The 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde is a reminder that Maurice Lacroix has been quietly fluent in the language of retrograde displays for decades. Long before the complication enjoyed its current revival, the brand was refining it into something legible, reliable, and distinctly its own. This latest execution pairs a sweeping retrograde day with a grand date, all under a generously domed sapphire crystal that pulls light deep into the dial.
What immediately stands out is the openness. A skeletonised display exposes the underside of the mainplate, treated in dark rhodium and sandblasted to give the brighter, rhodiumed bridges something to play against. Layers reveal themselves gradually, hands, indications, sapphire tracks, mechanics, creating a sense of depth that rewards more than a passing glance. The trapezoidal hands, edged with Super-LumiNova, keep things grounded in everyday usability.
The real charm, though, is how clearly this watch communicates. The twin-disc grand date is bold and intuitive, while the retrograde day hand performs its weekly arc with a satisfying snap back to Monday. Inside, the in-house ML302 module brings both complications together with confidence and a bit of theatre.
