MB&F LMX PARIS EDITION
This amazing new LMX wristwatch from MB&F will be available in 2023, and it will be housed in a white gold case to suit the watch’s striking purple face plate. Available in only 15 units, the LMX Paris Edition will be sold exclusively at the MB&F LAB on Paris’s Rue Saint-Honoré.
“If I were to give a name to the LMX Paris Edition, I would undoubtedly call it the ‘LMX Deep Purple’ in reference to the famous 1968 rock group—this piece is definitely rock ’n’ roll!”, says Laurent Picciotto, founder of Chronopassion and owner of the MB&F LAB in Paris.
The Roman numeral for ten, X, has a unique meaning in the MB&F canon. For example, the HM3 FrogX (2020) will commemorate ten years after the introduction of the iconic HM3, and the HMX (2015) was the most prominent release of MB&F’s tenth year in business. X, however, is not only an obsolete substitute for the Arabic numeral 10. X is the unknown in algebra, but it is also the final destination on a map. X stands for all we do not know and cannot possibly know; it is a symbol for the unknown.
MB&F LMX Paris Edition - Laurent Picciotto (Credit S de Bourgies)
One creative studio, two different takes on telling time: in October 2011, MB&F introduced Legacy Machine N°1, the first product of a new series. LMX is a throwback to the very first time we met the Legacy Machine collection; it features the same expression we saw then, with a centre flying balancing wheel and two dials, but everything else is completely unique.
If you are familiar with MB&F’s initial Legacy Machine, you will have a good idea of how LMX works. The time is shown on two extended white lacquer dials that show the hours and minutes separately. The right hand dial is adjusted via the crown at 2 o’clock, which winds the movement and has an engraved MB&F war axe. The time on the left dial is adjusted by turning the crown at 10 o’clock, which is etched with a globe to reflect the possibility of using a second time zone. But, unlike the earliest Legacy Machines, the newer models include angled dials, a difficult feature that requires the transfer of energy from horizontal to vertical planes using conical gears.
MB&F LMX Paris Edition (Credit Laurent Xavier Moulin)
When it came to what they displayed between their dial plates and sapphire crystal domes, the first Legacy Machines were rather choosy. Nevertheless, subsequent versions like the LM Perpetual, LM FlyingT, and LM Thunderdome were not shy about showing off their mechanical capabilities. This latter method is taken by LMX, which reveals working parts like the escapement bridge (in the shape of a combat axe) and the gear train. There are three huge wheels that stand out: the gear at 6 o’clock is the standard seconds’ wheel, and the ones next to the winding crowns are what move when you adjust the time on their respective displays.
The new bespoke balance wheel, a 13.4mm monster with inertia blocks, is particularly noteworthy as it represents a departure from conventional screwed balances and provides the watchmaker with more precision when regulating the beating heart of LMX. The polished arms of the exposed straight bridges on the dial plate are also hand-finished to give them a curved, or bercé, shape.
As a further homage to Legacy Machine No. 1’s first-of-its-kind vertical power reserve indication, LMX expands on this landmark moment in MB&F history with an innovative three-dimensional display that highlights the engine’s remarkable seven days (168 hours) of power reserve. This advanced screen provides two distinct ways to see the remaining battery life. The days of the week and the numbers 1 through 7 are shown on separate arching scales that enclose two markers placed on opposing edges of a globe.
MB&F LMX Paris Edition
The rotation of the entire power reserve display adds still another layer of complexity to this intricate and wholly original interaction of components. By continuing to wind the battle-axe crown after the power reserve has been fully restored, users can change the power reserve indication’s orientation, making the day-of-the-week or numeric scale more apparent while LMX is worn on the wrist.
The movement within the LMX is beautifully symmetrical, like the letter X itself, as seen via the sapphire case back, which reveals the three barrels arranged symmetrically around the centre and highlighted by the sunray pattern of the Côtes de Genève finishing. A delicacy for those who understand the jargon of watch mechanisms, who can see the nuanced meaning behind the arrangement of each part, and who can appreciate the skill and finesse of the watchmaker.
The letter X in LMX represents more than simply the number 10 or the concept of symmetry. In LMX, the Legacy Machine Collection’s first and second decades converge.
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