Maurice Lacroix - Aikon #tide

0 0 Sunday, 20 March 2022 Edit this post

Maurice Lacroix unveiled the new Aikon #tide collection, a funky range of watches presented in eye-popping colours and created using a new technology that converts discarded plastic waste into a composite material that is two times harder and five times more resistant than standard plastic, and with a carbon footprint that is less significant than the production of virgin PET.

First released in 2016, the Aikon model experienced exceptional success combining precise timekeeping with excellent readability and great wearer comfort. The new Aikon #tide shares these qualities while also contributing to make our oceans cleaner.

To achieve this result, the Swiss watch brand entered into a long-term partnership with #tide, a specialist in ‘upcycling ocean-bound plastic waste’, to collect plastic bottles from the seas surrounding various islands in Thailand as well as Indonesia and the Philippines.

Committed to save 10 million plastic bottles from polluting the oceans, Maurice Lacroix provides financial support for plastic collection activities, pay for longtail boats and warehouses, fund educational programmes and finance various types of equipment.

The bottles are sorted, shredded into flakes, washed and compacted close to the point of collection and then transported to #tide’s upcycling facilities where the flakes are compounded into smaller granules and then combined with an undisclosed formula, culminating in the creation of upcycled plastic which is used for manufacturing the brightly coloured Aikon #tide watches.

Although this initiative might appear as merely a drop in the ocean, we should all remind that even a single drop can play a part in making our planet a little better.

The bezel, case, caseback, screwed crown, end-piece and buckle on the Aikon #tide are all made from this composite material. It takes 17 bottles to make one watch and its packaging.

Protected by a flat sapphire crystal, the dial is adorned with a ‘Vague du Jura’ motif, a clear reference to the ocean. Some references are also available with diamond-set indexes.

Measuring 40 mm x 11 mm and water resistant to 100 metres / 330 feet, the Aikon #tide is powered by a quartz movement supporting housr, minutes, seconds and date.

Thanks to the Easy Strap Exchange system, the wearer can swap between black and white straps without the need for tools. New bracelets entirely made of composite material will be released later this year.

Delivered with a 5-year warranty, the Maurice Lacroix Aikon #tide is available in several colour variations with prices of Euro 690 for the standard models or Euro 850 for the references with dials enhanced by diamond-set indexes. mauricelacroix.com