A Look At Maurice Lacroix’s New Aikon Chronograph Skeleton

Since its revival in 2016, Maurice Lacroix’s Aikon collection has gone from one strength to another with new movements, new designs, and new depth.

The Aikon was first unveiled in 2016, with a line of quartz timepieces, which were a redesign of Maurice Lacroix’s successful Calypso from the 1990s and its highly-recognizable six-armed bezel on a flat crystal.

Skeletonization is nothing new for Maurice Lacroix; the brand first experimented with open-worked movements with the Calypso in 1993. Many other skeletonized movements followed, including the Masterpiece Chronograph Skeleton and, more recently, the Aikon Automatic Skeleton, available in a choice of stainless steel or a black PVD version, which won Germany’s prestigious Red Dot Design Award.
 

The Aikon Chronograph Skeleton is powered by the ML206 Caliber, an automatic chronograph with two counters and a 48-hour power reserve. This caliber also drove the Masterpiece Chronograph Skeleton in 2016, and its sporty character lends itself perfectly to the Aikon Chronograph Skeleton. This new version of the movement is slightly different from the Masterpiece version as it plays with different shades and finishes to enhance the perception of volume.
 

The higher the components are on the movement, the lighter they are in color. The arms and bezel have been satin-brushed, while the front of the dial, featuring the four hour-markers and counters, is also satin-brushed but in a darker shade of gray. The grooves in the counters have been micro-blasted and are even darker in color. The lower levels of the movement have been coated with a black gold DLC treatment. This coating is then contrasted against the lowest layer of the movement, which comes in a light gray to provide additional contrast.