MB&F - Legacy Machine ML No. 2 NEW
The innovative minds from MB & F have been always entertaining the
watch connoisseurs with the exceptional horological machines with
futuristic designs and recently they have also introduced a new line -
Legacy Machines, which are exceptional reinterpretations of significant
horological inventions by the greatest watchmakers in history. The first
model under this line, the LM No. 1 was launched in 2012 and the brand now welcomes a new member - LM 2- to the Legacy Machines line.
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Legacy Machines are wondrous reinterpretations of significant horological inventions by the greatest watchmakers in history. So the contemporary look endowed by the otherworldly appearance of
Legacy Machine No. 2’s dual flying balances, suspended high above the dial from four gracefully arcing arms, may at first appear paradoxical. But make no mistake;
LM2 is a timepiece tracing its lineage back over 250 years to three of the greatest watchmakers who ever lived:
Abraham-Louis Breguet (
1747– 1823),
Ferdinand Berthoud (
1727– 1807) and
Antide Janvier (
1751– 1835).
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These horological legends of the 18th century are united not only by
their inventive genius, but also by the fact that they have all
constructed clocks and watches with two balances. Oscillating on
high, the exalted double balance wheels of
LM2 were inspired
by, and pay homage to, one of the rarest mechanisms in the history of
watch-making: the dual regulator. And rarer still, the average rates
of
Legacy Machine No. 2’s dual regulators are transmitted by a
differential to a single gear train, where the majority had two separate
movements.
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On display under a domed sapphire crystal cupola, the dial of
Legacy
Machine No. 2, which is actually the top plate of the exquisitely
finished movement, is an object lesson in symmetrical simplicity. Top to
bottom: the white stretched lacquer sub dial at 12 o’clock, with its
blued gold hour and minute hands, is visually balanced by the large,
raised differential at 6 o’clock.
Left to right: the two flying balances and their escapements are identical mirror images, right
down to the position of the stud holders pinning their balance springs.
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While the levitated oscillating balance wheels of the binary regulators
catch and hold the viewer’s gaze, it is the large planetary
differential sitting proud of the dial that is the real heart of
Legacy
Machine No. 2. In an incredible feat of micro-engineering − and the
sheer paucity of timepieces with multiple regulators connected
via a differential attests to the enormous difficulty in creating
such a complex high-precision mechanism − the differential has three
roles:
1. Transferring power to each of the regulators; 2. Receiving the
individual timing rates from each balance; and 3. Transmitting the
average rate of the two regulators to the gear train, where it finally
manifests itself as the displayed time.
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The movement of
Legacy
Machine No. 2 was developed to
MB&F’s specifications by
award-winning watchmaker Jean-François Mojon (
Best Watchmaker at the
2010 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève) and his team at Chronode.
Acclaimed independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen ensured that the
movement’s aesthetic style was consistent with high- quality
traditional timepieces of the 19th century and for specifying the
superlative hand- finishing.
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Immaculate Geneva waves, gold chatons, mirror-polished bevels
and bridges designed with deliberate internal bevelled angles (which
cannot be finished by machine) showcase the movement’s peerless fine
finishing. Consistent with
MB&F’s spirit of transparency, the
names of the two men responsible for the movement are hand engraved on
the back.
Two and a half centuries after three of the world’s greatest watchmakers
put two balance wheels into their movements;
MB&F celebrates their
pioneering works by creating
LM2, a timepiece with two balances hovering
outside the movement.
Legacy Machine No. 2 is available in 18k red
gold, 18k white gold and a limited edition of 18 pieces in platinum 950
that features a striking sky-blue dial.
Even today with
computer aided design programs (CAD) and ultra-high-precision machines
CNC machines, the sheer complexity of high-end mechanical watch
movements requires skilled assembly and regulation to achieve
good timekeeping over a range of positions. Whether the watch is
laid flat, vertical (on its edge), crown up or crown down, slightly
affects the components inside – and the balance in particular – which in
turn slightly changes the timing rate.
In the 18th century, higher manufacturing tolerances coupled with
low-quality oils meant that it was virtually impossible to regulate a
movement to the high precision we have come to expect today. So it
should come as no surprise that the greatest horologists of the period
experimented with a wide variety of mechanisms to improve timekeeping.
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While Ferdinand Berthoud (
1727– 1807) averaged his two regulators
mechanically,
Abraham- Louis Breguet (
1747– 1823) and
Antide Janvier
(
1751– 1835) both created double regulator timepieces using the
phenomena of resonance to average the rate of the two
balances, It should be noted that the majority of dual
regulator timepieces, especially those using resonance to couple
the two systems, had two complete movements rather than just two
regulators. The fact that these horological geniuses made such a limited
number of clocks and watches with double regulators (just a few each),
indicates that they doubted that the reward was worth the effort.
Nearly
100 years later, in the
1930s a few of the very best students at the
Watchmaking School of the Vallée de Joux made double regulator pocket
watches with the rates of two balances averaged by a planetary
differential. The students usually made two pieces each – one for
themselves and one for the school – and it is thought that 10 such
timepieces exist.
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Philippe Dufour, an independent watchmaker based in the Vallée de Joux
saw one of these pocket watches and was inspired to create his Duality.
Launched in 1996, the Duality was the first known wristwatch to feature
two balances joined by a differential. And while there have been a
(very) few other double balance wristwatches coupled via differentials.
The
advantage of using a planetary differential is that the two balances
beat at their natural rate, with the differential supplying
the average of the two completely independent frequencies.
Other mechanisms when coupled have one balance slowing down or speeding
up the other to achieve an average rate and this induces slight stresses
in the system.However, the rarity of all dual regulator movements is
testimony to the difficulty in their realisation and regulation.
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While superficially
Legacy Machine No. 2 may look like a traditional
round watch, its three- dimensional architecture offers visual treats on
multiple levels. What looks at first glance to be the main dial is
actually the top plate of the movement, which has been finely engraved,
plated (or blued for the platinum model) and then
hand-engraved with
Legacy Machine below the differential.
Slightly
raised above the surface is the hour-minute sub dial, its
fine gold circumference highlighting the pure white of the stretched
lacquer dial, which is created by applying and heating multiple layers
of lacquer, causing them to stretch tightly over the surface of the
dial.
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The white contrasts superbly with the bright blued 18k gold hands. The
hands are slightly curved to follow the slightly convex surface of the
sub dial. To ensure aesthetic purity of the dial and its traditional
Roman numerals, a sophisticated fixation underneath negates the
necessity of visually obtrusive screws.
The planetary
differential also sits proud of the surface, supported by a stunning
double- arc mirror-polished bridge inset with three large jewels. The
complex differential is the key element in the double regulator system
and raising it just above the movements enables the mechanism to be
better appreciated.
Suspended above both the sub dial and the differential are
the two oscillating bespoke balance wheels. The dual balances
feature
Breguet overcoils, inset with four fully functional timing
screws. The two balances are mirror images of each other so that they
react differently to different forces. The distance between the
balance wheels has been carefully and deliberately calculated to
avoid resonance, as this would negatively interfere with regulation.
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Those
elegant majestically curved arms suspending the flying balances are
sculptural works of art in themselves. The elongated triangular cut out
section could not be created by the usual method of wire electro
erosion, but necessitated the creation of an electrode precisely shaped
to the form of the cut out section.
Independent master watchmaker
Kari Voutilainen assumed responsibility
for ensuring the historical accuracy of the style and finishing of the
Legacy Machine No. 2 movement. A finely engraved sun-ray pattern on
top of the movement plate (dial side) subtly catches the eye at
certain angles without distracting attention from the pure white sub
dial, flying balances and raised differential. But it is in the
style and finish of the bridges and plates visible through the
display on the back of the movement that Voutilainen has excelled in
providing exquisite historical fidelity, both the shape of
elegantly curved bridges and the traditionally wide spaces between
the bridges and between the bridges and the case.
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On the back of the movement, over-sized ruby jewels set in
highly-polished countersunk gold chatons provide striking visual
counterpoints to the Geneva waves traversing the sensually curved
bridges. While providing historical links with the large jewels seen in
high- grade antique pocket watch movements, the ruby bearings
have a practical application in reducing wear by accommodating large
diameter pinions and holding more lubricating oil.
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Maximilian Büsser has had a long affinity with pocket watches of the
18th and 19th centuries.Virtually all horological complications we see
today were not only imagined in that period, they were developed
using just paper and pen (no sophisticated computer programs),
components were produced to extremely high precision using –
by today’s standards – fairly primitive machines (no electricity)
and finely finished, assembled and regulated to an incredibly high
quality that we still strive to match today. Their generous size
compared with modern wristwatches allowed for uncluttered
movement architectures with beautifully shaped bridges and plates.
While
MB&F’s futuristic Horological Machines have a firm
foundation in the very best of traditional horology, Büsser
wanted to pay homage to that rich tradition by imagining the
type of timepieces he might create if he had been born 100 years
earlier, i.e.
1867 instead of
1967. With its two, flying balances
raised planetary differential, historical bridge designs and classical
fine-finishing,
LM2 celebrates historical dual regulator watches with
flair and passion.
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Technical details
Movement
Three-dimensional
horological movement developed exclusively for
MB&F by
J
ean-François Mojon at Chronode, and
Kari Voutilainen Manual winding
with single mainspring barrel
Power reserve: 45 hours
Differential: Planetary differential comprising 3 gears and 5 pinions
Balance wheels: Two bespoke 11mm balance wheels with four traditional regulating screws floating above the movement and dials
Balance spring: traditional Breguet curve terminating with stud holder
Balance frequency: 18,000bph/2.5Hz
Number of components: 241
Number of jewels: 44
Chatons: gold chatons with polished countersinks
Fine finishing: superlative hand finishing throughout, respecting 19th century style;
polished internal bevel angles highlighting handcraft;
polished bevels; Geneva waves; hand-made engravings
Functions
Hours and minutes
Planetary differential transmits the average rate of the two regulators to the single gear train
Case
Available in 18k red gold, 18k white gold, or platinum 950 in a limited edition of 18 pieces
Dimensions: 44mm wide x 20mm high
Number of components: 45
Sapphire Crystals: High domed sapphire crystal on top and sapphire crystal on back with anti-reflective coating on both sides
Strap
Black or brown hand-stitched alligator strap with 18k gold tang buckle to match case
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