Fifteen years after the original Legacy Machine N°1 opened a new chapter for MB&F, the LM1 EVO offers a more wearable case, impressive resilience and one brilliantly simple extra use for its independent time displays.
The adage that innovation breeds excellence has once again rung true. When MB&F unveiled the original Legacy Machine N°1 in 2011, it positioned the brand proudly on the bleeding edge of independent watchmaking. One year later, the LM1 took home both the Public Prize and Best Men’s Watch Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
Fourteen years on from that success, the LM1 EVO does its predecessor proud. It preserves the striking symmetry, extraordinary three-dimensional architecture and almost magically suspended balance wheel that made the original so compelling, while introducing a smaller case, a longer power reserve and the everyday resilience of MB&F’s EVO platform.
This EVO variant now represents a highly wearable, freshly innovative take on a beloved classic – with a surprising mechanical twist.
A Familiar Machine Sharpened for Today
The MB&F LM1 EVO is immediately recognisable for its strong symmetry and, let’s face it, that enormous flying balance wheel suspended between its two independent time displays. Its six o’clock power reserve visually anchors the display with its 3-D incline, which I find really brings the piece together aesthetically.
The case has been reduced from 44mm to 42mm. It is still a substantial watch, so this is not suddenly a small watch. Nor should it be. Much of the LM1’s appeal comes from the depth and scale of its architecture, particularly beneath that towering domed sapphire crystal, which exhibits the piece’s near-peerless finishing.
The integrated rubber strap is one of the most successful visual updates. It fits flush against the case before tapering sharply towards the folding buckle, creating a much cleaner transition onto the wrist. I anticipate this will make the piece significantly more wearable, appearing to be properly designed around the case rather than a ‘sporty’ afterthought.
That practical transformation continues with a quick-release system at both the case and clasp, 80 metres of water resistance, screw-down crowns and MB&F’s ‘FlexRing’ shock protection system. Together, these changes maintain the prominent wrist presence of the piece while tangibly improving its wearability.
“In a watch filled with obvious mechanical theatre, my favourite function is the quiet one hiding in plain sight.”
Two Times, One Very Clever Trick
At the heart of the LM1 EVO remains one of the purest approaches to dual time. Each display has its own hours and minutes, allowing both to be adjusted completely independently. The second display is therefore free from the whole-hour limitations of a conventional GMT watch, making it genuinely practical when travelling between time zones requiring only half-hour or 45-minute time adjustments.
The feature I love most is the less obvious one. Because those displays are completely independent, one can be set to a chosen reference and used to read elapsed hours and minutes while the other continues telling the time.
It is not a chronograph. There is no seconds display and no instant reset – and that is hardly the point. I can already picture using it to time my international travel, keep an eye on a long lunch, or measure the supposedly quick visit to a watch boutique that somehow takes an entire afternoon.
It is such a simple extension of the dual time mechanism. In a watch filled with obvious mechanical theatre, the one that stands out to me is the quiet one hiding in plain sight. It feels clever, playful and completely at home in an MB&F.
The Balance Still Takes Centre Stage
Of course, practicality is not what will make most people stop scrolling. That honour belongs to the monumental 14mm flying balance wheel, suspended above the centre of the movement beneath a sweeping titanium bridge, something of a hallmark of MB&F.
It still appears to hover almost impossibly above the dial plate, transforming a functional part of the regulating system into the visual centre of the entire watch. The slower 2.5Hz rhythm only adds to the effect, giving each oscillation a more deliberate and easily observed cadence.
For the LM1 EVO, the flying balance is paired with a Straumann double hairspring. Two matching hairsprings are mounted in opposing directions, helping counter shifts in the centre of gravity and the lateral forces that can influence a conventional regulating system. The result is intended to improve positional accuracy and isochronism.
What I like is that none of this engineering has been hidden away. MB&F has placed it directly beneath the crystal, where the regulating organ becomes part of the spectacle. This marvel, much like the original Machine, presents mechanical watchmaking with the confidence of kinetic sculpture.
Titanium or Gold?
The grade 5 titanium edition appeals to my eye from how purely it expresses the EVO idea. Its rhodium-plated dial plate, black displays and blue hands create a cool, highly technical palette that highlights its architecture without distraction, naturally directing attention between the two displays.
Titanium also makes logical sense for a watch with this much physical presence. But is logic alone what the MB&F LM1 stands for? The rose gold variant loudly says no.
A bold green dial on the rose gold LM1 EVO exhibits Geneva waves in a completely new light by bringing depth to the polished chatons, bevelled bridges and suspended balance assembly. There is a great deal happening here, yet the underlying symmetry prevents it from becoming visually chaotic.
Limited to only 33 pieces, this will naturally be the rarer and more expressive variant – immediately demanding a second (okay, maybe third) look.
Just as Mesmerising from Behind
Turn the LM1 EVO over and the mood changes completely. The front provides the spectacle. The case back shows the discipline behind it. The dial side is open, energetic and gorgeously three dimensional. The movement side is darker and calmer, with broad NAC black bridges framing selected sections of the calibre. It is every bit as absorbing as its predecessor, only in a more traditional register.
The calibre was developed with Jean-François Mojon, while Kari Voutilainen established its aesthetics to flaunt gold chatons within polished countersinks, and Geneva waves travel across the darkened bridges.
The bevelled edges are polished, with sharply executed internal angles that provide a visible reminder of the hand finishing involved. Hand engraving completes a movement that blends nineteenth century finishing traditions with a distinctly modern presentation.
Initial Thoughts
Holistically, the LM1 EVO feels like a worthy rendition because MB&F knew what to leave alone.
The symmetry, flying balance and architectural depth remain unmistakably LM1. The changes are targeted towards the areas that make a tangible difference when the watch leaves the display box. The case is smaller, the movement runs longer, the strap integrates more naturally, and the construction is more resistant to water and shock.
While its inclined power reserve may not possess quite the same eccentric charm as the original vertical display, it suits the more purposeful EVO character.
To me, the independent elapsed time feature is the piece’s shining star. At this level of watchmaking, nobody is buying an LM1 EVO as a substitute for a stopwatch. That is exactly why the feature is so charming. It takes an already impressive dual time mechanism and gives it another use that feels intuitive, personal and unique. Simply put, it is the sort of detail that makes you smile when you explain it, then actually use it later.
References & Specifications
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| References | LM1 EVO RG (Red Gold) / LM1 EVO Ti (Titanium). Rose gold limited to 33 pieces |
| Case Dimensions | 42mm diameter × 16.8mm thickness; 52mm lug-to-lug |
| Case Material | Grade 5 titanium or 5N+ rose gold |
| Dial | Rhodium-plated dial plate (titanium); green dial plate (rose gold) with Bespoke 14mm balance wheel with four traditional regulating screws |
| Crystal | Domed sapphire crystal on the front and box sapphire crystal on the case back, both with double-sided anti-reflective coating |
| Water Resistance | 80 metres (8 ATM) |
| Movement | Three-dimensional, manually wound mechanical movement developed by MB&F with Jean-François Mojon; movement aesthetics and finishing specifications by Kari Voutilainen, beating at 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5Hz) |
| Power Reserve | 60 hours |
| Functions | Independent hours and minutes for two time zones; inclined power reserve indicator |
| Strap | Interchangeable rubber strap with matching titanium or rose gold folding buckle |