Because I’m quite late to the game, I thought rather than just post yet another review of the MB&F LM2, I’d show you the original LM1 and LM2 side by side.
But before I start I would like to apologize for the sub-par quality of photos in this post (not that I’m a fantastic photographer to begin with!). The room I shot these in was very dimly lit, and I only had one external flash on me.
The Legacy Machine concept is an interesting one. Max Büsser, better known for his quirky and completely out there “Horological Machines”, tried to imagine what it would be like if he was born 100 years ago and made watches back then. The result was the Legacy Machine 1 or LM1, MB&F’s most “classical” watch to date; though there’s nothing mundane about it. Drawing inspiration from the works of horological masters like A.L. Breguet and architectural monuments like the Eiffel Tower, the result was a watch that bore certain historical traits like blued hands and traditional movement finishing and decoration in a very contemporary, three-dimensional package.
The LM1 features a symmetrical design with two dials that are independently set to provide two time zones. But the most outstanding and eye-catching details are the arched bridge with the central balance wheel floating above the two dials, and the vertical power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock.
Fast-forward to the LM2 and you have a watch that inherently share a lot in common with its award-winning predecessor (some would even argue too much), but it’s a different watch entirely. Yes, you have the same round case, the same domed sapphire, the white dial and blued hands, the floating balance wheel(s), yet when you put the LM1 and LM2 side by side, the differences become ever more apparent.
The LM2 has a single dial at the 12 o’clock position, with the show-stopping feature being the dual floating balance wheels and the visible differential used to transmit the average rate between the two to a single gear train.
To my eyes, the LM2 almost looks like an “inversed” LM1, where the two balance wheels replace the two dials of the LM1, and the dial takes the place of the original’s suspended balance wheel. You still have the same harmony and balance as the LM1 but in an even more remarkable form. With the raised differential and the even more domed sapphire crystal, the LM2 is a worthy 2nd chapter in the Legacy series.
The movements also share much in common aesthetically with their traditional finish of Côtes de Genève stripes and gold chatons, but with the LM2 you have a lot more symmetry reflecting the duality of the front.
With either Legacy Machine, you get a watch that is as visually seductive as it is technically impressive. For the discerning collector, I think it’s safe to say that the LM1 and LM2 different enough to own both.
More information on www.mbandf.com
