MB&F introduces in-house calibre in Legacy Machine 101
The Swiss maison of futuristic horological machines, MB&F, crafts another ground-breaking addition to its Legacy collection that features the first movement fully designed in-house: The Legacy Machine 101
Maximilian Büsser, the Founder and CEO of MB&F, has had a long affinity with pocket watches of the 18th and 19th centuries. This great inspiration has driven him in the creation of the Legacy Machine 101 (LM101), a classically sized 40mm wristwatch that embodies the essence of such timepiece: The balance wheel, which is responsible for regulating precision, the amount of power that remains in the mainspring, which indicates when it needs to be next wound, and of course, the time.
Visually, the LM101 is dominated by the monumental suspended balance wheel, its sedate oscillations drawing the eye ever closer. Two pristine-white subdials hover just above the fine sunray-engraved movement top plate. At the top right, highly legible hours and minutes are displayed by beautiful blued-gold hands contrasting against the immaculate white, while the 45-hour power reserve indicator is displayed in a smaller, but similar subdial below. The dials are gently domed with a translucent, high-gloss lustre created using a laque tendue process in which multiple layers of lacquer are applied and heated, causing them to stretch over the surface of the dials.
Meanwhile, the sapphire crystal protecting the dial appears to be invisible, creating the illusion that you can reach out and touch the prodigious balance wheel hanging mesmerisingly from elegant twin arches. The arches are milled from a solid block of metal and require more than five hours of hand polishing to achieve their mirror-like lustre.
While the location of LM101's oscillator may be considered avant-garde, ‘tradition’ is upheld by the large 14mm diameter balance wheel, featuring regulating screws specifically developed for MB&F, balance spring with Breguet overcoil and mobile stud holder.
Turning over the LM101, the display back crystal – domed to reduce the thickness of the caseband and, visually, the height of the watch – reveals the exquisitely hand-finished movement. Sensually curved plates and bridges pay homage to the style found in high quality historic pocket watches and testify to the respect accorded to historical legitimacy.
With its undulating Geneva waves, hand polished bevels, gold chatons and countersunk blued screws, the beauty of LM101’s movement doesn't just stay faithful to a bygone era. It also heralds the dawn of a new epoch as it is the first MB&F calibre to be entirely conceived and designed in-house.
On the back of the movement, over-sized ruby jewels set in highly-polished countersunk gold chatons provide striking visual counterpoints to the Geneva waves traversing the sensually curved bridges. While providing historical links with the large jewels seen in high-grade antique pocket watch movements, the ruby bearings have a practical application in reducing wear or increasing longevity by accommodating large diameter pinions and holding more lubricating oil.
While award-winning independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen took responsibility for the movement's fine finishing specifications and fidelity to the horological past, its architecture and construction are 100% pure MB&F.
First launched in 18 carat red or white gold, and then in two limited ‘Frost’ editions with frosted finishing, LM 101 is also available in a limited edition of 33 pieces in platinum 950, easily recognisable in its blue palette.
