Steely Resolve

We bid farewell to MB&F’S LM1, with a final edition in stainless steel. Nicolette Wong highlights why collectors should be clamouring to get their hands on this 18-piece limited edition

is the end of an era. MB&F has written the final chapter in its Legacy Machine No 1 (LM1) series, which had caused quite the stir when it hit the horological shelves back in 2011. The LM1 was the beginning of the Legacy Machine anthology, which then represented a radical departure for the brand. Now, however, the tome that started it all is reaching its terminus. And naturally, MB&F cannot help but introduce a new twist to the plot. The LM1 Final Edition, as the brand has chosen to call it, is the first and last LM1 to be produced in stainless steel. Given that the vast majority of MB&F’S watches are crafted from precious metals, the decision to end one of its landmark collections in steel seems like an odd one; although this being MB&F, the move is evidently judicious. It fronts a rich chocolate-brown dial that contrasts beautifully against white-lacquered time displays and the polished steel case. The smooth polish is also echoed on the rounded V-shaped balance bridge—previous models of the LM1 used a more angular bridge with a brushed finish. Otherwise, the Final Edition remains true to its predecessors, with the same exceptional movement and proportions (44mm in diameter and 16mm in thickness). The watch’s characteristic vertical power reserve indicator rests at 6 o’clock. For MB&F, considered in some ways the enfant terrible of the watch world, the comparatively classic countenance of the Legacy Machine collection presented a deviation from the audacious aesthetics of the brand’s earlier Horological Machines. Given that the usual reaction to a new MB&F is shock, the controversy of the LM1 lay in its lack thereof. However, there is a method to founder Maximilian Büsser’s madness. It is no secret that the Legacy Machine series originated from Büsser’s personal thought experiment: what would an MB&F Horological Machine look like if it had been designed in the 19th century? The answer was the LM1, a piece that pays tribute to the best of traditional watchmaking. If the Horological Machines were glimpses into the fantastic future of timekeeping, the Legacy Machines served as peeks into the past. Büsser provided the playful MB&F slant; the movement was designed by master movement architect Jean-françois Mojon, and then made and finished in the workshops of Kari Voutilainen, yet another vaunted name in the watch industry. The LM1 was, for some, “the first MB&F I actually want to wear”—the brand’s timepieces have always been respected for their impeccable craftsmanship, but also regarded as unpalatable for those with more conservative tastes. The LM1 and the ensuing Legacy Machine series changed the watch world’s perception of MB&F. The decision to craft the LM1 Final Edition in steel is a tactical move by MB&F, which has only used the material once before for the LM101 in a collaboration with American watch blog Hodinkee. Some luxury watch brands shy away from the use of steel, because of its perception as a less valuable material that can sully their good name. However, this is only a real problem if the perceived value of the watch diminishes with the value of the materials used—not a problem for MB&F, which is famous for its fine hand-finishing and top-notch mechanics. With the LM1 Final Edition in steel, you are still getting a beautifully crafted MB&F, one with “everyday” aesthetics that you can actually wear every day. Plus, the rarity of such a piece only adds to its value—there are 18 pieces of the LM1 Final Edition available in steel. For people who have long wished to get their hands on an LM1, the Final Edition might be quite the cliffhanger. But as the adage goes, always leave them wanting more.