Maurice Lacroix Les Classiques Moonphase Review

Timeless and classic looking watches with such a “Phase de Lune” are often the reason why some people start collecting luxury watches. Join me as I review Maurice Lacroix Les Classiques Moonphase.

I hope this will be the first of many. I had almost never considered reviewing a Maurice Lacroix, but this model not only endeared itself to me in a way that made me reconsider my entire perspective on this watch, but also requires me to pay closer attention to this brand from now on. Let's get started, shall we?

Maurice Lacroix Les Classiques Moonphase Review

To keep my focus, I won't go into comparing this watch to similar watches from Maurice Lacroix or any other brand. Because this watch alone offers enough to merit a full and detailed review.

DIAL

Sometimes a glance at a watch draws my eye to the most unexpected details. This time it was a vivid blue calendar day hand with thin hour and minute hands; These led my eye down a bit to the modest but noticeable moon phase window.

Unlike most “Phase de Lune” watches, where this complication usually really stands out, this one is pretty unobtrusive. The moon phase disk is beautifully designed with a rich shade of blue with a radial gradient moving outward to a darker midnight blue; The window is positioned vertically between the central hub where all 4 hands rotate and the "Automatic" text printed below it, just above the 6 o'clock position.

The next thing I found myself looking at, even more intensely than I had at first, was the hour and minute hands. I noticed that the tips of the hour and minute hands were dipped in lume material. Then I realized why this caught my eye. Applique hour markers also had the same feature. The lume material was exactly the same size as the height of the black printed seconds ticker that runs along the perimeter of the dial.

When I moved my loupe to that area of ​​the dial, I noticed that there was a dimensional chapter ring that sat between the seconds clock and the calendar days printed on the silver, finely brushed ray-patterned sunburst dial.

An incredible amount of attention to detail can be seen in the dial design of this watch. Even the font used for the printed calendar days looks like it was hand-selected from hundreds of thousands of options; And we haven't even touched on the mechanism yet!

CASE

Then I turned the watch sideways and fell in love with the 40 mm stainless steel case. I noticed that the case has a finely brushed finish in the area where the wide crown and recessed pushers are located, but the rest of the case, the bezel, the crown, the pushers and even those beautiful curved lugs are polished. “The devil is in the details.” they say, and often people miss these subtle details that make all the difference. That's enough about aesthetics. Let's move on to the automatic movement, because the beauty of this watch is not just about its appearance.

MECHANISM

The self-winding ML37 caliber is a 25-jewel movement based on the ETA 2824-2 from the brand's MECALINE series, working at 28,800 VpH, or 4Hz. Incabloc uses Novodiac shock absorbers and an ETACHRON trimmer/regulator.

This base is impressive for its size, measuring just 25.6 mm in diameter and 4.6 mm thick. Most watch enthusiasts recognize this as a workhorse caliber, and Maurice Lacroix has done an excellent job using many finishing techniques in the crafting of the rotor and various plates.

It offers hours, minutes, and of course that nice, flowing seconds hand you should expect from a high-quality watch. Buttons on the side of the case allow you to correct dates quickly and easily.

While many watch experts sing the praises of in-house-only movements, the truth is that the ETA 2824-2 operates close enough to COSC standards without having to foot the bill for a Chronometer pedigree that many consider overpriced and only adds to the cost of the watch. People rarely appreciate the value of an ébauche movement until they receive their first maintenance bill.

This Swiss-made movement will do what it's supposed to do and won't cost you a fortune like some of the countless higher-end brands with the same or similar features and specifications. Although the manufacturer of this movement states the power reserve as 38 hours, Maurice Lacroix must have worked some magic as he increased this to +/- 40 hours.

Strap & Buckle

The strap is a solid black calfskin strap with a crocodile leather texture finish. It uses matching black stitching and fastens with a stylish brushed and polished stainless steel folding clasp.

PRICES

The manufacturer's suggested retail price for this watch is XXX, but you can find it sold for a much more affordable price at PrestigeTime.com.

Browse