New Watch! • 14 Feb 2023
MB&F Launches the Legacy Machine N°2 in Palladium
To celebrate 10 years since the launch of Legacy Machine N° 2, MB&F has crafted this beacon of innovative horology in a precious metal case. Presenting the LM2 in a new palladium case featuring a new aquamarine sunray dial, limited to 18 pieces.
Contemporary Reinterpretations of Traditional Horology
MB&F’s Legacy Machines are Maximilian Büsser homage to traditional horology, imagining the timepieces he might create if he had been born a century earlier. The resulting watches are contemporary reinterpretations of significant horological inventions by the greatest watchmakers in history.
The Legacy Machine N°2 is defined by its movement, which spans both sides of the watch. While its round shape may appear similar to a traditional round watch, the LM2 has a highly three-dimensional construction. At first glance, what appears to be the main dial is, in fact, the top plate of the movement. Slightly raised above this surface is the hour-minute sub-dial, of pure white stretched lacquer, contrasting against bright blued hands that are slightly curved to follow the convex surface. The rest of the dial side shows the ingenious double regulator system with two flying balances with Breguet overcoils linked by the differential.
When it was first launched in 2013, the Legacy Machine N°2 was one of the most forward-looking expressions of traditional mechanical watchmaking in the market. Yet its main feature, the dual flying balances suspended above the dial from four gracefully arched arms, actually traces its lineage back over 250 years, and links three of the greatest watchmakers of Abraham-Louis Breguet, Ferdinand Berthoud, and Antide Janvier. The double regulator would be revisited by one of the most notable watchmakers alive today, Philippe Dufour, in his Duality – the first wristwatch featuring two balances linked by a differential, and one of the inspirations for the LM2.
Exceptional From Conception to Finish
The movement of Legacy Machine No.2 was developed to MB&F’s specifications by award-winning watchmaker Jean-François Mojon (Best Watchmaker at the 2010 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève) and his team at Chronode. Acclaimed independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen ensured that the movement’s aesthetic style was consistent with high-quality traditional timepieces of the 19th century and for specifying the superlative hand-finishing.
Immaculate Geneva waves, gold chatons, mirror-polished bevels and bridges designed with deliberate internal bevelled angles showcase the movement’s exceptional finishing. The new Palladium edition offers a new NAC finish, its deep anthracite colour give even more character to the LM2. Consistent with MB&F’s spirit of transparency, the names of the two men responsible for the movement are hand engraved on the back.