Opinions Please. Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Double Retrograde

I have the ML Sun/Moon model ( can't remember the official name) and I love it. I get compliments and questions every time I wear it. It seems ML is becoming a lot more popular among collectors.

 

Now that is a watch you can wear for years. Not a "trend" watch, simply classic.

 

Simply beautiful. I love it.

 

A friend of mine has the exact same watch in the exact same colors. I was also surprised by the watch and found it really interesting. I think he only paid about $4G's for it. Not a bad price point. It looked great on my wrist!

 

This was the watch that got me into my current frenzy. I never pulled the trigger because I found a different watch that tripped my trigger a little more (Glashutte). The ML is a beautiful watch with perhaps less history than some of the more well known names. That will likely be insignificant in 40 or 50 years. They are heavily advertised right now, too.

Best advice I ever got about watches? Buy what you like.

Good luck.

-DrC

 

I would love a Maurice LaCroix as my next time piece.
Get It !

 

This guy is a really close friend of mine...
If anyone wants a Retrograde at a fire sale price, email me


http://cgi.ebay.com/Maurice-LaCroix-Masterpiece-Retorgrade-Mens-Auto-Watch_W0QQitemZ270280306563QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item270280306563&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14

 

I just hope you're getting a handsome discount, because you're pretty much marrying this watch.

 

I have that exact watch (same color, everything). I love it. I have toyed with selling it since I rarely wear it (my PP is my daily, and the other watch that gets most wrist-time is my Panerai).

It is a beautiful looking watch, and the display-back shows a horological treat. It is easy to adjust date and 2nd time zone. Only <small> thing is that there is a lot of resistance to the winding mechanism. This might be because mine is stilll relatively unused. But because it's a manual wind watch, this might bother some.

 

The base movement is one of the most rugged and long lasting mechanical movements ever made, Unitas is also known by Auguste Reymond or ARSA and the movement has been around for over 100 years, used to be the best movement usually put in pocket watches. It's now part of ETA/Swatch Group and of course modified by Maurice Lacroix for their application.

You will also find this same ebauche/movement in Eberhard, Auguste Reymond, Zenith and a few other brands, it's just a very stable, long lasting movement. The quality of the case and the rest is top notch and the looks are amazing!


Specs:

Movement: Hand-decorated mechanical, hand-wound ML 100 movement, based on the Unitas 6497-1 calibre, 50 jewels, blued steel screws, Incabloc shock protection, polished steel pallet and escapement wheel, Triovis precision adjustment, Glucydur coiled balance wheel, Nivarox-1 balance spring, Nivaflex-1 main spring

Case: Stainless steel, diameter 43.5 mm
Slightly domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on inside
Screwed caseback with sapphire crystal

Dial: Solid silver 925
silver-coloured with intricate guilloché, Roman numerals, hands of blued steel

Watchband: Black genuine Croco leather

water-resistant to 30 m

 

Very high quality watch that I would consider possibly as a so called "sleeper" in the market place. Watches are finished well and all "swiss made" uses mostly ETA movements and are now dabling with their own in-house design. You can be confident in the quality they possess.

For anyone who may be interested, here's an index of Maurice Lacroix watches, listing by case material, bracelet material, dial color, diameter, calibre and model number.
http://users.tpg.com.au/wookie99/mauricelacroixwatches.html

Last year ML succeeed in launching their first inhouse movement (see: http://forums.watchuseek.com/showthr...54524#poststop). ML climbed up to a real watch manufacturer
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starting to finally build their own ebauches again? I know the original Rolex Daytona had the Valjoux 72, then the Zenith El Primero and now their own fully built in house ebauche...

Swatch has pretty much cut tried to cut everyone off from ETA except that the Swiss government made them keep it open a few years... Instead of supplying the other companies with base movements, they are making them buy the entire finished movement, then throw away what they wouldn't use... Since swatch own ETA, Lemania/Breguet, they are forcing others to build their own internals...

 

Well they always can do what Tag Heuer are doing with the 2008-2009 movments lessen Heuer's reliance on ETA movements before the Swatch group yanks the carpet out from underneath everyone. They switch from ETA to Ronda.