LEGACY MACHINE FLYING T
The first MB&F Machine dedicated to women
When analyzed with hindsight, we see that even the most unpredictable and daring lives follow patterns and enter cycles. This is a fundamental truth inherent in all human existence, whether individual or collective. For Maximilian Büsser and MB&F, creative energy follows seven-year cycles. MB&F’s seventh year coincides with the appearance of the Legacy Machine collection, the opening of the M.A.D.Gallery in Geneva and the launch of co-creations.
In its fourteenth year, MB&F unveiled a new line of watchmaking research, an evolution of the founder’s and the company’s creative horizons. The Legacy Machine FlyingT, launched for the first time in 2019, is MB&F’s first three-dimensional horological objet d’art dedicated to women.
A round case in gold or platinum, with a strongly arched bezel and thin, stretched lugs often set entirely with diamonds. An extremely domed sapphire crystal dome rises far above the bezel. Underneath, a slightly curved dial is adorned with a variety of finishes: deep black stretched lacquer, guilloché, dazzling gemstones, or dazzling white diamonds.
The heart of the LM FlyingT’s engine – a kinematic flying tourbillon beating at the peaceful frequency of 2.5 Hz (18,000 A/h) – appears through an asymmetrical ventricular opening on the dial. The dynamic columnar tourbillon protrudes well beyond the rest of the motor, stopping just short of the top of the sapphire crystal dome. Attached to the upper end of the cage, a large diamond rotates along with the flying tourbillon, sparkling with the fire of the highest-quality stones.
At 7 o’clock – another reference to the symbolic number evoked by the LM FlyingT – the hours and minutes are displayed by elegant serpentine hands on a sub-dial lacquered in white, black or fine stone. The sub-dial is angled at 50°, so that only the owner can read the time: an intimate relationship that underlines the personal character of the LM FlyingT.
On the reverse, the pink gold self-winding rotor, which gives the LM FlyingT four days of power reserve, takes the form of a three-dimensional sun with sculpted rays.
The design of the Legacy Machine FlyingT is full of feminine and maternal references drawn from Maximilian Büsser’s life. He explains: “I wanted the LM FlyingT to express the femininity of the women in my life, especially my mother. I had to combine extreme elegance with incredible vitality. The columnar structure was very important to me, because I’m convinced that women are the backbone of humanity. At the same time, the sun-shaped rotor takes on a meaning of another kind, that of giving life, of being the nourishing source of all our existence.”
The Legacy Machine FlyingT has three launch editions in 2019, all in diamond-set white gold: case set with brilliant-cut diamonds and black lacquered dial; case and dial entirely set with brilliant-cut diamonds; case and dial entirely set with baguette-cut diamonds.
New references were added to the FlyingT collection:
- Two limited editions in rose gold or platinum, without their diamonds but with guilloché dials;
- Three gem-set editions featuring fine stone dials: lapis lazuli on white gold, malachite on white gold and tiger’s eye on yellow gold.
LEGACY MACHINE FLYING T IN DETAIL
INSPIRATIONS
Maximilian Büsser began thinking about creating a piece inspired by the role of women in his life. He states: “I founded MB&F to realize what I believed in, the creation of kinetic art objects sculpted in 3D that tell the time. I thought to myself… it was the only way to realize these crazy, audacious pieces that have appeared over the years. At a certain point, however, I wanted to create something for the women in my family. Since they’ve influenced my whole life, I challenged myself to make something for them.”
The inspiration came from the seemingly incompatible qualities that characterize the most important female figures in Maximilian Büsser’s life. Elegance was essential, but so was contagious energy. These qualities are perfectly illustrated by the lines and configuration of the Legacy Machine FlyingT, a creation as pure and refined as previous Legacy Machines, but with the dynamism and exuberance of a central flying tourbillon.
The LM FlyingT’s intimate, personalized character comes from the final placement of the time indication at 7 o’clock, on a sub-dial inclined at 50° to face the wearer. The message is subtle but clear: whoever owns a Legacy Machine FlyingT, the time is displayed only for them, for no one else.
REVELATION OF MB&F’S FEMININE SIDE
Maximilian Büsser’s statement: “The last thing I wanted to do was take a masculine piece, resize it, change its color and call it a feminine watch.” Every MB&F creation follows a complex, shared process that brings together, in equal measure, Max Büsser’s original design, Eric Giroud’s stylistic refinement and the mechanical ingenuity of the in-house technical team. It’s essential that the final result displays aesthetic and philosophical coherence, whether it’s a bold model like the Horological Machine N°5 “On The Road Again” or a technically ambitious grand complication like the Legacy Machine Perpetual.
To bring a particular degree of refinement to the LM FlyingT, the Legacy Machine case has been completely redesigned. Its thickness and diameter have been reduced to draw attention to the extremely domed sapphire dome. The lugs have been slimmed down, their curves accentuated and the profile enhanced by pronounced bevels.
Some strict or particularly clean lines have been softened, notably those of the hour and minute hands, which adopt an undulating shape – echoed in the rays of the sun-shaped winding rotor.
In the LM FlyingT, asymmetry has pride of place, from the positioning of the hour display at 7 o’clock to the ventricular opening around the raised tourbillon. Asymmetry has even been adopted for the tourbillon cage: it is suspended from two cantilevered arches instead of the symmetrical asteroache that tops other MB&F tourbillons.
Subtle references to femininity, as Max Büsser feels it, creep into the Legacy Machine FlyingT, including the sun motif on the winding rotor and the columnar construction of the tourbillon, which introduce the idea of giving and guiding life.
ABOUT THE MOTOR
The mechanics of the Legacy Machine FlyingT are mainly inspired by pieces from the Horological Machine collection, in this case the HM6 and HM7 Aquapod.
In a departure from the radial, single-plane constructions that characterize most modern watch movements, the LM FlyingT’s motor adopts a co-axial vertical configuration. The kinematic flying tourbillon, which rises clearly above the dial, offers an exceptional view of the escapement’s rotation. The contrast with other flying tourbillons, usually limited to the height of the surrounding dials, is striking.
As their name suggests, flying tourbillons are fixed only at the base and lack the upper bridge that stabilizes the lateral movement. Because of the need to increase rigidity, most flying tourbillons are cautiously placed inside the movements. The Legacy Machine FlyingT frees itself from this safety constraint and confidently displays its flying tourbillon in all its splendor.
The construction of the LM FlyingT created another special challenge, due to the shape of the top of the tourbillon cage, which creates a greater mass on one side than on the other. To compensate for the difference and ensure that the mechanism remained balanced, a counterweight was concealed beneath the tourbillon cage on the opposite side.
In order to display the time with maximum precision on the 50° inclined sub-dial, the engineers used bevel gears that transmit torque optimally from one plane to the other. This solution has already been adopted, first in the HM6, then in the HM9 Flow.
The 280-component engine of the Legacy Machine FlyingT has a four-day power reserve (100 hours), one of the highest at MB&F, testifying to the development of know-how and experience in-house.
LM FLYING T – TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Editions with a diamond-set 18-carat white gold case with a black lacquered dial, set with diamonds, set with baguette diamonds, lapis lazuli or malachite.
Limited editions in rose gold and platinum with guilloché dial.
Edition in yellow gold set with diamonds and accompanied by tiger-eye dials.
Engine
Three-dimensional vertical architecture, self-winding movement designed and developed in-house by MB&F
60-second central flying tourbillon
Power reserve: 100 hours
Balance frequency: 2.5Hz / 18,000bph
Three-dimensional sun-shaped rotor in 18-carat 5N+ rose gold, titanium and platinum
Number of components: 280
Number of rubies: 30
Functions / indications
Hours and minutes displayed on a 50° vertically inclined sub-dial with two serpentine hands
Two crowns: movement winding on the left, time setting on the right
Housing
Materials: 18-carat white gold and diamonds, 18-carat pink gold or platinum, 18-carat yellow gold and diamonds
Top dome in sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides, sapphire crystal on back
Dimensions: 38.5 x 20mm
Number of components: 17
Water-resistance: 3 ATM / 30m / 90′ Water-resistance: 3 ATM / 30m / 90′ Water-resistance: 3 ATM / 30m / 90
Black lacquer, lapis lazuli, malachite or tiger’s eye edition:
168 diamonds (120 on the case, 21 on the buckle, 1 on the tourbillon and 26 on the crowns). Approx. 1.7 carats.
Diamond-paved edition:
558 diamonds (390 on the dial, 120 on the case, 21 on the buckle, 1 on the tourbillon and 26 on the crowns). Approx. 3.5 carats.
Edition pavée baguettes:
294 baguette diamonds and 3 stones (134 baguette diamonds on the dial, 124 baguette diamonds on the case, 12 baguette diamonds on the buckle, 24 baguette diamonds and 2 stones on the crowns, 1 stone on the tourbillon). Approx. 8.2 carats.
Buckle and bracelet
Calfskin or alligator straps with 18-carat gold or platinum pin buckle to match the case
“FRIENDS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LEGACY MACHINE
FLYING T
Concept: Maximilian Büsser / MB&F
Product design: Eric Giroud / Through the Looking Glass
Technical direction and production management: Serge Kriknoff / MB&F
R&D: Thomas Lorenzato, Joey Miserez and Julien Peter / MB&F
Case: Giuseppe Di Stefano / STG Creation
Wheels, sprockets and axles: Paul André Tendon / Bandi, Decobar Swiss, Gimmel Rouages and Le Temps Retrouvé
Spring and jumpers: Alain Pellet / Elefil Swiss
Motor spring and barrel: Stéphane Schwab / Schwab Feller and Atokalpa
Tourbillon: Andreas Kurt / Precision Engineering
Turntables and bridges: Benjamin Signoud / Amecap, Rodrigue Baume / Horlofab and DEM3
Diamond setting (case, dial and crowns): Giuseppe Di Stefano / STG Creation
Lapis lazuli, malachite and tiger’s eye dials: Groh + Ripp
Sun-winding rotor: Jean-Pierre Chételat / Cendres et Métaux
Ball bearings: Patrice Parietti / MPS Micro Precision Systems
Hand finishing of movement components: Jacques-Adrien Rochat and Denis Garcia / C.-L. Rochat
Sapphire lenses: Sebal
Anti-reflective coating on sapphire lenses: Anthony Schwab / Econorm
Serpentine needles: Isabelle Chillier / Fiedler
Movement assembly: Didier Dumas, Georges Veisy, Anne Guiter, Emmanuel Maitre, Henri Porteboeuf and Mathieu Lecoultre / MB&F
In-house machining: Alain Lemarchand, Jean-Baptiste Prétot and Romain Camplo / MB&F
Quality control: Cyril Fallet and Jennifer Longuepez / MB&F
After-sales service: Thomas Imberti / MB&F
Buckle: Giuseppe Di Stefano / STG Creation
Crowns: Cheval Frères SA
Bracelets: Multi-leather
Setting: Olivier Berthon / Soixanteetonze
Logistics and production: David Lamy, Ashley Moussier, Fanny Boutier, Houda Fayroud and Mélanie Ataide / MB&F
Marketing & Communication: Charris Yadigaroglou, Vanessa André, Arnaud Légeret and Paul Gay / MB&F
M.A.D.Gallery: Hervé Estienne / MB&F
Sales: Thibault Verdonckt, Virginie Marchon, Cédric Roussel, Jean-Marc Bories and Augustin Chivot / MB&F
Graphic design: Sidonie Bays / MB&F
Product photography: Maarten van der Ende, Alex Teuscher and Laurent-Xavier Moulin
Portrait photography: Régis Golay / Federal
Webmasters: Stéphane Balet / Idéative
Film: Marc-André Deschoux / MAD LUX, Manouil Karapetsis and Dominik Lang / Brosky Media
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