Maurice Lacroix AIKON Automatic Titanium Review

Maurice Lacroix has been well known to me through my entire journey as a watch collector. In fact a Maurice Lacroix watch was the first luxury non-sports watch I ever purchased. After starting my collection with an Omega Seamaster GMT and then a Planet Ocean followed by an IWC GST Chronograph, I thought it was time my collection needed a dress watch.

I guess being a new watch collector I believed it was necessary to have a collection that consisted of both sports and dress pieces. In the decades since I feel completely different and I currently don't own or am looking to own a dress watch… but all those years ago, a dress watch in the collection was paramount. For my dress watch, I ended up settling on the Maurice Lacroix Pontos Day Date which was a steel watch with a silver dial on a black leather strap.



Well needless to say, I ended up never wearing the watch and giving it to my girlfriend, now wife, to wear. Now there was absolutely nothing wrong with the Pontos besides it being a style of watch I really didn't like personally. This was my first introduction to Maurice Lacroix and you could say the third brand I owned in my watch collecting journey.

In terms of some of the most established watch manufactures, Maurice Lacroix is a relatively young brand only being founded in 1975. Maurice Lacroix was founded as part of Desco von Schulthess, who had been in business since 1889. Desco originally focused on the silk industry but broadened its business interests over the years. In the 1940s Desco even became an acting representative for such watch brands as Jaeger-LeCoultre, Audemars Piguet and Heuer.



1961 saw the biggest shift of Desco into the world of watch production when they acquired a watch manufacturing facility in Saignelegier called Tiara. Tiara would produce private white labeled watches for other watch brands and in 1975 they started producing their own watches under the name Maurice Lacroix. Maurice Lacroix happened to be the name of one of the members of the Desco board. In 1980 Maurice Lacroix had become so popular that the facility in Saignelegier stopped producing watches for other companies, now only producing watches for their own brand.

The late 1980s and 90s saw tremendous growth in both popularity and production for Maurice Lacroix. The brand acquired a casemaker that allowed Maurice Lacroix even more freedom and independence to produce the exact timepieces they envisioned. During this period Maurice Lacroix became much respected for their quality and innovation in the watch world.



The 2000s were a period of huge milestones for Maurice Lacroix including becoming a fully independent company in 2001. 2006 also saw the release of the ML106, which was Maurice Lacroix's first fully in-house movement. The ability to produce their own cases and in-house movements now marked Maurice Lacroix as a true manufacture in the likes of the most revered names in watchmaking.

In the last two decades, Maurice Lacroix has continued to innovate and release amazing collections and timepieces. Maybe the brand's most popular collection, the AIKON series, was released in 2016 to favorable reviews from the press and customers. The AIKON also tied in strongly to design cues first seen in the Calypso models released in the 1990s. For my re-introduction to the modern Maurice Lacroix, today we'll be looking at one of the newest members of the AIKON family, the AIKON Automatic Titanium. Unlike the Pontos that I owned many years ago, this AIKON is not a dress watch but rather an integrated bracelet sports watch.



The AIKON Automatic Titanium was only released a few months ago and brings lightweight titanium to the AIKON Automatic line which also has models crafted out of stainless steel, bronze and ceramic. With titanium being one of my favorite case materials, I asked Maurice Lacroix if they could send me one of these titanium AIKONs as soon as I saw the press release for the watch. Maurice Lacroix then graciously sent us the purple dial variant of the AIKON Automatic to take a closer look at.

Since our personal collection of watches pretty much only consists of watches made out of titanium, ceramic and carbon the lightness of the AIKON Automatic Titanium wasn't one of the first things I noticed about the watch when it arrived. If you weren't as familiar with lightweight materials, the weight of the watch would probably be the first thing you did notice though. When sized for my 7.25 wrist, the AIKON Automatic Titanium only weighed in at 107 grams on the full titanium bracelet.



What I did notice first was the stunning bright purple dial. The hue used by Maurice Lacroix on this watch is just amazing and looks like 10 different shades of purple depending on the lighting. Also Maurice Lacroix didn't just use a flat dial for the AIKON Automatic Titanium, but instead has a dial comprised of repeating 3D pyramids. Not only do these shapes add depth to the dial, they also make the purple of the dial have different highlights over the entire dial and give the dial a different look based on which angle and direction you are looking from. For being a static dial, the texture and color of the dial really bring a ton of life to the watch's face.

The next thing I noticed from my initial time with the AIKON Automatic Titanium was the color of the titanium. For the most part most of the titanium watches I've recently been around have a lighter or more finished look to their titanium cases. The grade 5 titanium used in the AIKON Automatic is just matte grey, which I absolutely love. To get this matte grey finish, Maurice Lacroix actually sandblasts the titanium. I own an IWC GST Aquatimer 2000 in titanium and it has the same hue and finish to its titanium which I just adore. Maurice Lacroix does add a bit of polish to the AIKON Automatic with the six bezel claws and vertical bracelet links being polished. The combination of the mostly matte case with some polished details gives the watch a very unique look as well.



I'm not sure why, but for some reason I assumed the AIKON Automatic Titanium would have a solid caseback, so seeing a display back was a very nice surprise. The movement found under the rear sapphire is also nicely finished with some perlage and colimacon. The branded skeletonized winding rotor is also a nice little touch.

Now that we've gone over my initial impressions of the Maurice Lacroix AIKON Automatic Titanium let's take a look at the technical specifications. The AIKON Automatic is crafted out of grade 5 titanium and has a case diameter of 42 mm and a lug to lug length of 48 mm. The case is 10.8 mm thick and the watch weighs in at 107 grams on our scale.



The AIKON Automatic has a flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides. Underneath the crystal clear sapphire is the amazing purple dial we previously spoke about. The technical name for the dial texture made up of all the little pyramids is called Clous de Paris and it is used excellently here. In purple I'd say the dial almost resembles a silicon wafer having such a precise and colorful nature to it.

The AIKON Automatic also features applied rhodium-plated stick hour markers as well as rhodium-plated hands. All the hands and markers are coated in white super-luminova that glows a brilliant green in low light conditions. The only dial marker that does not have any lumed elements is the large center seconds hand. There is also a white backed date window at 3 o'clock.



Finishing off the dial there is a very subtle minute track going around the outside of the dial. At 12 o'clock you have the Maurice Lacroix M logo and brand text. At 6 o'clock there is "Titanium", "Automatic" along with "Swiss Made". If I could change one thing about the dial, it would be the removal of the "M" logo at 12 o'clock. I feel the dial with just the "Maurice Lacroix" text would look cleaner. The "M" logo would be great if it was only found on the crown, I'm not sure if the watch needs the double branding on the dial… just a minor gripe and personal preference here.

The bezel of the AIKON Automatic is matte finished titanium but also features six polished claws at 12, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. This is actually a design element found in the Calypso models of the 1990s, so it's pretty nice that Maurice Lacroix included them on the newer AIKON models. I also feel that the dial and in turn the watch might lose a lot of uniqueness if the bezel lacked this little touch.



Looking at the side of the case you can see how short the lugs are and also how sharply they slope down. With how short the lugs are, the lug to lug length is only 6 mm longer than the case diameter. At a 48 mm lug to lug length, the AIKO Automatic can pretty much be worn by even the smallest of wrists, while the large 42 mm case diameter still lets the watch look aesthetically correct on larger wrists.

The right hand side of the case features a six sided screw down crown that is polished and has the "M" logo on top of it. Once unscrewed the crown allows for manual winding in the resting position. Pulling the crown out to position one lets you set the date and all the way out to position two stops the seconds hand and allows for precise time setting. Pushing the crown back in causes no jump in the minute hand and screwing the crown in is easily done with no extra care needed.



Flipping the watch over shows off the screwed down crown and sapphire display back which also features anti-reflective coating. With the screw down crown and display case back, the AIKON Automatic is still able to achieve 200 meters of water resistance. Other important details about the watch are also engraved on the titanium portion of the case back.

The Maurice Lacroix AIKON Automatic Titanium is powered by the ML115 automatic SWISS MADE movement. The ML115 is based off of the Sellita SW200-1 movement and offers 38 hours of power reserve while beating away at 28,800 vph (4Hz). The movement also features bi-directional winding and has 26 jewels. The SW200-1 has been a super accurate movement in our testing and the ML115 is no different showing an average of 0 seconds per day of accuracy averaged out over several positions. We did see a few positions show -1 seconds per day, while others showed +1 or 0 seconds. So while it wasn't a steady 0 seconds per day in every position like the Breguet we recently tested, it did average out to 0 seconds per day and is solidly one of the most accurate movements we have ever tested.



Like previously mentioned, the movement is finished nicely as well. The Maurice Lacroix branded winding rotor is finished with Cotes de Geneve and is partially skeletonized. The movement itself is rhodium-plated and features perlage and colimacon finishes. The AIKON Automatic would have been fine with a solid caseback, but having the movement exposed is a nice and un-expected surprise.

The AIKON Automatic has an integrated style of bracelet and has a lug width of 25 mm. The titanium bracelet tapers down to 20 mm at the deployant clasp which requires both buttons to be pushed to release the clasp. The bracelet features a five part construction consisting of three sandblasted faces linked by two polished faces. The bracelet is incredibly comfortable and articulates well with your wrist. The grade 5 titanium also means the bracelet doesn't add to much weight to the watch. There is no micro-adjustment system found on the clasp though.

The removable links use a pin and collar system to remove and add links. To be completely honest this is the first watch I've sized that uses this type of system. Initially the bracelet took me a lot of time to take apart and then finally reassemble while sizing the watch to my wrist. Being that the watch was on loan, I took maybe too much caution when sizing the bracelet. After some time I figured out that A LOT of force is needed to both remove and then replace the pins. After doing it once or twice it was fairly easy to do over and over. I typically prefer screws for bracelet pins, but I have to say that once the bracelet is sized… the pins and links are not going anywhere.



Finally the bracelet comes with a quick release system that requires two tabs found under the bracelet to be pushed in to release the bracelet. Being an integrated design, you are limited to buying straps made specifically for the AIKON Automatic. Maurice Lacroix does sell a large variety of straps for the watch including rubber and leather straps. I think the watch would look great on a rubber strap, especially a white rubber strap that would just compliment the purple dial perfectly. I should have asked Maurice Lacroix to have sent one with the watch, since honestly I'm not the biggest bracelet fan and I think the watch would be even better on rubber.

During my time with the AIKON Automatic I tried to wear the watch as often as possible and my wife loved the watch so much she even wore it a few times as well. We are currently starting to get cooler weather here in Austin, so bracelets don't bother me as much. Going through even one summer full of 100 plus degree days was enough to make me shy away from bracelets indefinitely. With the watch and bracelet being crafted out of titanium there was never an issue with wrist fatigue. My wrist often gets a bit tired when wearing larger stainless steel watches on bracelets, but that was never an issue with the AIKON Automatic Titanium. The wide 25 mm tapered bracelet also did a good job of keeping the watch centered on my wrist and it never favored either side.

Although I really prefer watches with lug to lug dimensions over 50 mm, the AIKON Automatic did just fine on my 7.25 inch wrist with a 55 mm flat area. Being the design of the watch features an integrated bracelet, the watch appears to look bigger than it actually is. If I put the watch on a rubber strap like I mentioned earlier, I do feel like it would look a bit smaller on wrist. This just illustrates that the watch will work well on both smaller and larger wrists.



I typically wore the watch on daily errands and out to dinner and drinks. The watch has a pretty casual vibe to it, especially with the purple dial. The aesthetic of the watch goes very well with my typical dress of t-shirts, shorts and sneakers as well. I initially thought the purple dial might clash with some outfits, but never found it to be an issue. Having only stick indices made telling the time a bit more time intensive than say having large numerals though. Also I must note that the watch did just disappear on wrist though due to how lightweight it is.

I noticed while wearing the watch out that it got a lot of attention. This was most likely one hundred percent due to the bright purple dial. I showed the watch to a few strangers and friends and most were blown away by the purple dial and its finishing along with how light the watch was. With all this being said, the AIKON Automatic Titanium with the purple dial is not a wallflower of a watch, be prepared to be asked about it while wearing it.

The Maurice Lacroix AIKON Automatic retails for $2,950 and offers good value for its price in my opinion. For that price you get a full grade 5 titanium case and bracelet with one of the best looking dials I've seen in person. The ML115 based on the Sellita SW200-1 is deadly accurate as well. That being said, now would be a good time to take a look at some other options from other brands to see how well the AIKON Automatic Titanium compares.



The first place to start when talking about relatively affordable luxury titanium sport watches would be the Tudor Pelagos. The Pelagos is crafted out of grade 2 titanium, which is a little bit less expensive than grade 5, and has a case diameter of 42 mm. The Pelagos does up the water resistance to 500 meters, 300 more than the AIKON Automatic, but it is a true dive watch. The Pelagos runs on an in-house movement that offers nearly twice the power reserve at 70 hours. Naturally the Pelagos is also a lot more expensive than the AIKON Automatic at $5,025.

Next up we have the Aquis Titanium Date from Oris. This watch is also crafted out of titanium, though I'm not sure of the grade, and measures 43.5 mm in case diameter. Like the Pelagos, the Aquis is a true dive watch and offers 100 meters more of water resistance than the AIKON Automatic. The Aquis runs on an Oris caliber 733, which is also based on the Sellita SW200-1 like the AIKON Automatic having the same movement specifications. The price of the Aquis Titanium Date with a titanium bracelet is $2750, which is very similar to the price of the AIKON Automatic.

Moving on we have the Sinn T1 which is crafted out of titanium, once again of an unknown grade, and has a case diameter of 45 mm. The Sinn is also a true diver and this time offers 1000 meters of water resistance. The Sinn runs off of an ETA 2892-A2 and offers 42 hours of power reserve. This movement is extremely similar to the SW200-1 found in the AIKON Automatic and Aquis. The Sinn T1 also retails for a good deal more than the AIKON Automatic Titanium at $3,890.



Finally we have the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Date. The Aquaracer is made out of grade 2 titanium and has a case diameter of 43 mm. The watch offers slightly more water resistance than the AIKON Automatic at 300 meters, but once again is a dedicated diver. The movement is the TAG Heuer Caliber 5, which is based on either an ETA 2824-2 or Sellita SW200-1 which is found in the AIKON Automatic and Aquis. The Aquaracer is also offered in some interesting dial colors which make it a bit more interesting like the dial colors offered on the Aikon Automatic Titanium. The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Date also goes for a lot more than the AIKON Automatic at $4,300.

As you can see the Maurice Lacroix AIKON Automatic Titanium shows its value when comparing it to the above four titanium sports watches. The AIKON sits at the lower end of the price range of the four watches and uses a similar movement to all except the much more expensive Tudor Pelagos which uses an in-house movement. The other four watches do offer more water resistance, but 200 meters is more than enough for anyone but the most serious professional divers. The AIKON Automatic also doesn't have that polarizing dive watch look either, Maurice Lacroix packages the watch in a much more classy integrated sports watch aesthetic.



So in the end is the Maurice Lacroix AIKON Automatic Titanium for me? Based on the limited time I spent with the watch I'd really say it checked most of the boxes for me. I love the grade 5 sandblasted titanium case and when paired with the stunning purple dial is a true knock out. I'm not the biggest fan of bracelets on watches, but in the case of the AIKON Automatic the integrated bracelet makes the watch feel bigger than it actually is and the titanium doesn't add too much weight. I would have loved to experience the watch on a rubber strap to get a better feel for how I would actually wear it though.

I would definitely recommend any one looking at a luxury sports watch crafted out of titanium to give the AIKON Automatic Titanium a serious look. More than likely this watch would be used as a daily wearer so the movement's rather short 38 hour power reserve shouldn't matter too much. If the purple dial is too loud for you, Maurice Lacroix does also offer the watch with a much more subtle silver dial that still has the same dial finishing on it. Offering 200 meters of water resistance and also being crafted out of super durable grade 5 titanium makes the AIKON Automatic somewhat of a go anywhere do anything watch as well. Before I even put the watch on the timegrapher I knew the movement would be super accurate since it was based on the Sellita SW200-1, and the AIKON Automatic didn't disappoint with a pretty much perfect accuracy reading. If you like the look of the watch, I can't really see any pitfalls to this watch. Finally the large case diameter with the smaller 48 mm lug to lug length means the AIKON Automatic can fit people with smaller wrists while still looking appropriate on somebody with a large wrist.



I'd really like to thank Maurice Lacroix for sending us this AIKON Automatic Titanium to review and it served as a great re-introduction to the brand. I was really blown away by the crazy purple dial and sandblasted titanium case. The rock solid and deadly accurate movement was just the cherry on top. I really can't wait to get some more pieces from Maurice Lacroix in to review in the near future as well. The AIKON Automatic Titanium has really shown me how nice of a watch the brand can manufacture.

For more information about the AIKON Automatic Titanium please visit : Maurice Lacroix

Technical Specifications

Reference Number: AI6008-TT032-430-1

Retail Price: $2,950

Case Size: 42 mm

Lug to Lug: 48 mm

Thickness: 10.8 mm

Weight: 107 Grams

Case Material: Grade 5 Titanium

Bezel: Grade 5 Titanium

Strap: Grade 5 Titanium with Deployant Clasp

Movement: Maurice Lacroix ML115 Swiss Made Automatic (Sellita SW200-1)

Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date

Power Reserve: 38 Hours

Water Resistance: 200 Meters