MB&F extends its Legacy Machine Perpetual line with the new LM Perpetual EVO – a new Machine designed for all avtivity. In spirit, the LM Perpetual EVO marks an evolution at MB&F. This is not a watch for sports, it is a watch for life.

MB&F LM Perpetual EVO

Press Release info with commentary in italics.

The 3 limited editions of 15 pieces each – celebrating MB&F’s 15th anniversary – retail for SGD 233,500 inclusive of GST or CHF 152,000 + VAT (USD 167,000 / EUR 142,000 + tax).

Commentary

This is a special edition of the Legacy Machine Perpetual, which we reviewed in detailed here:

MB&F LM Perpetual Calendar

While the base perpetual calendar remains the same, as the Stephen McDonnell design is already close to the state of the art, the new LM Perpetual EVO is not just a cosmetic exercise. The watch has to be equipped to take on the challenges that life can throw at it.

The movement is fortified by a stainless steel shock absorber which MB&F calls the “FlexRing”. The specially developed “FlexRing”  protects the perpetual calendar movement, making it the most robust MB&F timepiece yet. This “FlexRing” is fitted between the case and movement, and provides shock protection for both vertical and lateral disturbances. MB&F describes it as a specially machined steel ring which is able to flex and absorb the shocks. This is like and yet unlike the elastomer absorbers which we have seen in other sporty watches like the Glashütte Original Sport Evolution series. The series used an elastomer shock absorption system between the movement and case, and was introduced back in 2008. It included a tourbillon, a panorama date dive watch (20ATM) and a chronograph, but no perpetual calendar. The series is now discontinued.

 

The case is also made sleeker, and in a high performance zirconium which is known to be very resistant to corrosion. It is also endowed with a screw down crown, and gaskets to protect against water ingress, as it is rated to 8 ATM, a big jump up from 3 ATM in the standard LM Perpetual. The pushers on the case side are also made larger and feature double springs to make it easier to activate.

These new features allow the watch to be worn in daily life activities, unlike most perpetual calendars which are typically too fragile for more sporty activities. 

This turn is extremely interesting – and we think it is quite remarkable that MB&F is able to propose a sporty watch with a perpetual calendar. We are looking forward to handling and photographing the watch and to see the it in action. How the traditionally fragile perpetual calendar can be used for a daily active life. The press photographs we show here depict the environment where the LM Perpetual EVO is just about anywhere the owner decides to take his life to. 

Press release

Over the past 15 years, MB&F creations have transported their wearers to destinations that exist only on maps of the imagination: from star-cruisers to deep-sea jellyfish, Maximilian Büsser’s Machines are the mechanical cartographers of the multiverse.

But the greatest journey has yet to be undertaken, and true progress is marked by evolution. Presenting Legacy Machine Perpetual EVO: with this new Machine, you are the navigator; the map is your life. On this journey, you’ll never have to leave your watch behind.

A 44mm case in zirconium, a lustrous silvery-grey metal with material properties surpassing stainless steel and titanium. A new case profile that emphasises openness and extreme clarity. A specially developed monobloc shock-absorbing system – “FlexRing” – that makes for the most robust Machine ever to emerge from MB&F. The LM Perpetual Engine, designed by Stephen McDonnell, an award-winning perpetual calendar that replaces traditional constructions with an innovative mechanical processor. Three options of PVD/CVD dial-plate colour, including — for the first time in a high-end piece of Swiss watchmaking — atomic orange. And a closely-fitted, integrated strap for the smoothest wearing experience of any MB&F Machine ever.

The MB&F collection has welcomed several complications and horologically prestigious mechanisms over the past 15 years, including the record-smashing TriAx that debuted in 2019’s Legacy Machine Thunderdome. In terms of combining prestige, tradition and innovation, however, Legacy Machine Perpetual has remained at the apex of MB&F watchmaking savoir-faire since it was introduced five years ago. With a new case of zirconium — lighter than steel and more durable than titanium — the LM Perpetual Engine gains a new level of liberation. Those already familiar with MB&F’s affinity for material experimentation will know how rare it is to see zirconium used in watchmaking. Zirconium is known to spontaneously ignite in powdered form, making it highly dangerous to machine. Balancing out the risk incurred during the manufacturing process however, are the hypoallergenic and anti-microbial properties of zirconium, qualities which make it popular in biomedical applications and the perfect material for an active-lifestyle watch.

Although the 44mm diameter is unchanged from its 2015 iteration, the new EVO case design features a no-bezel construction, with the domed sapphire crystal fused directly to the case. The increased openness of this design highlights the equilibrium between the legibility of LM Perpetual EVO’s calendar indications and the cinematic play of the engine components — surmounted by the iconic MB&F hovering balance wheel. This expansive new presentation of the LM Perpetual Engine was no simple design reconfiguration. New geometries for the sapphire crystal had to be calculated, achieving the mechanically opposing aims of maintaining structural strength and decreasing its height-to-diameter ratio. Freeing LM Perpetual EVO from the bezel also necessitated the use of a sophisticated thermal bonding system between the sapphire crystal and the zirconium case.

The previously circular pushers for adjusting the perpetual calendar have been enlarged into double-sprung oblong actuators, boosting the tactile comfort and ease of adjustment. For the first time in any MB&F creation, the LM Perpetual EVO is rated at 80m of water resistance, enabled by its screw-down crown. A small, but essential, detail of implementing a screw-down crown is the débrayage of the winding stem, disengaging the crown from the winding mechanism when it is pushed in and tightened, which eliminates the chance of manually over-winding the mainspring barrel.

An additional new element of the LM Perpetual EVO is the FlexRing: an annular dampener fitted between case and movement, providing shock protection along the vertical and lateral axes. Machined from a single block of stainless steel, the dampener imparts exceptional robustness to the perpetual calendar, a function that is associated with classicism and elegance, but is arguably the most pragmatic and utilitarian of all the high complications.

When Stephen McDonnell set out to redesign the perpetual calendar for MB&F, he proposed a system that rethought the entire mechanical basis of the complication. The LM Perpetual uses a “mechanical processor” consisting of a series of superimposed disks. This revolutionary processor takes the default number of days in the month at 28 — because, logically, all months have at least 28 days — and then adds the extra days as required by each individual month. This ensures that each month has exactly the right number of days, and removes the possibility of the date jumping incorrectly. An inbuilt safety feature disconnects the quickset pushers during the date changeover, so that even if the pushers are accidentally actuated whilst the date is changing, there is no risk of damage to the movement.

Reinforcing the dynamism and durability of the LM Perpetual EVO is a new dial plate colour — a shade of orange that is as bright as it is difficult to achieve. Although dark shades of PVD and CVD coating have been used for years in watchmaking, with colours towards the cooler end of the visible light spectrum becoming more common recently, warmer hues such as yellow, orange and red have always remained unattainable. A combination of technical innovations in the areas of coating material and coating technique allows the LM Perpetual EVO to don this atomic shade, bringing the next level of horological heat to your wrist. Two other dial-plate colours, black and blue are also available, with each of the three shades produced in a limited series of 15 pieces – celebrating the brand’s 15th anniversary.

In design, in technique, in spirit, Legacy Machine Perpetual EVO is an evolution of your story with MB&F.
The LM Perpetual EVO is not a watch for sports. It is a watch for life.

MB&F LM Perpetual Technical Specifications

Legacy Machine Perpetual EVO is available in three variations of 15 pieces each:
Zirconium case with orange CVD dial plate
Zirconium case with blue CVD dial plate
Zirconium case with black PVD dial plate

Engine
Fully integrated perpetual calendar developed for MB&F by Stephen McDonnell, featuring dial-side complication and mechanical processor system architecture with inbuilt safety mechanism. Manual winding with double mainspring barrels. Bespoke 14 mm balance wheel with traditional regulating screws visible on top of the movement. Superlative hand finishing throughout respecting 19th century style; internal bevel angles highlighting hand craft; polished bevels; Geneva waves; hand-made engravings.
Galvanic black dials with both SLN numerals and hands (except for the leap year and power reserve)
FlexRing: an annular dampener fitted between case and movement, providing shock protection along the vertical and lateral axes.
Screw down crown
Power reserve: 72 hours
Balance frequency: 18,000bph / 2.5Hz
Number of components: 581
Number of jewels: 41

Functions/indications
Hours, minutes, day, date, month, retrograde leap year and power reserve indicators

Case
Material: Zirconium
Dimensions: 44 mm x 17.5 mm
Number of components: 70
Water resistance: 80m / 8 ATM / 270 feet

Sapphire crystals
Sapphire crystals on top and display back treated with anti-reflective coating on both faces

Strap & buckle
Rubber strap with titanium folding buckle.