A REVIEW: Maurice Lacroix Pontos Chronographe Retro

[thsiao]

As some of you might already know, I was the fortunate winner of the Los Angeles GTG raffle and the prize was this beautiful Maurice Lacroix Pontos Chronographe Retro (PT6288-SS001-130). A big thank you to Mr. H, DKSH, and Maurice Lacroix for hosting the event and for picking me as the winner of the grand prize. I'd like to share with everyone my opinion on this watch with this short review.

PRESENTATION:
The watch comes in your typical two box arrangement, a black outer cardboard with the brand's name on it and a beautifully finished wooden inner box. Under the watch tray, you will find a storage area with the manual, warranty card, and a cleaning cloth.
LIKE -- The attention to detail. The metal plate with Maurice Lacroix on it is a nice touch (located on the top of the wooden box, pictured below). I also like that the watch comes with a cleaning cloth.




CASE:
The case is beautifully crafted, in-house by Maurice Lacroix, in a 43mm size and has a matte brushed finish. The area between the lugs however is polished. As much as I love big watches (44mm+), I must say that 42-43mm is the ideal size for my arm. The top portion of the bezel is polished and the bottom part of it matches the matte brushed finish of the case. Chrono pushers and crown have a unique design. Front sapphire crystal has AR coating on both sides. Caseback has a mineral crystal that allows you to enjoy the 7750 movement that powers this watch.
LIKE -- Attention to detail again. The area between the lugs is polished, which matches nicely with the polished portion of the bezel. The design of the crown is very unique and attractive (reminds me of an air exhaust found on the roof of older buildings).
DISLIKE -- Width between lugs is 21mm, an unpopular width for straps. Not a big fan of AR coating on both sides, too easy to scratch the outer coating which cannot be fixed unless crystal is replaced (costly).


DIAL:
I went with the white lacquered dial with contrasting interconnecting black subdials. The red and light blue accents on the dial make the white dial pop even more. The hour markers have polished applied indices. The hour and minute hand are also polished with lume tips (as is the running second hand, chronometer minute and hour hands). The second hand of the chronometer is a deep blue with red tip that matches perfectly with the other colors on the dial. There is also an "M" logo that is applied as well on the dial. The minutes are marked on an elevated outer ring while a tachymeter scale is found right under it, giving the dial a bit more depth. Date window available at 6.
LIKE -- Color usage in the dial is fantastic. Fit and finish looks top-notch. The placement of the date is perfect.
DISLIKE -- There is a slight imperfection on my elevated outer ring. Extremely minor, but it is there (disclaimer, I have bionic eyes when it comes to inspecting watches).





STRAP:
Though on their website the white dial is advertised with a brown strap, my Pontos arrived with the black leather strap that is usually advertised with their black dial version. I could've not been any happier as I think that the black strap complements the watch a lot better without introducing a new color to the mix. The leather strap is accompanied by a single sided deployant buckle with the company's logo engraved. The strap and deployant use a "pinch" system for the size adjustment (much like Cartier's style).
LIKE -- This might be the first deployant buckle on a leather strap that I actually find comfortable to wear. Historically speaking, I am a big hater when it comes to these kind of systems, but this watch actually feels ok with it. Thank you for having the push buttons on the top (where it cannot dig into your skin). The pinch system also allows for the perfect fit. Padding on the strap is just right, though the overall strap could be a bit thicker to reduce the extra space around the lugs.
DISLIKE -- Again, the 21mm lug width is just an inconvenience for people that would like to use the watch on an aftermarket strap. Also, the OEM strap seems to be slightly undersized at the lugs, allowing for a small part of the spring bars to show.




OVERALL:
At a retail price of $3,900, the Maurice Lacroix Pontos Chronographe Retro offers a very serious bang for your buck. The quality and finish on the watch is quite impressive. The overall design and attention to detail is also commendable. Overall, I think that this watch is a true winner with a very contemporary yet classic look at a very affordable price point. Kudos to Maurice Lacroix for offering these terrific timepieces at prices that most people can afford.

[asadtiger]

congrats on winning this fantastic watch...thanks for sharing the joy with us...enjoy this wonderful piece in good health my friend

[Urosfan]

Congrats

[jbell]

Love the looks of the watch.
Pricepoint seems quite remarkable for the finish
Enjoy
jonathan

[Psmith]

Great-looking piece and interesting review - thanks for sharing

[Alfredo.]

Thanks for that review. Congrats on an awesome watch. The box also looks great!

[malarky_hk]

Good write up. The watch looks nice as well. Hope you enjoy it.

[Presa canary]

Very handsome watch. Congrats on the W

[thsiao]

Hey guys I refined the review and took nicer photos... you can find the new review at Life of a WIS.

[slcbbrown]

Very sharp review. I'm a big fan of ML but have only seen/bought from the Masterpiece line. One thing I really appreciate about mine are the deployants. They're easily my favorite.

[arizonaboy]

Looks great...congrats!

[Cru Jones]

great pictures...i do quite like the colors. congrats on the win.

[thsiao]

Originally Posted by slcbbrown

Very sharp review. I'm a big fan of ML but have only seen/bought from the Masterpiece line. One thing I really appreciate about mine are the deployants. They're easily my favorite.

Thank you! The Masterpiece line is beautiful, but the Pontos line is also something to consider as they are quite sporty and affordable. ML is definitely doing great things and going in the right direction IMHO.

Originally Posted by arizonaboy

Looks great...congrats!

Originally Posted by Cru Jones

great pictures...i do quite like the colors. congrats on the win.

Thank you guys!

[marcow]

Fantastic review! I had a Pontos Chronographe too and I loved the clean looks of the watch. Besides it was verry accurate (better than my Breitling steelfish). now I have a manufacture Masterpiece Double Retrograde and it is certainly not my last ML!

[sea-dweller]

Congrats!

[Psmith]

Originally Posted by sea-dweller

Congrats!

Dennis my friend - the OP won this watch 3 years ago.