When the horological concept laboratory MB&F (Maximilian Büsser & Friends) created the 2015 Legacy Machine Perpetual, designer Stephen McDonnell innovated the world’s longest balance staff for the model. This would traverse the movement, accommodating the brand’s large, signature flying balance wheel on one side of it, while placing the rest of the escapement on the other. In 2017, MB&F released the LM Split Escapement to celebrate McDonnell’s inventive idea.

Now, the brand is releasing two versions of the LM Split Escapement EVO, with the 2020 EVO case. Both have a bezel-free design that enhances the pop of their 3D faces, with sub-dials and hands that have the appearance of being suspended in the air. Decorative waves on each face are juxtaposed with these hands and sub-dials, creating the impression of entities interacting with water, just as the watches are themselves capable of doing. This is because the EVO case is suitable for an active lifestyle, with screw-down crown seals that contribute to its 80m water resistance, as well as its monobloc shock-absorbing “FlexRing” system, which greatly assuages vertical and lateral shocks. These watches also feature a foolproof rapid date-changing system that uses a push button next to the date dial for easy adjustment, and have a 72-hour power reserve.

The first edition comes in Grade 5 titanium with an icy blue base plate, a slate grey dial and opened counters. A heightened contrast on the movement side between the wheels, the rhodium-plated barrels and the rose-gold details represents the contrast between the active, contemporary nature of the EVO collection and the traditional finishing of the movement. This nods to the Legacy Machine collection as a whole, which pays tribute to the greatest innovators in 19th-century watchmaking through reinterpretations of their designs into artistic pieces.

The second version is the Beverly Hills edition. Limited to 25 pieces, they have been reserved exclusively for MB&F LABs. Similar to the brand’s M.A.D. Galleries, which display its timepieces alongside 3D kinetic artworks, these are smaller spaces being opened in Paris, Singapore and Beverly Hills. This edition has been inspired by the blue and black corporate colours of the American watch retailer Westime, which is managing the Beverly Hills MB&F LAB on Los Angeles’ Rodeo Drive. 

mbandf.com