If you know anything about Maximilian Büsser, you know he doesn’t exactly do conventional. His MB&F HM4 Thunderbolt looks like a fighter jet. The HM3 is more amphibian in nature, with bulbous dials that resemble an Amazonian frog. But now, the MB&F has decided to take a step back in time to come out with the Legacy Machine No.1 (LM1).
The movement of the LM1 is where MB&F wants you to focus most of your attention. The design of the movement was conceived by master watch movement architect Jean-François Mojon and his team. He worked closely with MB&F to bring to life the idea of having a large prominent balance wheel inspired by the golden-age of pocket watches.
The most fascinating part of the watch is its balance wheel that appears right in the front, in fact it seems to float above the dial! As if that wasn’t enough eye-candy, at the bottom of the face is what’s said to be the world’s first vertical power reserve indicator, with the remaining power shown on a curved dial standing proud.
On the back of the watch, large rubies set in sunk gold chatons pop against Geneva waves that evoke the styling of an antique pocket watch. The ruby bearings are also practical: They reduce wear on the device by accommodating larger pinions and by holding more lubricating oil for the mechanism.
Available in 18 carat red and white gold, the 44mm wide and 16mm high watch sports a high domed sapphire crystal with a two sided anti-reflective coating and a sapphire caseback with anti-reflective coating on one side. As is always the case with luxury timepieces, it’s not going to be cheap. Price is $92,000. [MB&F]
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