Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity: The Groundbreaking “Maverick”

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Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity “Sincere Limited Edition”. Features the Manufacture Calibre ML230 automatic movement featuring the complete silicium assortment (ML10 assortment and oscillator) housed in a 43mm steel case with “box” sapphire crystal. Beating at 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hertz) and with 50 hours of power reserve when fully wound. Limited to 12 pieces. Priced at SGD15,200 inclusive of tax. Photo: © Maurice Lacroix. Special thanks to Juliana Tan and Victoria Ang.

Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity “Sincere Limited Edition”. Features the Manufacture Calibre ML230 automatic movement with the complete silicium assortment (ML10 assortment and oscillator) housed in a 43mm steel case with “box” sapphire crystal. Beating at 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hertz) and with 50 hours of power reserve when fully wound. Limited to 12 pieces. Priced at SGD15,200 inclusive of tax. Photo: © Maurice Lacroix. Special thanks to Juliana Tan and Victoria Ang.

First introduced in 2014 at the Baselworld watch fair, the Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity is the brand’s very first timepiece to feature a full silicium assortment. Two versions were launched in 2014, each limited to 250 pieces.

The term “assortment” in watch parlance, refers to the “complete set of things that belong to together”, according to Berner’s Illustrated Professional Dictionary of Horology I + II, adding that the French form of the word, assortiment, is also used by English watchmakers.

With regards to the Maurice Lacroix Gravity, it refers to the brand’s complete assortment made in silicon which includes the balance staff, pallet lever, escapement wheel and escapement wheel pinion.

Credit for the development and production for these silicon movement components go to Michel Vermot, head of movement construction at Maurice Lacroix, and the brand’s collaboration with Haute Ecole Arc which is based in Le Locle, Switzerland.

Silicon is a glass-like material that is self-lubricating and three times lighter than steel. It is a material chosen for the movement components because its low mass means less energy will be used and such parts are more accurate to produce. Moreover, silicon components do not require regular lubrication.

In 2015, the story of the Masterpiece Gravity continues, with three new versions launched at BaselWorld: the No. 2 Gravity “40th Anniversary” Limited Edition in a PowerLite alloy case (limited to 250 pieces), the No. 1 Gravity Limited Edition in stainless steel (limited to 40 pieces) and the No. 3 Gravity Limited Edition in an anthracite PVD case (limited to 250 pieces).

All Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity timepieces are limited editions. How many versions are there? Well, thus far, there are six; two versions were launched in 2014 and another three variants were introduced in 2015. Then there is the one-of-a-kind Masterpiece Gravity “Only Watch 2015”.

Total production of all the variants combined will be 1,041, if everything runs smoothly and all are produced.

There is actually another version – the Masterpiece Gravity “Sincere Limited Edition” and it is even rarer than those introduced with the exception of the Gravity “Only Watch 2015”.

Why is it so rare? Well, simply because it is only limited to 12 pieces, representing only 1.1% of the total number of Masterpiece Gravity watches (1,053 pieces – 1,041 plus 12 at the time of writing) that will now be produced.

This very rare and special piece officially goes on display (and sale, priced at SGD15,200) at specialist watch retailer, Sincere Fine Watches’ flagship Ngee Ann City boutique in Singapore from tomorrow.

The Masterpiece Gravity “Sincere Limited Edition” is part of the “100 Complications” showcase presented by Sincere Fine Watches.

This is in line with the vision of Kingston Chu, vice chairman and managing director of Sincere Watch Limited, to introduce their customers to a diverse group of brands offering the best and most unique complications.

The Masterpiece Gravity featuring the Manufacture Calibre ML230 automatic movement comes under the “Mavericks: Groundbreaking Movements” category.

“The Masterpiece Gravity movement is a breakthrough for Maurice Lacroix. It is a groundbreaking movement because of its silicium escapement,” notes Ong Ban, Chief Executive Officer of Sincere Watch Limited.

The spiral and balance wheel of the Calibre ML230 were produced by specialist component manufacturer Altokalpa which is related to Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier while the silicium escapement parts were made by Sigatec.

Like the Masterpiece No. 2 Gravity “40th Anniversary” Limited Edition, this “Sincere Limited Edition” features two blue-lacquered dials.

What is genuinely pleasant is the fact that the pricing is similar to the other three Gravity timepieces that have been launched in 2015, despite the extreme rarity of the Masterpiece Gravity “Sincere Limited Edition”.

Kudos to DKSH South East Asia and Maurice Lacroix for the attractive pricing strategy.

Other related articles on timewerke.com that may be of interest:
i. Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity: Gravitated towards Gravity
ii. Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity “Only Watch 2015”: Well-priced

Patek Philippe Ref. 7118/1 Ladies Automatic Nautilus: What is the colour of the dial?

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Patek Philippe Ref. 7118/1 Ladies Automatic Nautilus. Introduced in 2015, it is powered by the Calibre 324 SC automatic movement which is housed in a 35.2mm case in steel that is water-resistant to 60m. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Elfa / Timmy. 2015 BaselWorld

Patek Philippe Ref. 7118/1 Ladies Automatic Nautilus. Introduced in 2015, it is powered by the Calibre 324 SC automatic movement which is housed in a 35.2mm case in steel that is water-resistant to 60m. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Elfa / Timmy. 2015 BaselWorld

What is the colour of the dial on Patek Philippe’s Ref. 7118/1 Ladies Automatic Nautilus?

Is it blue and black or white and gold? Or dark blue and light blue?

Well, this will surely not be a £50 question as the answer is pretty much straightforward and hopefully will not be accompanied with any complications.

The answer is dark blue and light blue. Patek Philippe describes it as a blue opaline dial. This is regardless of whether you wish to say it is dark blue stripes on a light blue background or argue that it features light blue stripes on a dark blue background.

Many will probably recall “The Dress” shared on social media in February 2015 that divided many – it was the dress worn by Cecilia Bleasdale for her daughter’s wedding. That £50 bodycon (figure-hugging) dress from British fashion retailer Roman Originals set off a debate with people claiming it was in white and gold on one side of the fence and blue and black on the other.

The reality is that “The Dress” is in royal blue and black, according to Roman Originals.

Quite a few reasons were offered for the differences in colour visualisation.

Professor Steven Pinker from the Department of Psychology at Harvard University states that the reason why there are differences in opinion between the colours does not stem from the inverted-spectrum paradox; neither do “rods and cones” (the two different types of cells in our eyes which allow the brain to visualise colours) have anything to do with it, according to a Forbes article published in February 2015.

Professor Pinker’s explanation instead hinges on lightness constancy and colour constancy. Lightness constancy explained as being in action using Edward Adelson’s checker-shadow illusion and colour constancy with the Rubik cube illusion as examples.

The NY Daily News also reported in February 2015 that Dr Reena Garg, assistant professor of opthamology at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, found the image taken of “The Dress” as being very poorly exposed.

Dr Garg explained that those who perceived the dress as being black and blue saw the image as being over-exposed; with too much light, the colours appeared darker.

For those who viewed it as gold and white, the image was under-exposed; with too little light, the colours appeared lighter because they had been compensated for by your retina.

We therefore recommend a reliable camera for wedding photos. Being biased towards Leica and Canon, these are brands we would opt for.

The Patek Philippe Ref. 7118/1 Ladies Automatic Nautilus features a blue opaline dial. In this 2015 model, the hour and minute hands have been re-designed. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Elfa / Timmy. 2015 BaselWorld

The Patek Philippe Ref. 7118/1 Ladies Automatic Nautilus features a blue opaline dial. In this 2015 model, the hour and minute hands have been re-designed. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Elfa / Timmy. 2015 BaselWorld

As for a matching timepiece for blue and black striped dresses, perhaps the watch to consider is Patek Philippe’s Ref. 7118/1 Ladies Automatic Nautilus with the blue-striped dial.

Hopefully, the images taken by us are not poorly exposed and therefore show the watch dial in its most realistic and colourful glory.

For those who may disagree with us on the Patek Philippe Ref. 7118/1 Ladies Nautilus, just like the differing opinions on the colours of “The Dress”, we humbly accept the differences in perception.