Dear friends of IWS, here we are talking today about the watch, or rather, to be more precise, the “Machine”, as it was baptized by its creator Max Büsser, who won the much coveted “Aiguille d’Or “of the GPHG 2022 (if you want to find out all the winners, I invite you to read our dedicated article).
Without a doubt one of the craziest watches presented during 2022, this MB&F Legacy Machine Sequential EVO is the fruit of the creative genius of one of the independent Maison I fell madly in love with: MB&F.
Something I want to underline is the fact that this “Machine”, developed by Max Büsser and Stephen McDonnell, contains within it the twentieth caliber created by the brand in just 17 years.
The chronograph according to MB&F
Wow !! This is what I thought (and I think many of you too), as soon as I saw for the first time this umpteenth work of art signed by MB&F.
For MB&F’s lovers, the Leagacy Machine Sequential EVO represents, without shadow of a doubt, a much appreciated novelty but, above all, one that we never expected.
But if we take a step back, before the creation of this crazy chronograph, Maximilian Büsser never said that MB&F would never design a chronograph, instead, that MB&F would never design a conventional chronograph.
From Büsser’s words, therefore, we should have expected something “unconventional” from the Maison, in full respect of its own philosophy.
Max Büsser had also said that when it came time to create a chronograph, it would certainly not be something ordinary or “already seen” … Infact, it did not.
After 17 years of watchmaking creations by the Maison we can therefore welcome MB & F’s “unconventional chronograph”, the Leagacy Machine Sequential EVO, a watch that fully represents the philosophy contained within each of their timepieces and ready to challenge the limits. traditional chronographs.
To confirm this we find, in fact, inside this Legacy Machine, not one but two chronographs with column wheel and a revolutionary “Twinverter” binary switch.
Conceaving the Leagacy Machine Sequential EVO
The Twinverter, the innovative chronograph button featured on the Leagacy Machine Sequential EVO conceived by the brilliant mind of Stephen McDonnell, may seem like a whole new idea, and in many ways it is. However, the history of the chronograph teaches us that the roots of this concept go back to the earliest chronograph systems.
But how was the Legacy Machine Sequential EVO born?
In 2016, Maximilian Büsser started talking to Stephen McDonnell about the possibility of a successor to the 2015 Legacy Machine Perpetual that could embody a complication never before developed by MB&F: the chronograph.
On that occasion Stephen limited himself: “I have an idea.”
Stephen’s study took root from the fact that most modern chronographs were unable to adequately do the job for which they were designed.
At that point he immediately thought of something as revolutionary as the combined chronograph lever to ensure that, for example, race events were measured with the utmost precision through a manually operated mechanical chronograph.
To crown Stephen McDonnell’s ideal chronograph, which enhances the role of the combined start lever in historical chronograph systems, the Twinverter concept intervened.
Thanks to this system, it was possible to instantly change the chronograph’s operating mode, allowing this ancient complication to adapt to a wide variety of situations in modern daily life.
How the Legacy Machine Sequential EVO works
The LM Sequential EVO can be used as any chronograph or, thanks to its twin chronograph mechanisms, as a split-seconds chronograph.
Thanks to the new mechanical improvements made to the chronograph construction, designed and implemented by Stephen McDonnell, the LM Sequential EVO model boasts, in terms of energy efficiency and precision, better performance than both conventional and split-seconds chronographs.
Each of the chronograph displays on the dial can be started, stopped and reset completely independently of the other, using the start / stop and reset buttons (as in traditional chronographs) on the corresponding sides of the case.
In addition to the four “traditional” chronograph buttons, we also find the fifth and innovative button, located at 9 o’clock: the “Twinverter”.
This is the button that represents the uniqueness of the LM Sequential EVO and that elevates its functionality above any existing wrist chronograph. Capable of controlling both chronograph systems, this button acts as a binary switch that reverses the start and stop status of each chronograph.
This means that if both chronograph displays stop (in zero position or other position), pressing the Twinverter both will start at the same time.
If both are running, the Twinverter causes them to stop.
If one is running and the other is stopped, the Twinverter stops the running one and starts the stopped one.
But that is not all!!
In fact, thanks to the toggle function of the Twinverter, the LM Sequential EVO is able to do things that no wrist chronograph, however complicated, has ever been able to do.
To give some examples, among the different functions we find the “independent mode” thanks to which it is possible to measure the duration of several events with a different start and end point, even when these events overlap over time.
If you love cooking and like to try your hand behind the stove, the “independent mode” can be used during the preparation of a meal, in which the various dishes require different cooking times, at different times. Specifically, one of the two chronographs could be started when the pasta is thrown into boiling water and the other when the vegetables are put into the oven.
A second option is represented by the “simultaneous mode”, able to measure the individual duration of two events that start at the same time but end at different times. This second mode is used, for example, during a race in which the two competitors start simultaneously.
In this situation, the Twinverter allows both chronographs to be started at exactly the same time and, simultaneously, to easily record the different end moments by pressing the single start / stop button of each chronograph.
A third mode is given by the “sequential” which is perfectly suited to competitive sports: it can in fact be used to measure individual lap times.
Starting a chronograph at the start of an event and using the Twinverter at the end of a lap immediately activates the second chronograph to time the next lap. Meanwhile, the first chronograph is stopped, allowing ample time to note the result.
We can therefore say that, unlike other chronographs designed for highly specific and sport-oriented situations, the LM Sequential EVO is designed to respond to the needs of daily life and adapt to multiple contexts.
The dial of the Leagacy Machine Sequential EVO
The LM Sequential EVO dial, available in bright orange or carbon black, features two displays dedicated to the two chronographs.
On the first, the seconds display is at 9 o’clock and the minutes display at 11 o’clock.
On the second, the display of the seconds is at 3 o’clock and that of the minutes at 1 o’clock.
The dial indicating the time is instead positioned at 6 o’clock.
As in all MB&F’s Legacy Machines, the distinctive feature is given by the central oscillating balance wheel positioned in the upper part of the dial, able to make me enchanted every time I admire it.
The case of the Leagacy Machine Sequential EVO
Made of zirconium, the robust and versatile 44mm diameter case is the icing on the cake in terms of design. Lighter than stainless steel and stronger than titanium, zirconium is a silver-gray metal renowned for its deep luster.
The bezel-less design enhances the movement of the watch allowing you to admire the masterpiece conceived and created by Stephen McDonnell in its entirety. In the LM Sequential EVO, the iconic sapphire crystal dome that characterizes the LM collection has been modified and adapted to make room for the suspended balance wheel.
To protect against impacts along the vertical and lateral axes, we find the FlexRing annular shock absorber.
Through the sapphire crystal caseback it is possible to admire the back of the splendid movement of the LM Sequential EVO enclosed in a case with a thickness of 18.2 mm.
Thanks to the screw-down winding crown on the case at 3 o’clock, the watch has a guaranteed water resistance up to 80 meters (attention, however, this does not mean that you can venture up to this depth, in this regard I invite you to read our water resistance guide for watches).
To complete the design of the case we find an integrated rubber strap (anthracite gray in the version with an orange dial; white in the version with a carbon black dial) with a titanium folding buckle.
Movement of the Leagacy Machine Sequential EVO
The manual winding movement with double spring that animates the watch is equipped with a double chronograph system developed for MB&F by Stephen McDonnell and equipped with the Twinverter switch that allows different measurement modes.
The power reserve is guaranteed for approximately 72 hours.
As for the caliber finishes, we find rounded internal corners that enhance the work of craftsmanship; polished bevels; Geneva waves; hand-made engravings, bridges with black NAC treatment.
Final take
Although it has been presented for a few months, every time I look at this crazy Machines by MB&F I am amazed like the first time.
Created by a Maison that from the beginning has made innovation, without forgetting tradition, its leitmotif, this latest work of art by Max Büsser is one of those watches that, as I often say, is able to speak and arouse emotions.
Whether you like it or not in design, I think that anyone of us cannot help but bow before the technical skill that encloses this watch within it and, from my point of view, look forward to further innovations that, merged with the innovative design and the crazy finishes that have distinguished the Maison from 2005 to today, make our heart of “independent watchmaker lovers” beat madly.
Price
The list price of this LM Sequential EVO is CHF 160,000 (plus tax), corresponding to approximately EUR 165.00 (plus tax).
To learn more about MB&F visit their official website or dedicated section about the maison.
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