MB&F Presents the LM1 EVO, Re-engineering the Legacy Machine for Modern Wear

MB&F has unveiled the latest LM1 EVO editions, revisiting the Legacy Machine N°1 fifteen years after its debut. The new creation preserves the instantly recognisable architecture and fully independent dual time zones of the original, while introducing a smaller case, a redesigned power reserve indicator and the everyday wearability of the EVO collection, now enhanced with interchangeable straps.

When the Legacy Machine N°1 appeared in 2011, it marked a decisive departure from MB&F’s avant-garde Horological Machines. Round‑cased and inspired by the great innovators of 19th-century watchmaking, the LM1 nonetheless remained unmistakably three-dimensional and carried the brand’s distinctive design codes. Its in-house calibre, developed with Jean-François Mojon and Kari Voutilainen, was finished to superlative standards. The LM1 went on to secure both the Public Prize and the Best Men’s Watch Prize at the 2012 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, cementing its place as a modern classic.

Now, fifteen years later, the Machine that began the Legacy story returns in evolved form. The defining architecture remains immediately recognisable: two separate dials display two completely independent time zones, while the monumental 14mm balance wheel, now paired with a Straumann® double hairspring, still appears to float above the movement at centre stage. Yet LM1 EVO is not a mere exercise in nostalgia. Re‑engineered for contemporary life, it is longer‑running, easier to live with and protected by the performance‑driven EVO case. 

The upgraded calibre extends the power reserve to 60 hours and relocates its indication from the original sextant‑like display to a sportier, inclined dial at 6 o’clock. The case, now 42mm in diameter (down from 44mm), integrates MB&F’s FlexRing shock‑absorbing system and offers 80 metres of water resistance with screw‑down crowns. An interchangeable strap system completes the transformation, turning MB&F’s foundational Legacy Machine into a companion designed for active use. 

For the Modern Traveller

At the heart of LM1 has always been an unusually pure approach to dual time. The two subdials are not simply two displays linked by a conventional GMT mechanism: each indicates its own hours and minutes, allowing the two time zones to be set completely independently. That means the second display is not restricted to full-hour offsets, a useful distinction in the parts of the world where local time differs by 30 or 45 minutes. Another useful application: one of the dials can also be used to measure elapsed time, while the other steadily keeps the time. On LM1 EVO, the left and right displays retain the visual tension that made the original Machine so distinctive. The crown at 4 o’clock winds the movement and sets the right-hand time display, while the crown at 8 o’clock adjusts the second time zone on the left. The result is intuitive, symmetrical and, in true MB&F fashion, mechanically more elaborate than the apparently simple indication suggests. 

Higher Power Reserve

One of the most important evolutions can be seen at 6 o’clock. The original LM1 expressed its remaining energy through a dramatic vertical power-reserve indicator rising from the movement. LM1 EVO reinterprets that function as an inclined dial, integrated into the lower part of the composition and readable at a glance. Behind it sits a new 60-hour power reserve, a substantial increase over the original LM1’s 45 hours. The movement remains manually wound, but the additional autonomy gives the Machine greater freedom away from the crown while preserving the ritual and direct mechanical connection of hand winding. 

A Balancing Act

The visual signature that defined Legacy Machine N°1 – and has since become an MB&F trademark – remains untouched in spirit: an oversized 14mm balance wheel suspended above the dial side, beating at a traditional 2.5 Hz/18,000 vibrations per hour. For the new LM1 EVO editions, the regulating system has been upgraded with a Straumann® double hairspring, essentially two matching hairsprings mounted in opposing directions. A very rare configuration in watchmaking, the double hairspring cancels out the shifting centre of gravity and lateral friction on the balance staff, improving positional accuracy and isochronism. The innovative regulating system is not hidden at the back of the movement, but elevated into the foreground thanks to a redesigned bridge crafted in titanium – the regulating organ transformed into kinetic sculpture. 

For LM1 EVO, the hand-finished calibre comprises 338 components and 25 jewels. The superlative traditional finishing includes gold chatons with polished countersinks, polished bevels with internal bevel angles, Geneva waves and hand-made engravings. Its architecture continues the Legacy Machine idea of taking the codes of classical watchmaking and turning them inside out: the technical elements normally reserved for the watchmaker become part of the spectacle for the wearer. 

Built for Real Life 

LM1 EVO receives the key attributes of the EVO platform, already applied to other Legacy Machines: not only the 80 metres of water resistance, but also the FlexRing, a patented annular dampener fitted between case and movement to provide additional protection against shocks. In terms of design, the EVO models stand out through their ergonomic case design and by forgoing a traditional bezel, offering an unobstructed view of the Super-LumiNova-enhanced displays through their domed sapphire crystals. On the movement side, EVO models feature darkened treatments, amplifying their sporty, contemporary aesthetic. LM1 EVO features integrated rubber straps that are interchangeable at both the case and clasp, making it easier to adapt the Machine to the day ahead. 

In Two New Expressions

LM1 EVO has been launched in two distinct interpretations. The titanium edition pairs the lightness and technical character of the EVO case with a bright, silver-toned dial-side architecture, featuring black displays and blue hands on a rhodium-plated dial plate. The second edition places the same architecture in a 5N+ rose gold case, limited to 33 pieces. Here, a deep green dial-side surface provides the backdrop for the black displays, while rose gold-toned details echo the warmth of the case.

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