LM1 by MB&F

2 minutes read
October gave the watch world a huge surprise: a round watch by boutique brand MB&F, who usually specializes in every shape but this one. Its first “classic” watch is beautiful, functional and surprisingly true to a nineteenth-century style of watchmaking.



WORLDTEMPUS - 19 December 2011

Elizabeth Doerr 


I have to say that this is the watch I have been waiting for. While I appreciate all the timepieces that Maximilian Büsser and his friendly posse of suppliers have brought out over the course of the last six years since the company was formed, these products of their generation have not necessarily been what I would strap to my wrist. These previous products are much more kinetic, collectible works of art – timepieces that appeal to a certain set of aficionado. In my estimation, the LM1 has a broader appeal that is destined to win MB&F a whole new set of fans.

 

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The Legacy Machine 1, as it is officially called, kicks off a second line within the MB&F collection and will reside alongside the already existent Horological Machines. Can two such dissimilar lines peacefully coexist? I certainly think so, and for one am very glad of the existence of both. After all, this is what watchmaking is all about: the diversity of tastes, even among collectors and aficionados interested in the highest end of watchmaking. 


Friends

The two main “friends” involved in bringing this timepiece to life comprise a well-oiled technical team, and not surprisingly the same team that was responsible for my Selection #6, Urban Jürgensen's P8: Jean-François Mojon, who developed the calibre along with his team at Chronode, and Kari Voutilainen, who was in charge of the very fine finishing and ensuring the historical accuracy of the movement's design. 

The idea for this timepiece emerged when Büsser began to wonder what his watches would look like if he had been born one hundred years earlier – during the age of Jules Verne, for example. During this time, uncluttered movements with large balance wheels were the order of the day, and it was at this point in time that most of what we now consider classic had come to be. MB&F has naturally reinterpreted this style in its own way, which makes it even more interesting.

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Technology

The balance wheel and spring are at the heart of this movement and, unlike traditional movement configurations, floating above the dial for everyone to plainly see as they languidly beat at the vintage frequency of 18,000 vph. While the positioning may be considered avant-garde, the size of the balance wheel is definitively rooted in the nineteenth century, coming in at a full 14 mm. 

Other technical advances include the ability to set the two time zones completely independently. Generally, a dual time zone movement only allows one to adjust the hours independently. Legacy Machine 1 allows both the hours and minutes of each dial to be set to whatever time the user wishes using the independent crowns found on each side of the case. The LM1 also includes a world first: a vertical power reserve indicator driven by an ultra-flat differential with ceramic ball bearings.

At 44 mm in diameter, the 18-karat red or white gold case is not exactly classic wristwatch proportion, but then again 140 years ago, this would have been a pocket watch. Nonetheless, it will absolutely appeal to the aficionado of today.

 

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