Credits: Article and images by Martin Green @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/08/06/maurice-lacroix-aikon-skeleton-39mm-packing-a-smaller-punch-in-size-only-and-relatively-affordable-reprise/
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The Aikon Skeleton 39mm is imposing in its character rather than its size. It is very well proportioned with the added advantage that proportionality increases wearing comfort and that now the beautifully made bracelet also gets more spotlight as the case doesn’t entirely cover the wrist.
Maurice Lacroix Aikon Skeleton 39mm on the wrist
When it comes to proportion, height also plays an important role. At 11 mm, this is spot on too: it is not too bulky but there remains enough to provide the heft that most people appreciate in a sportier watch.
Up until just fairly recently openworked watches were dress watches that looked good but were a bit fragile; thanks to the advent of machine skeletonizing, this has changed. The Aikon Skeleton is anything but fragile with a water resistance of 200 meters (20 atm). This allows the wearer to enjoy the watch whenever they want, practically regardless of the activity.
Closeup of the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Skeleton 39mm dial
An affordable challenge
Making a skeletonized movement in the classical way sounds simple: just remove as much material from the main plate, bridges, and other components as possible. While it is technically quite a bit more complicated than that, price is also an important aspect at Maurice Lacroix.
Maurice Lacroix Aikon Skeleton 39mm
To tackle this challenge, Maurice Lacroix teamed up with movement manufacture Sellita, who made some design tweaks to its celebrated Caliber SW 200-1 for machine skeletonizing. The result is quite spectacular as this industrial look suits the design of the Aikon very well, which is particularly important with a skeleton watch as the movement, case, and bracelet become one. The edges of the skeletonized bridges are kept slightly higher and were given a polished finish, too.
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Credits: Article and images by Martin Green @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/08/06/maurice-lacroix-aikon-skeleton-39mm-packing-a-smaller-punch-in-size-only-and-relatively-affordable-reprise/
