2013/03/09

Maurice Lacroix the Masterpiece Chronograph Skeleton

 

Masterpiece Collection
Inspiration of contemporary mechanical watchmaking

Spearheading the Maurice Lacroix Manufacture, the Masterpiece collection strikes a clever balance between technology, tradition and modernist esthetics. It represents the brand’s expertise and, in particular, its mastery of retrograde complications, moon phases and chronographs, while creating a new image for the measurement of time. 

The timepieces of this flagship collection meet the highest standards of mechanical watchmaking set out by renowned Manufactures. The cases, dials and movements attest to the quality of their design and execution down to the minutest detail, which in turn reflects the brand’s rigorous approach to research and development.

The esthetics of the Masterpiece Collection have evolved towards a contemporary design inspired by the art of living. Featuring modern finishes and silhouettes, this collection promotes a new experience of watchmaking that is firmly attuned to today’s world. Combining expertise and daring style, these watches revisit tradition with simple elegance, avoiding pretense and excessive extravagance. Created for modern-day dandies for whom performance and etiquette are everyday necessities, these watches embody the identity of a young brand whose innovative edge has given rise to a solid reputation.

This year the Masterpiece Squelette line is revisiting its iconic timepieces. Driven by movements which are entirely created and developed in-house, the Masterpiece Squelette and Masterpiece Le Chronographe Squelette watch designs strike a clever balance between traditional watchmaking skills, esthetics and high-tech craftsmanship to produce a finished object of uncompromising quality. These are truly striking watches.

Their powerful design and functional precision firmly entrench them in the context of an urban and hedonistic 21st century that appreciates an elegant approach to timekeeping, thus satisfying the expectations of a sophisticated clientele that is ever more demanding.

 

MASTERPIECE the Chronographe Squelette

An unusual design housed within a generously-proportioned case diameter of 45 mm. A skeleton watch that reveals the anatomy of time with its Manufacture movement, the ML106 caliber. The most recent version of the Masterpiece Le Chronographe Squelette commands respect. Its precise mechanics and updated appearance are the cornerstones of an undeniably contemporary collection.

Protected by a sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating on both sides, the manually wound movement is proudly on display. Within this awe-inspiring labyrinth, the workings of the skeletal structure convey a sophisticated, extremely sporty image that is resolutely masculine.

Hypnotized by the movement’s intricacy, the light bounces off the sharp, luminous hours and minutes hands before plunging into the depths of the skeleton. The multi-level effect is accentuated by the snailed architecture of the bottom plate, and the contrast between the black screws and the gemstones. The skeletonized openwork allows for the gears, the escapement, the balance and the column wheel, a feature of all the finest chronographs, to be admired. The counters, including a 60-minute counter, have hands shaped like skeletal disks which resemble the gears of the movement, while the time indicators are applied to the sapphire crystal dial.

The structure of the Chronographe Squelette transforms inorganic matter into a living and exciting mechanism that displays each of its Manufacture-crafted components with pride. Four variations reveal their individual characters, whether classic or sporty, but always unique in their kind. The design of this metallic piece of watchmaking art is an appropriate icon for a brand that has dared to create an elegant yet edgy collection. Compromise does not form part of Maurice Lacroix's vocabulary.