2013/04/02

Maurice Lacroix the Masterpiece Squelette

 

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 Squelette

Unique, extraordinary and steadfast. The emphasis on the contemporary spirit of the new Masterpiece Squelette serves to highlight traditional watchmaking expertise and the application here of one of its most delicate techniques. The skeletonization of a movement is a painstaking operation that requires a very highest level of precision and dexterity from the craftsmen.

The new Maurice Lacroix timepieces pay a vibrant tribute to the heritage of traditional watchmaking while creating a new identity for the skeleton watch and giving it a modern flair. The collection, which had already established its credentials in 2007 thanks to the avant-garde watch designs, is inspired by the latest technological innovations.

The anatomy of the ML134 skeleton movement is proudly showcased through the sapphire crystal case back. Its components are manufactured and skeletonized with special care and attention, and each component is individually polished. The bridges and disks and the wheels and pinions of the mechanism are thus on full view, perfectly finished down to the smallest detail.

With its almost sporty appeal, the Masterpiece Squelette opts for minimalist finish, revealing its bold esthetic. The bridges are treated with tantalum or gold colored PVD, coated with a satin finish that highlights their structured harmony and balance.