Maurice Lacroix Aikon Venturer Automatic

The Maurice Lacroix Aikon has been around for a couple of years in various guises. This sporty model is an attractive package, to be considered as an affordable alternative to the high-end luxury sports watch. With the Venturer, Maurice Lacroix is taking the Aikon into different territories, shifting its focus on a sportier, more adventurous aesthetic. Despite its underwater look, the Venturer is not presented as a dive watch. Still, it possesses all the necessary attributes of a diver. And by the way, the Aikon is a descendant of the Calypso, which included a diving version in the 1990s.

Crafted from steel, this new, fortified take on the Aikon is 43mm in diameter but remains rather slim at 11.60mm. The facetted case features a unidirectional rotating bezel with the Aikon collection’s signature six claws and a coined-edge profile for better grip. The ceramic inlay has diving graduations with hashed minutes demarcated (for the first 20 minutes) and the zero marker is luminescent. The water-resistance has been beefed up to 300m or 30 ATM.

The patterned dial of the Aikon has been replaced by a sunray-brushed blue or black dial and the new Aikon Venturer features alternating round or rectangular hour markers. These are paired with baton-style hands. The use of luminescent material ensures optimal legibility in any situation. Overall, the dial is more contrasted, with larger indexes and hands and thus provides better legibility at day or at night.

Inside the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Venturer is the automatic ML115 calibre based on the functional and reliable Sellita SW 200-1. Operating at 28,800 vibrations per hour or 4Hz, it delivers 38 hours of power reserve. Unlike the automatic Aikon, the watch caseback is closed (for optimal water-resistance) and engraved with the vagues du Jura (Jura waves) motif surrounding the brand’s M logo.

The Maurice Lacroix Aikon Venturer comes on an integrated rubber strap secured with a steel folding buckle or on a five-row stainless steel bracelet with a butterfly clasp. The rubber strap features a scaled relief and is emblazoned with the brand’s M logo. As with other Aikon watches, the straps and bracelets can all be swapped in and out in seconds, with no tool required.

The Maurice Lacroix Aikon Venturer aims at offering a combination of functionality and style to accompany you on underwater and everyday adventures. It retails at CHF 1,850 on rubber and CHF 1,990 on a steel bracelet. More information can be found on www.mauricelacroix.com.