The Bold Maurice Lacroix Aikon Automatic Wotto Limited Edition

The Maurice Lacroix Aikon collection needs little introduction. One of the first accessible takes on the concept of 1970s-inspired sporty-elegant watches with integrated bracelets, the collection launched in 2017-18 has expanded to incredible levels to integrate classic time-and-date watches, chronographs, ceramic models, openworked watches and even sportier Venturer editions. Some versions did catch our attention even more, with a rather unexpected artistic take and engraved cases. The concept is back, but this time, it adds urban art to the dial with a design by Wotto (a.k.a Craig Watkins), making this Maurice Lacroix Aikon Automatic Wotto Limited Edition probably the most polarizing take we’ve even seen on an Aikon.

The story of this series of artistic Aikon models started in 2021 when Hungarian artist @Timeengraver engraved an Aikon watch and presented it to the world via Instagram. This was the start of a chain of events that would inspire Maurice Lacroix and lead to the creation of the Aikon Automatic Urban Tribe and Aikon Skeleton Urban Tribe, both with engraved steel cases and bracelets. Two years later, Timeengraver raised the bar by unveiling a new piece, this time adorned with illustrations by British artist Wotto, a prominent figure in the street art scene.

Wotto, or Craig Watkins, to use his real name, a British expatriate living in California, has become a leading figure in urban art thanks to his unique style of doodles, with a mix of cute and weird, chaos and emotion. Recognizable among a thousand, his works are a festival of colors and original characters, taking the viewer into a twirling spiral of stories that we suspect are somewhat mysterious.

Today, Maurice Lacroix comes full circle by unveiling a limited edition Aikon Automatic 42mm model that gathers designs from Wotto and engravings on the case/bracelet. While the base is nothing new, and shares all its attributes with the classic Aikon watch, there’s a lot added on the decorative side. The base of the watch is a 42mm steel model with a tonneau-shaped case, a raised bezel with 6 double claws – inspired by the vintage Calypso – a reasonable thickness of 11mm but a solid water-resistance of 200m with a screwed back and a screw-down crown.

While previous Urban Tribe editions showed engravings inspired by Mauri themes, the new Aikon Automatic Wotto adorns its case with Wotto’s imagination, using mushrooms, little hearts, skateboarding ghosts, and lightning flashes surrounding the artist’s signature capital W that follow one another in hieroglyphs on the links of the integrated bracelet, extending onto its case and bezel. Each link and surface tells its own story, with great contrast between the fully polished base and the matte engravings. Sure, it’s not discreet, and it won’t please the masses, but it is original and bold.

The dial of this Aikon Automatic Wotto is as expressive, if not more. For the first time in the Urban Tribe series, Wotto was free to create his own graphic universe and get rid of the classic texture dial of ML. On a simple gray background serving as a canvas, the artist has placed a round of mischievous characters in a gradation from yellow to blue. So as not to overshadow this picture, the indexes are discreet and marked simply with a metal tip.

Under the see-through caseback is the calibre ML115, based on the Sellita SW 200-1. This simple yet reliable Swiss automatic movement runs at 4Hz and delivers a 38h power reserve. The watch comes with the brand’s classic integrated steel bracelet – here fully engraved – and retains the practical easy-change device – so you could wear this Wotto edition on a leather or a rubber strap to tone it down a bit… But is that the point?

A limited edition of 1,000 pieces, the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Automatic Wotto is available from the brand’s website and retailers at EUR 3,400. For more details, please visit mauricelacroix.com.