My special relationship with AIKON #tide continues with a new collaboration piece looking towards evolution and a better future. The Maurice Lacroix AIKON #tide Mahindra celebrates the continuous work with Mahindra Racing. Adopting the team’s colours, this good-looking urban piece brings ocean-bound upcycled plastic again to the wrist. The end of the article features a large gallery of the #tide Mahindra and some legendary surprises.
The collaboration between Mahindra Racing and Maurice Lacroix started in 2023 when the last one was named Official Timekeeper for the first… Mahindra Racing, a founding team in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. It’s a dynamic sport, continuously changing as technology evolves. Today, the all-electric single-seater cars race at speeds touching 320 km/h and are capable of accelerating from 0-100 km/h in sub 3 seconds. While Maurice Lacroix admires Mahindra Racing for its success on the track, manifest with 23 podiums and 5 wins to date, it also applauds the team’s environmental stance. Indeed, the race team actively promotes EV technology to make the skies cleaner and address the impact of climate change. Mahindra Racing’s values resonate with Maurice Lacroix, which was the primary reason for both firms forging a long-term partnership.
AIKON #tide Mahindra fitted like a glove to this idea of new and sustainable technologies. It takes 17 plastic bottles to make one AIKON #tide and its user-friendly packaging, which means 17 fewer bottles polluting the ocean. The way Maurice Lacroix plays with colours to personalise this piece amazes me.
Disclaimer: I used as a photo background setting the Stuttgart Retro Classics 2023 event. Unfortunately, Mahindra Racing did not participate in this event. So I used the best next thing – the Porsche Mission R, another bolid designed with sustainability as an essential strategy.
Asking again: Who said plastic could not be fun? Many of us disregard used plastic. But plastic can be an excellent raw material for super cool objects. Unfortunately, much of the plastics thrown reach the oceans. We can thank organisations like #tide for organising ocean cleaning and the processes that lead to having plastic garbage as prime material for watches (and not only).
Clever, upcycling and recycling
The retail package consists of an exterior cardboard box, a paper warranty card, a textile #tide bag, a plastic mug made in the same material as the watch case, the watch holder in the same material with a printed QR-code for the user manual and the watch itself. It is quite an impressive packaging and is very sustainable oriented. The bag and the mug can be used daily. The Maurice Lacroix AIKON #tide Mahindra comes with two rubber straps – red with the black ML logo and black with a red ML logo. But let’s have a detailed look at the unboxing experience, handling and strap change in the video below.
Maurice Lacroix AIKON #tide Mahindra in detail
The #tide Mahindra does not differentiate from the other #tide pieces. In this review, you can experience several pieces: Maurice Lacroix AIKON #tide: unboxing, hands-on, wrist-roll, full-review with 8 combinations. The brand sent me eight pieces to enjoy the full experience of the #tide collection.
The AIKON case
The 40mm diameter case is a well-chosen compromise to fit most wrist sizes. Creating several sizes will burden the collection too much, plus it will increase the end price due to the multitude of manufacturing processes (note: using the same mould for more pieces result in a lower manufacturing cost so less to pay by the consumer).
The AIKON case with its original and recognisable design with six notches bezels integrates a natural rubber strap in black or red (with the Maurice Lacroix logo in the colours of the case). It was a big surprise to find out what happens when some of the watches are exposed to UV light – they glow like crazy…
The strap can be easily changed using the proprietary system. As a hint, you can fit any coloured strap available afterwards in the #tide collection – there are a few, and they are quite nice. As visible in the video above, switching from one strap to another is no brainer… The buckle in black is featuring nice details and the brand’s name and logo.
The watch is light and comfortable on the wrist. It is a bold statement that attracts curious eyes due to its unusual colour scheme.
Black and red with a blue surprise
Maurice Lacroix AIKON #tide Mahindra proudly bears the race team’s colours and features a dial adorned with the team logo. The pattern is visible in various light situations. Also, the iridescent properties make it interesting in the open light – a sunray effect. The legibility is good. The date window at 3 o’clock with white print on a black background is easy to read without really disrupting the dial’s Mahindra theme.
The time is displayed using red hours and minute hands with SuperLuminova inserts. The blue seconds’ hand is hoovering over the bright red baton indexes, also with luminescent add-ons. The dial is interesting and impressed me enough to spend some time studying its various details. For a plastic watch, oh boy this is a super cool piece…
The versatility of the Maurice Lacroix AIKON #tide collection is fully present in the Mahindra piece. Diana and me exchange quite often the watch between us. It is fun, looks good and gives a certain well-being state. I mean, I know we are not saving the oceans, but at least some of the plastic is on the wrist and not in the waters anymore…
The movement
Maurice Lacroix chose to use quartz in this fun and loveable piece. This reduces the price in a significant way. Also, it makes it more interesting for the new generations scared by the idea of a sensible mechanical piece that needs to be winded each 2-3 days. Changing the battery every few years for a watch is peace of mind. The brand does not specify the movement specs, but I am expecting one of the Swiss players to be involved with a battery life of at least two years. The date is a useful and cherished addition.
Since there are no mechanics to display on the back, the AIKON #tide was fit with a full caseback in the same colour as the rest of the case. It is fixed with the help of 7 screws. The caseback proudly bears the “#tide OCEAN MATERIAL” embossing. The rest of the details are printed. The most important message – “MADE OF RECYCLED MATERIALS” – contributes to the raised awareness.
Final words
Maurice Lacroix AIKON #tide Mahindra is a daring watch born from an interesting collaboration. Two brands with a focus on sustainability and a viable future collaborated for a fun piece with a not-that-hidden message: be aware of your action, be aware of your environment, and act…
And I will repeat it: Am I saving the oceans by buying a Maurice Lacroix AIKON #tide? The truth is no. But you are contributing to the process of cleaning it. You are helping create a system based on recycling. You are raising awareness. The watch is a good platform for the new generations to get into watches. It is spectacular, attracts curiosity, it is an excellent conversation starter.
The drawback of this watch is that it uses a battery. At this moment in time, batteries are a big no when it comes to sustainability (they require quite a lot of CO2 in production and are hard or impossible to recycle). So a truly sustainable watch would be made from recycled materials, would have mechanical movement and have an expected life of 20 or more years. But a fully sustainable watch would be much more expensive (maybe ten times or more) so this is an excellent start: because it supports #tide in their action of cleaning the oceans, and offers a very attractive piece at an affordable price. In the battle to save our planet, some compromises must be made. Maurice Lacroix created a sweet and lovely watch again.
Awareness: use, reuse/recycle and upcycle
I want to end this article with a personal note. I am a huge car fan and also work in the automotive industry. None of the active technologies is 100% clean, green or sustainable. Compromises must be made. For a cute electric Japanese car, a cynical marketing exercise is used: mining nickel in Canada, shipping it across the ocean to Norway to create a battery that would be shipped to Japan to be put in a car that would be “proudly” used by gullible on the streets of Paris, London etc. Do your homework, read and inform yourself.
Maurice Lacroix AIKON #tide Mahindra Technical Specifications
Ref. AI2008-04000-400-J – 900.00 € Incl. VAT
Movement
- Quartz
- Functions: Hours, minutes and seconds.
- Date at 3 o’clock.
Case
- Case diameter: 40 mm
- Case height: 11 mm
- Case material: Made from ocean-bound upcycled plastic
- Case setting: No
- Water resistance: 10 ATM
Dial
- Black dial with Mahindra Racing logo pattern and date at 3 o’clock
Strap / Bracelet
- Black rubber strap with red M-logo and easy strap exchange system + red rubber strap with black M-logo and easy strap exchange system (additional strap)
- Buckle: Made from black ocean-bound upcycled plastic pin buckle
About Mahindra racing
Mahindra Racing is a founding team – and the only Indian team – to compete in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the world’s first all-electric street racing series. Mahindra Racing has an impressive stats sheet and is a multi-race winning outfit after scoring its breakthrough victory at the Berlin E-Prix in 2017. The squad is committed not only to pushing the limits of technology and innovation in the electric vehicle space, but to addressing the impact of climate change; it was the first Formula E team to be awarded the FIA Environmental Accreditation Three-Star rating, demonstrating best practice and excellence in sustainability practices.
Your time is now with Maurice Lacroix
For almost 50 years, Maurice Lacroix has demonstrated all of its watchmaking expertise, crafting watches within the brand’s Manufacture in Saignelégier, Switzerland. Having won more than fifteen awards, the brand has demonstrated an innovative, avant-garde and perfectionist spirit over the years. Maurice Lacroix’s culture is indeed to offer affordable watches, with iconic design and high perceived value. In 2016, Maurice Lacroix reinterpreted its iconic model of the 90s, the Calypso, releasing the AIKON. Modern and daring, the AIKON is made for a generation of Millennials who are connected, cosmopolitan and talented. This ambitious generation is setting out to conquer the world’s cities, embracing their unique spirit. A constant source of inspiration for the Maurice Lacroix creative team, an active and urban brand, that thrives in the electric energy of these cities. With this in mind, Maurice Lacroix chooses to associate its image with a set of activities that allow consumers to experience the unique vitality of city life.