Maurice Lacroix 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde

For more than a quarter of a century, mostly through its Masterpiece collection, Maurice Lacroix has delivered pretty appealing watches based on single or multiple retrograde indications – a design statement that somehow became a signature style for the brand. Following the recent launch of the Aikonic Master Triple Retrograde, a watch with retrograde displays of the date, weekday and GMT indications, ML brings yet another bold interpretation of its signature style in the classic 1975 collection, this time with an exposed big date complication and retrograde weekday. Let’s take a look at the new 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde. 

Launched last year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Maurice Lacroix, which was founded in 1975 by the Desco von Schulthess watchmaking company, the 1975 Collection aims at bringing a classic, more elegant touch to the brand, as opposed to the sporty, edgy Aikon and Aikonic collections. Available in restrained time-and-date or GMT versions until now, the 1975 Collection now includes a much bolder, more modern flagship watch with a retrograde day indication, grand date and eye-catching skeletonised display.

Housed in a 42mm stainless steel case, with brushed and polished surfaces, short lugs and a decent thickness of 12.75mm, the 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde isn’t a watch defined by its case. Despite the use of a box-shaped sapphire crystal on top to add some visual depth, it remains pretty sleek on the front of the exterior, and is worn on an equally classic black leather strap with faux-alligator pattern (personal note: a smooth leather would be better…)

What matters in this new watch is the display and how all the mechanics to put the complications in motion are exposed on the dial side. With this watch and its unprecedented display, Maurice Lacroix unveils its 26th Masterpiece calibre, being the direct descendant of the 1999 Calendar Retrograde and 2002 Double Retrograde. The underside of the mainplate is visible from the front and features a sandblasted finish and black rhodium treatment, helping to highlight the indications positioned above. Straight-brushed rhodium-plated bridges, with sharp triangular shapes, add depth and contrast. Trapeze-style hour and minute hands, featuring white Super-LumiNova, indicate the time.

But that’s what underneath these elements that feels special. This Maurice Lacroix 1975 Master is equipped with a large date, using two discs to indicate the tens and units, and with its entire mechanism visible underneath, thanks to openworked numerals and discs. In the same vein, the retrograde weekday display, located in the lower portion of the dial, is indicated by a blued hand and an arched sapphire disc, and the retrograde mechanism is visible underneath. It results in a technical and playful display. Editor’s note: The watch illustrating this article was an early prototype, and the final examples now have white numerals for the large date, instead of the black numerals visible here.

The movement, calibre ML302, is composed of a base automatic movement (Sellita SW200-1) with 4Hz frequency and 38h power reserve, serving as a base for the proprietary display module on top. The upper side of the movement is nicely finished with contrasting decoration and coatings, participating in the architectural style of the watch.

Unveiled as part of the permanent collection, the new Maurice Lacroix 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde will be priced at CHF 6,950 or EUR 7,950. For more details, please visit www.mauricelacroix.com.