Artle - Legacy Machine 101 in White Gold

DETAILS

Maximilian Büsser, founder and CEO of MB&F, explained the concept of the Legacy Machine (LM) collection as if it were the watches of his brand that were created a hundred years ago, at the beginning of the 20th century. Unlike the original MB&F flagship Horological Machine (HM) collection, the LM watches therefore have a round case shape, common to pocket watches, and an exposed balance wheel on the dial side, similar to those used by some creative watchmakers in the 19th century. The Legacy Machine 101 (LM101), launched in 2014, is a continuation of the concept of the earlier LM1 and LM2 models. The LM101 name, which appears in place of the expected LM3, is a deliberately inconsistent Legacy Machines naming scheme introduced by Maximilian Büsser after the release of LM1 and LM2, as it reflects his desire to break with traditional expectations and create a unique story for each design. And finally, to differentiate the LMs from the HMs, which have a uniform name. While the LM1 had two captain's watch-like sub-dials for the time display and the LM2 had a movement with two balances, the LM101 had one balance, one sub-dial for the time display and another sub-dial for a power reserve indicator, which is very useful for a hand-wound watch. In addition, the LM101 is the most compact member of the collection with its 40 mm case, allowing MB&F to call the LM101 its most elegant timepiece. The LM101 is one of the most popular among the Legacy Machines and perhaps in the entire MB&F collection, although Maximilian Büsser recalled that initially, when this watch came out, no one wanted to buy it and it was their worst selling machine for many years. The situation changed when the brand released a version in palladium with a greenish-grey dial, which sold out almost immediately. And after this release, the LM101 became a highly sought-after design. This is reflected in the number of versions that have been released since 2014: 14 editions in total, nine of which are limited editions. Originally, in 2014, the Legacy Machine 101 was available in 18k white gold with a black sunburst dial (the present example) or in 18k rose gold with a silver-grey dial. In 2015, two frosted editions were released in 18k rose gold (33 pieces) and 18k yellow gold (18 pieces) as well as the LM101 Limited Edition for Hodinkee in stainless steel with a brown sunburst dial (10 pieces), which was supplemented a year later, in 2016, by a version in platinum 950 with a blue dial (33 pieces). The famous palladium version with a greenish-grey dial (18 pieces) was introduced in 2019. In 2020, the line continued in collaboration with H. Moser & Cie.: 4 limited editions LM101 MB&F x H. Moser of 15 pieces each in stainless steel were released with fumé dials in Funky Blue, Red, Cosmic Green and an Aqua Blue edition exclusively for Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons. These editions are characterized by a 'concept' design without dial markings and a fumé dial - both typical of H. Moser & Cie. and a Straumann double hairspring produced by the same brand. In 2021, the series was expanded with three new editions: in 18k white gold with a purple dial, in 18k rose gold with a dark blue dial and in stainless steel with a light blue dial, all with a Straumann double hairspring.

REASONS TO BUY

The MB&F Legacy Machine 101 White Gold Mk1 is a worthwhile purchase for the collector thanks to its unique and spectacular design and the excellent and elaborate finishing of the case, dial and hand-wound caliber. The extremely rare design, in which the balance and escapement exposed on the dial and floating above it, can be seen here. The Legacy Machine 101 is the brainchild of Maximilian Büsser, one of the leading figures in the modern industry, and the creators collaborating with MB&F, including Kari Voutilainen, who was deeply involved in the development of the Legacy Machine 101. This design has proven to be one of the most popular in the brand's collection, adding to the appeal of this example, which is one of the two original editions from 2014.

ABOUT THIS WATCH

The present example belongs to the first edition of 2014, which we refer to as Mark 1 (Mk1), as it is the original version of the caliber with a single hairspring and Breguet overcoil. Later, after 2020, the caliber was modernized with the Straumann double hairspring, a construction equivalent to the Breguet hairspring in terms of isochronism. It is important to note that the LM101 movement is the first to be developed entirely by MB&F. Visually, the LM101 is dominated by a large 14 mm balance wheel mounted under an arched bridge with an unusual 3D design for a mechanical watch. The bridge is milled from a single piece of metal and has to be painstakingly polished by hand to bring it to a mirror finish. The balance wheel, hairspring and escapement together with two white sub-dials, are mounted on the upper plate of the caliber, which has been given a sunburst finish using the Grande Colimassonage technique, making the play of reflections particularly vivid. The back of the watch reveals an exquisite movement with curved bridges decorated with Cotes de Geneve, hand-polished chamfers, gold chatons and hand-engraving. The finishing is done to a high standard, mainly thanks to the involvement of Kari Voutilainen, an independent watchmaker and one of the leading experts in the field, in the design and advice on finishing. Particularly noteworthy is the fine finish of the sharp corners, both external and especially inner - a finish that MB&F only offers on watches from the LM collection. The countersinks in the bridges around the screws and inside the gold chatons are also hand-polished. All this makes the caliber and the watch as a whole very attractive.