Back to the future, again
In 2011, Legacy Machine N°1 opened an entirely new chapter for MB&F: a more classic, round-cased Machine inspired by the great innovators of 19th-century traditional watchmaking, yet unmistakably three-dimensional… and unmistakably MB&F. Powered by an in-house, superlatively finished calibre developed with Jean-François Mojon and Kari Voutilainen, LM1 received both the Public Prize and the Best Men’s Watch Prize in 2012 at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. Fifteen years later, the Machine that started the Legacy story returns in a new form: LM1 EVO.
The defining architecture remains immediately recognisable. Two separate dials display two completely independent time zones, while the monumental 14mm balance wheel – now combined with a Straumann® double hairspring – still appears to float above the movement at the centre of the stage. But this is no exercise in nostalgia. LM1 EVO has been re-engineered for a different kind of life: longer-running, easier to live with, and protected by the performance-driven EVO case.
The upgraded calibre extends the power reserve to 60 hours and moves its indication from the original sextant-like display to a sportier, inclined dial at 6 o’clock. The case, now 42mm in diameter (vs. the original 44mm), integrates MB&F’s FlexRing shock-absorbing system and offers 80 metres of water resistance with screw-down crowns. An interchangeable strap system completes the transformation, turning MB&F’s foundational Legacy Machine into a companion designed for active use.
Two times, with no compromise
At the heart of LM1 has always been an unusually pure approach to dual time. The two subdials are not simply two displays linked by a conventional GMT mechanism: each indicates its own hours and minutes, allowing the two time zones to be set completely independently. That means the second display is not restricted to full-hour offsets – a useful distinction in the parts of the world where local time differs by 30 or 45 minutes. Another useful application: one of the dials can also be used to measure elapsed time, while the other steadily keeps the time.
On LM1 EVO, the left and right displays retain the visual tension that made the original Machine so distinctive. The crown at 4 o’clock winds the movement and sets the right-hand time display, while the crown at 8 o’clock adjusts the second time zone on the left. The result is intuitive, symmetrical and – in true MB&F fashion – mechanically more elaborate than the apparently simple indication suggests.
60 hours, now on an inclined dial
One of the most visible evolutions is found at 6 o’clock. The original LM1 expressed its remaining energy through a dramatic vertical power-reserve indicator rising from the movement. LM1 EVO reinterprets that function as an inclined dial, integrated into the lower part of the composition and readable at a glance.
Behind it sits a new 60-hour power reserve – a substantial increase over the original LM1’s 45 hours. The movement remains manually wound, but the additional autonomy gives the Machine greater freedom away from the crown while preserving the ritual and direct mechanical connection of hand winding.
The balance still takes centre stage
The visual signature that defined Legacy Machine N°1 – and has since become an MB&F trademark – remains untouched in spirit: an oversized 14mm balance wheel suspended above the dial side, beating at a traditional 2.5 Hz / 18,000 vibrations per hour. For the new LM1 EVO editions, the regulating system has been upgraded with a Straumann® double hairspring – essentially two matching hairsprings mounted in opposing directions. A very rare configuration in watchmaking, the double hairspring cancels out the shifting centre of gravity and lateral friction on the balance staff, improving positional accuracy and isochronism. The innovative regulating system is not hidden at the back of the movement, but elevated into the foreground thanks to a redesigned bridge crafted in titanium – the regulating organ transformed into kinetic sculpture.
For LM1 EVO, the hand-finished calibre comprises 338 components and 25 jewels. The superlative traditional finishing includes gold chatons with polished countersinks, polished bevels with internal bevel angles, Geneva waves and hand-made engravings. Its architecture continues the Legacy Machine idea of taking the codes of classical watchmaking and turning them inside out: the technical elements normally reserved for the watchmaker become part of the spectacle for the wearer.
EVO: Legacy Machine, built for real life
LM1 EVO receives the key attributes of the EVO platform, already applied to other Legacy Machines: the 80 metres of water resistance, but also the FlexRing, a patented annular dampener fitted between case and movement to provide additional protection against shocks. In terms of design, the EVO models stand out through their ergonomic case design and by forgoing a traditional bezel, offering an unobstructed view of the Super-LumiNova-enhanced displays through their domed sapphire crystals. On the movement side, EVO models feature darkened treatments, amplifying their sporty, contemporary aesthetic.
LM1 EVO features integrated rubber straps that are interchangeable at both the case and clasp, making it easier to adapt the Machine to the day ahead.
Two expressions for 2026
LM1 EVO launches in two distinct interpretations. The titanium edition pairs the lightness and technical character of the EVO case with a bright, silver-toned dial-side architecture, featuring black displays and blue hands on a rhodium-plated dial plate.
The second edition places the same architecture in a 5N+ rose gold case, limited to 33 pieces. Here, a deep green dial-side surface provides the backdrop for the black displays, while rose-gold-toned details echo the warmth of the case.
