THE ART OF TURNING HEADS
The presentation of a new MB&F watch is always an event. This creation opens a new chapter in the brand’s history by combining powerful aesthetics and a mechanical achievement.
Its shape is well known. It was unveiled by MB&F with the LM FlyingT. A stunning hemispherical sapphire dome covers the surprising structure of the movement. Here, the case’s 44-mm diameter and the dome’s 22-mm height protect one of the most stupefying movement creations seen in recent times. The result of a collaboration between virtuoso watchmakers Eric Coudray and Kari Voutilainen, it has taken shape in the new Legacy Machine Thunderdome in the form of a living sculpture called the TriAx.
This regulator is equipped with three axes of revolution on different planes. These revolutions are produced at high speeds of 8, 12 and 20 seconds. It takes an architecture with a weight of nearly one gram to achieve such high revolution speeds, which consumes a great deal of energy. Various options were used to obtain efficient results. These include the combination of a Potter escapement, a hemispherical balance wheel and a helical hairspring. The manual-winding, triple-barrel movement provides a 45-hour power reserve to the caliber comprising 413 components magnified by finishings in the pure style of the19th century.
The LM Thunderdome comes in three variations. Thirty-three pieces combining a platinum case with a light blue dial with concentric guilloché in the form of a wave. Ten pieces in tantalum have been specially created to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the distributor, The Hour Glass. Five of them have a dark blue dial, while the other 5 have dials adorned with aventurine.
Price: 270’000 CHF excluding tax (platinum version) mb&f.com
By Dan Diaconu