The HMX did it in 2015, celebrating the 10th Anniversary of MB&F and the birth of the Horological Machines. And so it’s no surprise that the LMX would come this year, celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the more classically oriented pillar of the brand, the Legacy Machines.
First launched in 2011, the first Legacy Machine, the LM1, departed from the playbook established by the childhood inspired Horological Machines by going all classical, revisiting the traditional codes of watchmaking as a new collection.
While it was partly seen as a move to appeal to seasoned tastes, it was on a conceptual level meant to be the answer to the question – what would the classical watchmakers of the old era produce in their style if they were alive in the modern era with modern manufacturing abilities?
To this end, while the Legacy Machines came with round cases, enamel dials, metier d’arts decorative techniques and hand finishing, there was most certainly a slightly more playful spirit at work. You could recognize the ingredients, but these were watches that skewed from traditional forms, morphing into something new that felt like it was the right answer to the question that the collection itself posed in its conception.
Afterall, what could be more novel than raising the balance wheel of a watch, right up to the top of the movement, smack dab in the middle for all to see?
It’s been 10 years since the LM1 was first released, and the line has departed from the numerical scheme of the Horological Machines, and gone off flying into different directions.
We have no, in the lineup, the LM Perpetual (perpetual calendar), LM FlyingT (ladies driver style tourbillon), LM Thunderdome (triple axis tourbillon), and now we come full circle with the LMX.
The form of the LMX does not surprise, it combines the audacious domed crystal, and the tilted time side-dials of the FlyingT, coupled with its shape and compact case dimensions, and then it sprinkles into the mix, the signature complication of the LM1, with its two independent time subdials, with corresponding setting crowns.
It is a more open display of the underlying mechanics as well, as seen by the three large wheels that are particularly visible, with the two placed next to each winding crown, set in motion when setting the time on the corresponding time display, while the one at 6 o’clock is the common seconds’ wheel.
The balance wheel in this watch is also new. It is large at 13.4mm in diameter, and unlike a traditional screwed balance, it comes with inertia blocks that offer greater accuracy under regulation.
Lastly, of note is the new hemispherical power reserve indicator, which showcases the astounding 7 day power reserve on offer, with arched arms that move down to show the remaining power reserve in either a countdown from 7 days, or as a countdown from Monday (full power) to Sunday (no power). This power reserve indicator can also be adjusted by orientation, allowing the wearer to choose which scale they would prefer to see, by continuing to wind the battle-axe crown even after the power reserve is fully replenished.
The LMX is available in two limited launch editions, the first in 18 pieces in 18k red gold with black NAC treatment on plates and bridges, and the second in 33 pieces in grade 5 titanium with green CVD treatment on plates and bridges.