MB&F

Maximilian Büsser, founder and CEO of MB&F, explained the concept of the Legacy Machine (LM) collection as if it were his brand's watches that were created a hundred years ago, at the beginning of the 20th century. Unlike the original MB&F flagship collection Horological Machine (HM), the LM watches therefore have a round case shape, as is common in pocket watches, and an exposed balance wheel on the dial side, similar to those used by some creative watchmakers in the 19th century. The first Legacy Machine No.1 (LM1) was launched in 2011, followed by the LM2, which was introduced in 2013. In these watches, as with most LMs, the escapement parts are located on the dial side of the movement. The technical story of the Legacy Machine Split Escapement (LM Split Escapement) began in 2015 with another adventure – the development of the LM Perpetual watch by watchmaker and inventor Stephen McDonnell, who is one of the friends of Maximilian Büsser, the founder of MB&F (should be read as Maximilian Büsser and Friends). Following the concept of the Legacy Machine collection, McDonnell had to place the balance wheel at the top of the dial when developing the perpetual calendar. However, he realized that there was no room for the parts of the escapement, as the numerous parts of the perpetual calendar led to a cramped situation on the dial side. So he decided to use the very long balance staff to place the escapement on the back of the movement. As MB&F notes, this brilliant technical solution was overshadowed by the outstanding technical features of Stephen McDonnell’s perpetual calendar. To honor this invention, a special design was developed in which the balance wheel floats above the dial and the escapement sits on the back of the movement. Stephen McDonnell and MB&F finally implemented this design in the LM Split Escapement in 2017. In addition to the split escapement, this watch also inherited the (non-perpetual) date and power reserve display from the LM Perpetual.

This MB&F Legacy Machine Split Escapement in titanium with green dial is a great opportunity to own a rare watch from the latest LM Split Escapement titanium edition, which was limited to just 33 pieces. With its unique and spectacular design and the superb and intricate finishing of the case, dial and hand-wound caliber, the watch represents the best that MB&F has to offer. The very rare design, where the exposed balance wheel sits alone on the dial and floats above it, with no obvious connection to the movement, gives the watch a mysterious appearance. The Legacy Machine Split Escapement is the brainchild of Maximilian Büsser, a visionary of the modern watch industry, and Stephen McDonnell, a watchmaker and inventor who collaborates with MB&F and has also developed the LM Perpetual and LM Sequential watches for the brand.