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Add Texture to GoogleAn MB&F watch was never meant to go unnoticed. With its suspended balance wheel, two independent hour dials, and mechanical architecture displayed like a miniature stage, the Legacy Machine 1 has always made a bold physical statement. The LM1 EVO does not seek to tone down this personality. Rather, it tackles the question posed by such unique timepieces: how can they actually be worn—away from the display case—without treating them like fragile objects?
This reappearance marks a significant moment in the collection’s recent history. No LM1 had been launched since 2017. MB&F is now reviving this dual-time-zone machine by introducing it into the EVO family, designed for less formal use. The result retains the original piece’s exuberant design while refining its proportions, water resistance, shock-absorption system, and bracelet. A pragmatic evolution, without sacrificing the spectacle of watchmaking.
A more understated presence, but by no means unremarkable
The most immediately noticeable change is to the case. Its diameter has been reduced from 44 to 42 mm, with a thickness of 16.8 mm. On paper, the difference seems modest; on the wrist, it redefines the balance of a watch whose very vertical construction is dominated by the large regulating organ. This reduction also broadens its scope: the LM1 EVO retains its silhouette as a timepiece, but moves slightly away from the notion of a watch reserved for the most assertive wrists.
Two versions are available. The titanium version naturally extends the EVO concept: lightweight metal, a technical aesthetic, a silvery dial, and a gray bracelet. The other, crafted in 5N+ red gold, takes on a more substantial character. Its green dial plate, accented with rose gold-colored details, lends the watch a more dramatic depth without compromising its functionality. In both cases, the black hour markers provide a sharp contrast to the rest of the design.
The design remains instantly recognizable. The two off-center dials each display hours and minutes, while the balance wheel occupies the space above them. This layout does not aim for discretion: it guides the eye toward the mechanics and places the complication front and center. Yet behind this almost sculptural appearance lies a very practical purpose. Each time display can be adjusted separately using two crowns. The LM1 EVO thus allows for the simultaneous display of two time zones, even when the difference from universal time is 30 or 45 minutes—not just whole hours.
Mechanics Put to the Test of Everyday Life
The real focus of this evolution, however, is not simply the diameter or the color of the dial. MB&F has integrated its FlexRing system into the case, designed to protect the movement from jolts and shocks. This shock-absorbing architecture serves a very specific purpose: to give a watch—whose visual complexity might suggest it requires constant care—greater freedom of movement.
Water resistance has also been increased from 30 to 80 meters, or 8 bars. The LM1 EVO does not change categories to become a diving instrument, but this improvement alters its resilience to everyday hazards: heavy rain, unexpected movements, and less careful use. The screw-down crowns contribute to this evolution, while preserving the watch’s distinctive functionality, in which each hour dial has its own adjustment mechanism.
The strap reflects the same design philosophy. Gone is the exotic leather associated with the first LM1: the new versions come with rubber straps—black for red gold and gray for titanium. The quick-change mechanism ensures that the strap is not a permanent choice. The owner can change the watch’s look without a lengthy process or special tools, depending on the occasion or outfit. The folding clasps match the case material—titanium or rose gold.
This shift toward a more versatile watch is interesting because it does not transform the LM1 into a conventional sports watch. Its case remains generously sized, its 14-mm balance wheel remains exposed, and its construction in no way attempts to mimic the design codes of a tool watch. The EVO is not a simplified Legacy Machine: it is a Legacy Machine that has been given concrete reasons to leave its case more often.
Sixty hours and two opposing balance springs
The hand-wound caliber has also undergone adjustments that go beyond mere cosmetic changes. Its power reserve now reaches 60 hours, up from 45 hours previously. This is a significant improvement for a hand-wound watch, especially since MB&F has retained a dedicated power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock. The indicator has abandoned its previous straight-line design in favor of a semicircular scale inspired by a speedometer. This detail is consistent with the EVO spirit, but above all, it is a welcome addition: in a manual-winding movement, the power reserve is not merely decorative; it informs the wearer of the next action to take.
The centerpiece of this mechanical spectacle—the large balance wheel positioned on the dial side—features a new hairspring. MB&F has adopted a Straumann double hairspring, a rare configuration in which two springs are mounted on the same balance wheel and arranged in opposite directions. Their opposing directions are designed to offset their respective deviations in order to improve isochronism—that is, the regularity of the regulating organ’s operation over time.
This 14-mm balance wheel beats at 18,000 vibrations per hour, or 2.5 Hz. Its relatively slow frequency makes its movement particularly easy to read—almost hypnotic—through the crystal. Once again, the LM1 EVO does not hide what defines its identity. It displays the time-regulating element above the two local times shown below, as if the movement were the visible framework of the travel function.
Two expressions of the same machine
Titanium and red gold are not merely price-based variants here. The titanium version combines a rhodium-plated mainplate with black counters, blue hands, and finishes that alternate between circular and spiral brushing. It gives the LM1 EVO a more industrial, almost monochromatic appearance, punctuated by the cool tones of the hands.
The red gold version takes the opposite approach. The green of the movement plate brings an intensity that the black dials channel, while the gold details establish a direct dialogue with the case. This edition will be produced in a limited run of 33 pieces. The titanium version, however, is not limited. Two distinct offerings, then: one that emphasizes the idea of a lightweight, accessible timepiece, the other that embraces the rarity of a precious metal and a bolder color combination.
This duality reflects the LM1 EVO’s positioning quite well. It does not seek to downplay luxury—particularly in its gold version—but it refuses to let that luxury translate into a fundamental fragility. In the MB&F catalog, the Legacy Machines collection has often treated mechanics as a matter of architecture and volume. This EVO retains that aesthetic while placing greater emphasis on the practicalities of wearability.
The Price of Freedom of Movement
The titanium LM1 EVO is priced at 82,000 Swiss francs before tax. The 5N+ red gold version, limited to 33 pieces, is priced at 102,000 Swiss francs before tax. These prices clearly place the watch in the realm of independent haute horlogerie creations, where the complication, finishes, and formal identity matter just as much as the material.
But perhaps the most revealing new feature is neither the green color, nor the titanium, nor even the double balance spring. It lies in this set of less spectacular decisions: 80-meter water resistance, screw-down crowns, shock absorption, a 60-hour power reserve, and interchangeable rubber straps. All these details shift the LM1 from a cautious contemplation toward a more spontaneous use, without detracting in any way from the large balance wheel, which, at the top of the dial, continues to take center stage.