Maurice Lacroix opened BASELWORLD for its own brand with a press conference on Wednesday, 30 March. Philippe C. Merk, CEO Maurice Lacroix, Patrick Graells, Product Manager Masterpiece Collection, and Sandro Reginelli, Product Manager Classic Collections took questions from the American watch journalist, Keith Strandberg, during a thirty-minute question and answer session marking the company’s thirtieth anniversary and the new 2005 watch models.
The clear highlight for Maurice Lacroix and the exclusive Masterpiece Collection is this year’s Masterpiece Tourbillon Rétrograde. This exclusive timepiece encased in a beautiful platinum case is limited to 30 pieces, as is fitting for the brand’s birthday, and features a combination of a classic tourbillon along with a retrograde date and a power reserve indication. For the ladies, Maurice Lacroix also came up with an entire new collection, Divina, with flowing, feminine and yet strongly expressive lines. The Divina “Étoile de Mer” is also limited to 30 pieces each. For this, the designers, inspired by the theme “water and sea”, created a stylized starfish set of diamonds, rubies, and multicoloured sapphires into the dial, case, and caseback. Limited Divina editions on “Air”, “Fire”, and “Earth” are planned for future years.
In order to properly celebrate the introduction of this new ladies collection, Maurice Lacroix invited guests to a spectacular Divina Show Act after the question and answer session. The two internationally renowned high-wire artists, Tanja and Frida, thrilled the audience with their magical acrobatic performance while underscoring the feminine yet strong character of this watch. The guests were fascinated by them as they moved along the free high wire above the three-storey atrium of the Maurice Lacroix booth. Their costumes, the lighting, and not least the music perfectly picked up on the theme “water and sea” along with the limited Divina edition.






Female Sophistication – Visible at First Glance

“Sensual and visual pleasure are at the origin of its fascinating design. By creating Divina, my aim was to give birth to a watch capable of throwing a light on the duality of the modern woman,
combining a gentle and asserted personality.
Today’s icon, an eternal object.”
Sandro Reginelli, Product Manager Classic Collections Maurice Lacroix





Classic, feminine ladies’ watches have been an undeniable strength of Maurice Lacroix since the brand was established. To revive this tradition, Sandro Reginelli, Product Manager Classic Collections at the Swiss watchmaker since 2003, was commissioned to create a completely new product line for the discriminating, self-assured woman eager to accentuate sophistication and femininity.
And so the search for a perfect, never before existing shape began. The watchcase was supposed to be rectangular, but in no way boxy. The dial classic, but not mundane. Overall, a watch with style and class that does not appear overpowering. The solution: The designers “twisted” the case once about its middle, so that fine, yet unmistakable lines, softly curved watchband joints, and a small waist were created – fluid, feminine shapes giving rise to associations of a female silhouette, wind-shaped dunes or soft waves. The result was a fascinating watch in two sizes that calls attention to the female, even divine side of each woman. And therefore its name: Divina – the divine.
Sparkling diamonds emphasize these unique shapes even more: The precious stones either follow the soft, yet expressive lines of the Divina along a narrow row (up to 54 Top Wesselton VS diamonds, 0.534 carat) or, arranged symmetrically, fill the opposing case sides on the left top and right bottom (up to 54 Top Wesselton VS diamonds, 0.403 carat).
Each wearer is able to express her own personality by choosing the desired dial: Made silver-coloured, black, charcoal, or rhodium-coloured, or made from genuine white, blue, pink, or black mother-of-pearl and bearing generous Roman numerals, perfectly formed to match the case shape, the Divina becomes a classic, gracious statement. With Arabic numerals “12” and “6”, it appears more playful. The 6 and 2 flow over the entire dial in a wide curve and in this way create a connection between the opposing numerals. To preserve the gentleness of these designs, the simply hands were carefully crafted as skeletons for the “12 and 6” version but remain solid for the classic version with Roman numerals. Diamonds inside the Roman or Arabic numerals additionally enhance the characteristics of the respective versions.
The crowning glory consists of the watchbands of genuine leather or textile in a colour palette that leaves no wish unfulfilled. To ensure that liberal use can be made of this great selection, all watchbands can be easily exchanged thanks to a genial mechanism.


Limited Edition “Étoile de Mer”

The Divina celebrates a glamorous appearance in the form of the limited edition “Étoile de Mer” in which Swiss watchmaking precision unites with the highest level of jewellery art. Under the theme of “water and sea”, the designers created a stylised starfish – a spectacular creation reminiscent of the colourful underwater world.
This audacious design inspired by nature’s perfect shapes enlaces not only the dial, but the whole watch as if to protect its white gold robe. Composed of diamonds, rubies and multicoloured sapphires, the Divina “Étoile de Mer” becomes a genuine work of art, a painting that gains in expression and charisma with the different surface treatments of the gems. Not lastly, the theme of “water and sea” is expressed in the watchband: It is made of precious ray leather and coloured to match the gems of the starfish. Maurice Lacroix created an unusual watch with the Divina Limited Edition “Étoile de Mer”, a sparkling piece that sets new standards for the brand. Each of the five versions of this piece of jewellery is limited to 30 pieces.


Divina
Movement: Swiss quartz movement.
Case: Stainless steel; 2 diamond versions (up to max. 54 Top Wesselton VS diamonds, 0.534 carat); domed sapphire crystal; water-resistant to 30 m, dimensions 32 mm/22.8 mm (6 o’clock – 12 o’clock/3 o’clock – 9 o’clock) or 40.5 mm/24.5 mm (6 o’clock – 12 o’clock/3 o’clock – 9 o’clock).
Dial: Silver-coloured, black, charcoal, rhodium-coloured, or genuine mother-of-pearl in white, pink, blue, or black, with Roman or Arabic numerals, Roman and Arabic numerals set with diamonds on some models (Roman numerals up to max. 28 diamonds Top Wesselton, 0.152 carat; Arabic numerals up to max. 41 diamonds Top Wesselton, 0.236 carat).
Watchband: Genuine leather or textile strap in different colours, with folding clasp, exchangeable.



Divina Limited Edition “Étoile de Mer”
Movement: Swiss quartz movement.
Étoile de Mer: Starfish design over dial, case and caseback, of white and black diamonds (211 white diamonds Top Wesselton VS, 1.00 carat; 128 black diamonds Top Wesselton VS, 1.07 carat), diamonds and rubies (211 white diamonds Top Wesselton VS, 1.01 carat; 128 rubies, 1.12 carat), diamonds and pink sapphires (128 white diamonds Top Wesselton VS, 0.83 carat; 211 pink sapphires, 1.361 carat), diamonds and blue sapphires (128 white diamonds Top Wesselton VS, 0.83 carat; 211 blue sapphires, 1.361 carat), or diamonds and yellow sapphires (128 white diamonds Top Wesselton VS, 0.83 carat; 211 yellow sapphires, 1.361 carat).
Case: White gold 18K 750; domed sapphire crystal; water-resistant to 30 m,
dimensions 40.5 mm/24.5 mm (6 o’clock – 12 o’clock/3 o’clock – 9 o’clock).
Dial: Solid silver 925.
Watchband: Genuine ray leather in different colours, with folding clasp in white gold 18K 750 exchangeable.
Edition: Each version limited to 30 pieces, numbered, with certificate.


Source : Maurice Lacroix
www.mauricelacroix.com
Contact: [email protected]

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