The Reference: MB&F • LM101

Bezl meets Thibault Verdonckt, Head of Sales at MB&F.

With an unmatched dedication to pushing the boundaries of haute horlogerie, MB&F has become a pioneer in the world of avant-garde watchmaking. At the heart of their groundbreaking creations lies a commitment to blending traditional craftsmanship with futuristic design. One of their most celebrated models, the Legacy Machine 101 (LM101), perfectly encapsulates this philosophy.

Thibault Verdonckt, Head of Sales at MB&F, uncover the story behind the LM101. From its elegant yet unconventional design to its mechanical ingenuity, the LM101 represents a harmonious marriage of artistry and innovation. As Verdonckt explains, the model’s stunning floating balance wheel and clean dial layout highlight MB&F’s reverence for traditional watchmaking while breaking new ground in the modern era.

Can you tell us about the original idea behind the LM101?

MB&F introduced the LM1 in 2011, followed by the LM2 in 2013, launching the Legacy Machines collection with these two models. These pieces, featuring dual time zone and double balance wheel complications respectively, pay tribute to the remarkable watchmakers of the 18th and 19th centuries: Breguet, Berthoud, and Janvier.

Both models feature a 44mm case. Shortly after their launch, retail partners began encouraging Max (Maximilliian Büsser, the founder of MB&F) to create a smaller Legacy Machine with a 40mm case. To achieve this, the team had to “essentialize” the design, focusing on the iconic 14mm suspended balance wheel and a power reserve display. The chosen name, “101,” reflects this essentialization, emphasizing the fundamentals of a wristwatch in an asymmetric design, marking a first in MB&F’s collection.

What were the biggest challenges in the design and production process of the LM101?

The LM101 is the first MB&F calibre conceived in-house by MB&F engineers. Before that, MB&F relied on several “friends” to design calibres and complications, such as Jean-François Mojon for the LM1 and LM2. One of the challenges on this LM101 was to maintain the 14mm oversized balance wheel in a 40mm case while keeping the hours-minutes and power reserve displays easy to read. Another technical complexity when creating these Legacy Machines is the use of a decorated baseplate on which all the components will be assembled, rather than multiplying the bridges as you often see in industrial movements. You have to imagine that the assembling is much more complex with such a conception: if a tool hits the baseplate at the end of the assembly and marks the baseplate, you can throw the baseplate away and start the process from scratch again. 

Another incredible component of this piece is the balance wheel bridge. It is made from a single piece of steel, machined with 5-axis machines, and finished by hand to obtain a mirror polish. If you look closely at this component, there is no straight line; everything is curved. It is much more beautiful this way, but one more time, you need an extremely skilled artisan to produce it perfectly.

The floating balance wheel is a central feature of the LM101. How was it developed, and why is it so significant?

The oversized and suspended balance wheel was initially created with the LM1 but is also featured in the LM101. What I love about this component is the fact that it has been positioned in the forefront and in the exact middle of the piece. This choice highlights that this element, in fact, is the most important one of the piece; the subdials showing time are positioned below. The beauty of the regulating organ is the real “show stopper”, not the time display as for 99% of the watches produced today.

Also, the size and the frequency used the traditional 18’000 vibrations per hour make it possible to enjoy the view of the spring contracting and expanding regularly. Regulating such a balance wheel is much more complex than a 28’000 vph or 4hz which became the industry standard. That means that you need to have highly trained watchmakers to keep them accurate.

How did collaborations within MB&F’s creative network contribute to the development of the LM101?

The collaboration with H. Moser in 2020 was the foundation of the re-birth of the LM101 one year later. Two upgrades on the 2021 editions are directly coming from this collaboration: First, H. Moser agreed to supply the double balance-spring produced by Precision Engineering, their sister company, for the collaboration. This double balance-spring only was used in H. Moser models at this time; it was a real favor offered by Edouard Meylan. It required however to re-engineered several components as the whole cinematic of the movement had to be adapted to this new balance wheel.
Second, in order to have the fume dial integrated on top of the baseplate, the team had to redesign the watch face, and make the bezel slimmer. Once working on the 2021 Editions, we thought these two elements had to be kept in the new models. Luckily, Edouard Meylan and the team agreed on supplying the double balance-spring for the years to come.

How does the LM101 reflect MB&F’s respect for traditional watchmaking while embracing innovation?

Every component used in the LM101 could have been designed and produced in the 19th century. However, the composition of the caliber, placing the balance wheel in the forefront, is a new approach to watchmaking. Before the 70’s, every wristwatch was mechanical, so the brands worked on the cases and the dials to differentiate their products. Today, there is nothing rational in wearing a mechanical watch: these products are of outdated technology, inefficient, and not really practical. So, what is the point of wearing a mechanical watch if you don’t actually see the beautiful kinetic ballet of the moving parts? MB&F approach is to put these elements as the highlight of the product, the dial actually showing time being in the background.

How has the LM101 been received by collectors and enthusiasts since its launch?

Since its launch in 2014, the LM101 has not been a commercial success. Our clients preferred the more complicated LM1, LM2, LM Perpetual, and Split Escapement. However, we faced significant requests when we launched the palladium version in November 2019, and the 18 pieces were sold out after a few weeks. In June 2020, the four editions of 15 pieces of the collaboration with H. Moser were sold in 5 days, the quickest sell-out in the brand’s history. We then decided not to limit the three models we launched in 2021: the steel with blue baseplate, white gold with purple baseplate, and red gold with dark blue baseplate. The request for these editions has outpaced our production capacity since the launch.

MB&F produces only a limited number of watches each year. How does this impact the sense of exclusivity and the value of a model like the LM101?

Max founded MB&F as a life decision, not a business. Making profits was never the driver. We prefer to maintain hand finishing on our products and then rely on these incredible Friends we are working with rather than choosing industrial techniques. These would have allowed us to multiply our production capacity by 2 or 3 in 2021 and 2022 when the demand was 5 or 10 times higher. With 400 watches produced a year, only a fraction can be LM101, as the requests for Horological Machines and other complicated LMs, such as the Perpetual, Sequential, or the LMSE EVO, are also significant.

Looking back at the LM101 today, how do you feel it has influenced MB&F as a brand and its direction moving forward?

I won’t say the LM101 influenced MB&F as a brand. However, thanks to this piece, we welcomed a significant number of new Tribe members. With a smaller diameter, a more rational design, and a more affordable price point, it is the first MB&F timepiece in the collections of many of our clients. MB&F is about building communities (it is even in the brand name), and the model has played a major role in the development of the Tribe in the last few years.

What was your role in the development of the LM101, and how did your contributions shape the final result?

Even if (almost) every MB&F creation comes from Max’s ideas, a wider team is involved in the creative process. Throughout the product development, we will assess the current state of the watch and ask ourselves: how can we be more creative? Will we be proud of ourselves when this watch is launched?

As a concrete example, we slightly changed the design of the bezel when creating the LM101 collaboration with H. Moser, making it thinner than the 2014 original versions. When we developed the 2021 editions, we thought the thinner bezel made it possible to have bigger subdials, increasing the readability. The difference is subtle, but you may notice it with the 2 versions in your hand. We also slightly change the font used on the power reserve subdial to make it more modern.

I also remember suggesting to change some components from silver to gold finish on the Red Gold version of the LM101. If you look closely, the hairspring stud holder and the anchor bridge are different colors than on the other two versions. I also remember a long debate about the “Legacy Machine” engraving featured on the dials of the previous editions of the LM101. I have seen collectors debate this particular choice on watch forums; I am glad we finally agreed not to have it in the 2021 editions. It makes the two eras (2014 to 2019 and 2021 to today) models actually different, and everyone can choose what version they prefer.

Thank you, Thibault Verdonckt, for your time and for sharing your expertise on this model.

I am a big fan of MB&F. I had heard of them and occasionally seen their watches in passing, but I’d never stopped in my tracks—until the first time I laid eyes on the LM101 with the blue dial during the COVID lockdown. That moment marked a turning point in my journey as a watch enthusiast. I was completely captivated by the intense blue of the dial and the mesmerizing floating balance wheel.

I immediately went to their website to check if it was available. To my disappointment, the words “Wait List” appeared. I emailed them, asking to be added to the list, and quickly received a reply. They explained that the model had a waiting time of several years. I felt discouraged but decided to move on.

Years passed, and one day it struck me—why not reach out again to see if the situation had changed? Unfortunately, the waitlist had only grown longer. I shared with them that I would be turning 40 in two years and that it would be a dream to have the watch by then.

Today, I am 40, and I proudly wear the LM101 on my wrist. This watch is extraordinary. It sits perfectly on the wrist, and despite its 16mm height, it feels slimmer thanks to the way the crystal slopes dramatically down toward the case. It’s a piece that sparks conversations wherever I go. People are fascinated and often want to know more about it. Everyone who tries it on is surprised at how comfortable it feels.

The blue dial is something else entirely—it plays with the light in a way no other watch in my collection does. If I had to nitpick, the clasp’s spring mechanism can be a bit tricky when putting the watch on. However, since it’s rarely off my wrist, this isn’t much of an issue.

It may sound amusing, but I often forget to set the time when I wind it up. I get so caught up in watching the balance wheel spin that I lose track of what I’m doing. The design is simply mesmerizing.

Once, I had the privilege of meeting some of the watchmakers at MB&F. One of them said something that stayed with me: “You don’t need a watch on your wrist these days—you have the time everywhere, on your phone, on your computer. What you need is something that brings a smile to your face.”

And that is exactly what my LM101 does—every single day.

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See the trailer with the coveted model LM101 from MB&F.