allows a sizable watch to be comfortably worn. I prefer the darker satin finish to the steel models, and the higher resistance to scratches is certainly appreciated. The sunray-brushed dial matches the case well and the blue sub-dials provide perfect colour contrast.
I have smaller than average wrists and would generally avoid such a large watch with an integrated bracelet, but the all-titanium build makes it a pleasure to wear. The integrated bracelet design also makes it wear a bit smaller than you’d think. And it also features the brand’s Easy-Change system, so it’ll be easy to swap for a leather strap. This Aikon Automatic Chronograph in titanium is definitely my choice from the broader collection and the change in the material makes all the difference.
Availability & price
The Maurice Lacroix Aikon Automatic Chronograph Titanium retails for EUR 3,950 and is available to order now. For more information, please visit mauricelacroix.com.