Since the quiet end of the super-underrated Pintos S Diver, I’ve been keenly awaiting Maurice Lacroix to fill the void in its lineup with a correct fashionable dive watch. And simply sooner than Basel world 2019, we’re obtaining specifically that, within the type of AN growth to the Aikon line of sports watches, referred to as the Venturer. This is often the primary formal addition to the automated Aikon, intermixture existing key style signatures with a number of new parts to yield a wholly new, and markedly a lot of capable watch.

One issue that created the automated Aikon pretty distinctive (go active right here), was that it homogenized fashionable style and a fancy dial aesthetic with a sleek, angular case that was truly waterproof to two hundred meters, creating it a astonishingly good sport-luxury alternative whose capability stood well higher than several of its peers. though' the Aikon has historically drawn criticism for AN aesthetic mistily resembling that of a Royal Oak once a number of weeks at the athletic facility, a more in-depth review reveals only a few parts that are literally as by-product because the comment sections would possibly recommend. Except for people who couldn’t see past the comparison, the new Venturer is AN Aikon just in case and edge solely — with nearly each side of the watch being re-tooled to higher function a dive watch.

The Venturer is a very important stay up for Maurice Lacroix, because it not solely carries the torch for the brands signature sports watch line, it additionally offers watch fans one more reason to contemplate the Aikon as a significant various to comparably priced sport-luxury smartwatches from Swiss brands like Oris and Longines. However whereas the aforesaid usually lean towards a lot of classic stylings, Maurice Lacroix has its style language set firmly on “modern.” And that’s not a foul thing; precious few brands are deviating from their mid-century icons any longer, that leaves MLX in distinctive territory all its own.

As mentioned, the new Venturer utilizes a stainless-steel case footprint the same as the three-hand Aikon automatic, however it ups the dimensions to 43mm and comes with a further a hundred meters of water resistance, transportation this diver to a solid thirty at, or three hundred total meters of water resistance. Slightly flat and rectangular in form, the case is most original for its super-comfortable downward sinusoidal lug style wherever either AN integrated rubber strap or a five-link bracelet will be simply connected, because of its interchangeable strap system. The mounted circular edge with its six, raised ten-minute “claw” markers has been replaced with a visually similar unifacial rotating dive edge, thick tall, serrate on its edges, and fitted with a ceramic insert that options a graduated dive scale for the primary twenty minutes and finished with a fat lambent pip at twelve o’clock. in contrast to this Aikon, the case is flanked by a combine of screwed-on crown guards, adding a touch of visual weight to the style, however feat very little doubt that this Aikon could be a dive watch, through and thru.

But the largest changes to the Venturer are within the dial that skips the true by-product hobnail pattern found on the standard watches in favor of a sleek, sunray end that plays nicely with its aquatic inspiration. Its applied hour markers are circular in form, however every options a deep rectangular cutout that showing neatness mirrors the long stripes of lambent paint on the weapon hands. 

This interaction between sinusoidal and straight surfaces echoes a neat theme throughout the Aikon line, and it’s quite cool that MLX designers have managed to additional incorporate it in an exceedingly diver. There are, after all, solely numerous ways in which to execute a classic man’s watch, however the Venturer will merely enough to differentiate itself from a visible viewpoint while not rocking the dive boat too arduous (unlike the “Calypso,” its precursor back within the nineties). that is to mention, it’s conferred as a secure, semi-familiar product, however one that also feels recent enough, because of the fascinating style deoxyribonucleic acid of the Aikon’s angular, multi-faceted case.

Unlike the wild new Aikon Mercury, that exhibits some fascinating in-house designed movement innovations, the Venturer uses the much more commonplace Sellita SW200 (Maurice Lacroix calls it caliber ML115), a three-hand date movement hidden at a lower place the graven caseback that beats at the acquainted four Hz. delivering around forty hours of power reserve. Returning in barely below $2,000, the Aikon Venturer features a beginning value of $1,890 on a rubber strap, and $1,990 on the bracelet, though' serial strap-changers would possibly need to require advantage the Venturer’s straightforward interchangeable strap system with a special package that features each rubber strap and bracelet for $2,190. All told, the Venturer’s value is merely alittle premium over the quality Aikon, that starts at a value of $1,750.