Maurice Lacroix – Masterpiece 43 mm Square Wheel Retrograde – MP7158-SS001
Maurice Lacroix / Masterpiece / Square Wheel Retrograde
A square wheel? It sounds a crazy concept, especially when
you consider that it was expected to turn and interface
with another wheel located adjacent and that second wheel
was clover-shaped. However, Michel Vermot, a watchmaker
and engineer at Maurice Lacroix, invented this concept.
The teeth on the two unusually shaped wheels would have
to mesh perfectly to ensure reliable operation. Each tooth
would require a unique angle to engage faultlessly without
any loss in power transmission. Initially, the technology
to create the unusually shaped, and very com- plex, wheels
did not exist and the idea was simply recorded on paper.
LIGA, a German acronym for Lithographie Galvanoformung
Abformung, a state-of the art process, provided the solution
for creating the small unusually shaped wheels. In collaboration
with the Haute Ecole Arc, based in Le Locle, the ground-breaking
design became a reality.
Watch Description:
Case
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Case Diameter: 43 mmÂ
Case Thickness: 14 mmÂ
Crystal: Scratch resistant domed sapphire crystal with
anti-reflective coatings on both sides
Case Back: Screw-in
Bezel: Polished Stainless Steel
Water resistance: 50 meters / 165 feet
Dial
Color: Black Sun-ray
Hour Markers: Silver Tone Applied
Power reserve display at the 3 o’clock
The square wheel and clover mesh to transfer power at
the 6 and 9 o’clock positions and is also used to indicate
the seconds.
Movement
Type: Manual winding, mechanical
Caliber: ML 156
Power reserve: 45 hours
Strap
Strap: Black crocodile leather strap
Buckle: Push button deployment
