Maurice Lacroix Aikon AI6008 review – An icon with an integrated bracelet

Tags: Review | Maurice Lacroix | Men's | Classic

11.11.2025

Aikon is a phenomenon. It’s no coincidence that it’s Maurice Lacroix’s most famous line—this design draws a lot of attention. Deservedly so? An in‑depth look at the three‑hand Maurice Lacroix Aikon AI6008 should answer that.

First impressions

Anyone who knows me knows I don’t like watches with a case diameter over 40 mm excluding crown, so I had some serious prejudice even before this 42 mm Aikon arrived for review.

Honestly? I might need to rethink that stance. What usually bothers me on larger watches is the spacing—the gaps between individual elements—which tends to be huge and a bit gaudy. That’s why I don’t mind 40+ mm on chronographs or more complicated watches. For some reason, though, the Aikon looks balanced even at a larger size. Let’s get into the details.

Dial

While there are several eye‑catching elements on the Aikon, I find the dial to be an underrated but very compelling part of the watch. It has a genuinely mesmerizing effect. I caught myself zoning out on it for minutes at a time outdoors and even now while writing this review—and that’s without any chemical assistance.

The dial’s backdrop is a field of tightly packed small pyramids—a Clous de Paris texture—that plays beautifully with the light as you tilt your wrist. Even on this more conservative version (I had the black‑dial variant), the watch comes alive in direct light and in shade, almost dancing with the viewing angle.

Applied indices sit around the perimeter of the dial, doubled at 3, 6, 9, and 12. All the markers are fully lumed along their length, and there’s a nice surprise at three o’clock. Why? Because even though there’s a date window, you don’t lose the marker entirely.

It’s shortened, but still doubled and luminous—and I really like that. You do, however, lose this index on the 39 mm automatic. The most balanced to me are the mechanical chronographs, which have shortened markers at 3, 6, 9, and 12 and thus maintain lume symmetry in the dark.

There’s an applied logo and the Maurice Lacroix wordmark under twelve, the customary SWISS MADE at six, and the AUTOMATIC line between the six o’clock marker and the hands. The Aikon comes in both mechanical and quartz variants, so this inscription helps distinguish the movement type at a glance.

Another tell is the pyramid dial itself, which appears only on the automatic models; the quartz versions have a clean, non‑textured dial.

I was also pleased to see the date aperture, neatly framed, rendered in black to match the dial. That’s not the case on every variant, but on this review piece the date visually disappears until you want it.

The hands are sword‑shaped and filled with lume. I was a bit disappointed by the lack of lume on the seconds hand, but given the watch’s sporty‑elegant character I can live with it.

Case

Arguably the most recognizable element of the Aikon is the case—more precisely, the bezel. Thanks to it, just about anyone can spot an Aikon from a long way off.

The bezel is fixed and circular, with paired protrusions at every other hour. I don’t see any practical use for them, but as a design feature they’re fantastic.

The protrusions are polished while the rest of the bezel is brushed, which really makes them pop. The bezel flank is then polished to set it off visually from the predominantly brushed case.

The case has pleasantly short, curved lugs that hug the wrist nicely. The crown is signed and, for the worrywarts, screw‑down—so you don’t have to fear accidentally pulling it out underwater and flooding the watch.

There is a caveat: don’t force the crown when screwing it down, as you can strip the threads and end up needing a watchmaker’s repair. It doesn’t typically happen, but if you’re born all thumbs like me, it can. By the way, although the Aikon isn’t a dive watch, it’s water‑resistant to 20 ATM, so I wouldn’t hesitate to take it scuba diving.

Lastly, the caseback isn’t the typical screw‑down type we see on most water‑resistant watches—it’s secured by small screws. A small thing, but to me a nice detail.

It’s also an exhibition caseback with a sapphire crystal, giving you a view of the movement. The upside is the movement is finished and decorated, so it’s nice to look at. The downside is there’s not much crystal surface to engrave anything on.

Movement

Speaking of the movement, Maurice Lacroix offers the Aikon with six movement options: an automatic three‑hander, a quartz three‑hander, an automatic chronograph and a quartz chronograph. The fifth “bonus” is a skeletonized three‑hand mechanical movement, which is nonetheless designated the same as the automatic three‑hander, ML115.

The mechanical chronograph is ML112, and the quartz options are the Ronda 515 and Ronda 3540. For the grand finale, Maurice Lacroix also offers the Aikon with an internally manufactured ML331, a movement that partly descends from the older ML234 but only borrows certain architectural elements; the rest is truly in‑house from the drawing board up.

What only looks in‑house, depending on your point of view, are the ML115 and ML112. The ML112 is based on the Valjoux 7750, a fairly common and reliable chronograph that’s been branded and decorated.

The ML115 (in the review model) is based on the Sellita SW200‑1, a close relative of the ETA 2824‑2. In essence, the ML115 is an embellished Sellita. ML uses finishing such as perlage, engraving, a proprietary rotor with the ML logo, and other surface treatments.

It’s a fairly standard movement and widely seen as a gateway into Swiss watchmaking. What left me a bit cold is the grade, i.e., the regulation. The Aikon doesn’t have COSC or even TOP grade, but rather Élabore with a few TOP‑grade elements. It’s not the end of the world, but at a price just shy of 60,000 I’d expect at least full TOP grade, if not COSC.

On the other hand, most wearers won’t care. The stated accuracy is −7 to +20 s/day and typically runs around +5 to +10 s/day, which is perfectly fine by me. The advantage of the Sellita base is easy, inexpensive, and quick servicing, making the Aikon a perfect daily wearer.

Bracelet

Two words: butterfly clasp. Unfortunately, at Desco von Schulthess Holding AG (the owner of Maurice Lacroix) they haven’t taken a page from Swatch Group’s book—there’s no micro‑adjustment.

Formex has it, Christopher Ward has it, plenty of brands do, but some remain stubborn. On the other hand, the clasp is gorgeous, finished on both sides, and above all genuinely solid. It takes a firm press to snap the blades shut, so I’m confident the watch will stay put and not pop open. And I have to admit it wore very comfortably all day—even though I’m the type to tweak fit by a whole hole over the course of a day.

That’s most likely thanks to the five‑link bracelet, which is remarkably comfortable—surprisingly so, even to me.

The watch is fairly substantial to my taste. The case measures 42 mm in diameter and 11 mm in height, putting it in the mid‑to‑larger range. On the steel bracelet it weighs 177 grams, making it a medium‑heavy piece. Maurice Lacroix also offers a titanium version of the mechanical Aikon, both as a chronograph and as a three‑hander.

The three‑handers come in at 119 grams, which is very wearable in my book, but even the steel versions were comfortable thanks to the bracelet. I didn’t try the leather strap, but as a rule leather is the most supple option, so comfort shouldn’t be an issue there either.

The quick‑release spring bars for swapping the integrated bracelet are worth a mention, too. You do have to buy straps and bracelets from Maurice Lacroix, but that’s the price you pay for a well‑executed integrated bracelet. You can’t have everything.

Conclusion

The Maurice Lacroix Aikon is a great daily GADA watch (“Go Anywhere, Do Anything”). It’s most at home as a casual or sporty piece, but it won’t shy away from the office or a small theatre. It has a very distinctive bezel and wears surprisingly well.

In terms of looks, competitors would include the Tudor Royal or Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and perhaps the Epos Sportive or Breitling Chronomat; on the more affordable end, the Citizen Tsuyosa and Tissot PRX.

They also reminded me a bit of the Edox Delfin I reviewed this year.

I’d recommend them especially to men who like integrated bracelets and want a quality Swiss watch you can recognize from a mile away. I enjoyed wearing them a lot, even though I initially thought they’d be boring and I wouldn’t squeeze a paragraph out of them. Would I buy them? No—but only because we already have three watches with integrated bracelets at home, and a fourth would be overkill. If I had none, they’d definitely make the shortlist, and it’s going to be hard to give them back now.

Photo credits: Hodinky 365, Maurice Lacroix, https://thewatch.ua

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