The L1 was originally introduced just before Baselworld 2014, and was a big departure from both the modern sport watch and classic dress watch lines for which Maurice de Mauriac was generally known. There’s a good reason for that: It was designed for the Zurich-based brand by Swiss industrial designer Fabian Schwaerzler. The designer is best known for his chairs and stools, and there’s a pretty good chance that at some point you’ve sat on something designed by Schwaerzler. I’ve always found the look appealing, and now that the watch is available in a few configurations and sizes, I wanted to dig in and see which I liked best.
If you’re not familiar with Schwaerzler’s work, the 03 High stool for Vitra and the Normal chair for Dadadum can give you a pretty good sense on their own. Black and white color palettes, crisp, well-defined lines, and a true sense of function-first design are all hallmarks of Schwaerzler’s work. The L1 watch fits right in alongside his other creations, adhering to the same principles, and with the same attention to detail.
Although the main design was set by Schwaerzler, there are a few things that the customers can choose for themselves. Most notably, there are three different case sizes – 37mm, 39mm, and 42mm. The difference between 37mm and 42mm is tough to overstate; at that point you’re talking about two completely different types of watches. The 42mm version doesn’t seem quite right to me for this design. If you’re into bigger watches or have a particularly large wrist, go for it (really, no judgement here), but from here on out we’ll be sticking with the 37mm and 39mm variants.
The general case shape and proportions remain basically the same between those two, though there are two things you’ll notice right off the bat. As the case scales up, the lugs start to look proportionally thicker and wider, and the bezel looks larger in proportion to the rest of the watch as well. The case ends up looking a little sportier in 39mm, though it’s still pretty reserved and architectural.
The next choice you get is whether you want that case to be rendered in brushed stainless steel, or whether you want that steel to be given a black DLC coating. The 37mm watch here has the coating, while the 39mm has been left plain. Honestly, the black coating is much lighter than I was expecting, reading much more like a dark grey than an actual black. This is a good thing. Instead of giving the watch an “I hang around art galleries trying to meet women who only wear turtlenecks” vibe, it veers much closer to something like “Oh, this sofa? It’s vintage Knoll. No big deal.” The plain steel is certainly nice, but I prefer the lower-contrast pairing of black dial and DLC in this instance.
Regardless of case size, you can also opt for either a flat or a domed sapphire crystal (the “upgrade” to domed crystal is no charge for the DLC model, but a 250 CHF up-charge for the steel model). It’s hard to show in photos just how big a difference this makes to the feel of the watch. I fully expected to be on team domed crystal, but actually much prefer the flat. You can see below the two side-by-side (with the domed on the left and the flat on the right). The architectural feel of the case and geometry of the dial are well-suited to the flat crystal and, to my eye, the dome just softens out these lines, vintage roots be damned. The last choice Maurice de Mauriac gives you is your strap, which can be golden brown, dark brown, black, or grey. All three are made of buttery Barenia leather and have a stitch-free look that fits right in with Schwaerzler’s design.
Regardless of what other options you choose, when you turn the L1 over, you’re greeted by a sapphire caseback, letting you see what’s lurking inside. Depending on your choice of case size though, you could see one of two movements. The 39mm and 42mm versions both house the ETA 2824, with a custom-branded rotor and more than decent finishing (nothing too fancy though, not that you’d expect it here). The small watch, however, uses an ETA 2892, without the custom rotor. These are both total workhorse movements with power reserves in the 38-42 hour range, so you can go more than a full day without wearing the watch and it’ll still be ticking. The date is quick-set for both though, so winding down isn’t really an issue.
A design this simple must be easy to create, right? Wrong. With this level of simplicity, every little thing matters more and any errors or imbalances will shine through immediately. Schwaerzler though nailed the details here. You’ll notice that the hour markers at three, six, nine, and 12 are slightly thinner than the rest and that the slim hands come to a very fine point at the tips, making legibility excellent.
On the hour and minute hands, only thin indentations in the centers are filled with lume, so when the watch glows blue at night, you get straight lines (one shorter than the other), again making it a snap to read the time. The date disc at three o’clock is black too, blending in almost entirely with the dial (even some date haters might like this) and the signature is printed small enough so as to allow the inky black dial to take precedence.
On the wrist is where the L1 really comes to life. The short, angled lugs hold the watch tight to the wrist (for both sizes I tried) and the steep case sides give the watch a good amount of presence without it feeling anything close to too big, or clunky. Personally, I love watches in the 36mm to 38mm range, and the 37mm L1 is pretty close to my ideal size. That said, the 39mm doesn’t feel that much bigger and the difference in comfort is negligible. I’d say go for whatever size you think looks better on your wrist, and you won’t be disappointed.
Maurice de Mauriac is very proud of its straps, which have been a central part of the brand’s offerings since the beginning. The full range includes everything from various Horween leathers and shell cordovan, to Bund-style straps and other more eccentric creations, but it’s the refined, Barenia straps that founder Daniel Dreifuss chose to employ here – and to great effect. In particular, the grey Barenia, with the thin channels down the side, fits the look of the watch and doesn’t require any breaking in. My 37mm sample was even sent to me on a short strap, which worked really well for my relatively small wrist.
The L1’s pricing structure is pretty straightforward too, even with the customization options. The stainless steel L1 is 2,300 CHF (approximately $ 2,240 at time of publishing) and the DLC L1 is 3,200 CHF (approximately $ 3,120). This is regardless of size and strap choice – the only up-charge is for the domed crystal on the steel model, which is an additional 250 CHF. For the DLC L1, domed and flat crystal are the same price. The idea here is that customers get the actual combination that is right for them, instead of worrying about whether certain options are worth the price.
To me, the L1 is a great all-purpose watch with real design pedigree, at a very reasonable price. The mechanics inside aren’t the most exciting, but they’re solid and act as a reliable engine for this good-looking timekeeper. The attention to detail from Schwaerzler and Maurice de Mauriac is outstanding across the board, from the hands to the markers to the case finish. For a watch that’s so simple, there’s an awful lot to love here.
For more on the L1, visit Maurice de Mauriac online.
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