Some watches age. The best ones evolve. The new MB&F LM1 EVO brings back the watch that launched the entire Legacy Machine collection, and this time it’s built to leave the safe. It is smaller, tougher and longer-running. Crucially, it keeps everything that made the 2011 original an instant modern classic.
How the Legacy Machine Changed MB&F
Max Büsser founded MB&F in 2005. Its early years belonged to the Horological Machines, wild sci-fi creations that looked more like spacecraft than wristwatches. Then, in 2011, came a curveball: a round watch.
Legacy Machine N°1 started as a thought experiment. What would Büsser have built had he been born a century earlier, inspired by pocket watches and Jules Verne instead of fighter jets? The answer was classical in spirit, yet unmistakably MB&F. A giant 14mm balance wheel hovered above two independently set time displays, while a vertical power reserve indicator rose from the movement. The calibre was developed with Jean-François Mojon, with finishing specified by Kari Voutilainen. In 2012, it took home both the Public Prize and the Best Men’s Watch Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
The LM1 bowed out in 2017, but its DNA spread fast. The LM2, LM101, LM Perpetual, LM Split Escapement, LM Thunderdome, LM FlyingT and LM Sequential all followed. From 2020, MB&F began giving its Legacy Machines the EVO treatment: sportier cases, more water resistance and serious shock protection. The LM1 is the last of the big names to get it.
A Smaller, Tougher Case
The headline change is size. The original LM1 measured 44mm. The LM1 EVO comes in at 42mm across and 52mm lug-to-lug, a far better fit for today’s tastes. At 16.8mm thick, it’s marginally taller than before, though much of that height is the dramatically domed sapphire crystal.
That case now packs the full EVO toolkit. Two screw-down crowns help secure 80m of water resistance. MB&F’s patented FlexRing, a dampener between case and movement, absorbs shocks. And for the first time on an EVO, the integrated rubber straps are quick-release at both the case and the clasp. No tools, no fuss.
Inside the Movement
The manually wound calibre has been thoroughly revised. Power reserve jumps from 45 to 60 hours, displayed on a new inclined gauge at 6 o’clock instead of the original vertical indicator. The slow-beating 2.5Hz balance now uses a Straumann double hairspring for improved accuracy and isochronism.
Finishing remains superb. Expect gold chatons with polished countersinks, Geneva waves, polished bevels and hand-crafted internal angles. Dark-treated bridges give the movement a sportier, more contemporary look.
Titanium or Rose Gold
The LM1 EVO launches in two versions. The grade 5 titanium model pairs a rhodium-plated dial plate with black sub-dials and blue luminous hands. It is not limited and costs CHF 82,000 (EUR 89,000). The 18k rose gold edition features a rich green dial plate and is limited to 33 pieces, priced at CHF 102,000 (EUR 111,000). Both prices exclude VAT.
Our Take: A Legend Finally Made for the Wrist
Shrinking the LM1 was the right call. At 42mm, this icon finally feels wearable every day, and the titanium version is the one we’d reach for. It’s light, crisp and sporty, with a cool silver-and-blue palette that looks fantastic on the wrist. The rose gold edition plays a different role. It’s the more luxurious choice, and that deep green dial plate against warm gold is a seriously handsome combination. Either way, MB&F has proven that its most poetic design doesn’t need to stay behind glass.