Introducing: The MB&F Legacy Machine FlyingT, The First MB&F Machine Dedicated To Women

March 12, 2019

MB&F has long been a cult favorite among watch enthusiasts. Max Bssers creative and imaginative designs paired with excellent watchmaking leave lasting impressions on anyone who has the honor of seeing the watches in person. Even if you are a traditionalist, such as myself, you cant help but fall in love with these quirky and unique timepieces. Ever since the founding of MB&F back in 2004, all of the watches have been "made" for men (without any explicit branding, so to speak) until now. MB&F has created their first dedicated womens piece C the Legacy Time Machine FlyingT (the T is short for Tourbillon).? The Legacy Machine FlyingT is the first dedicated ladies' watch from MB&F. The LM FlyingT comes in a round, white gold case with an exaggerated domed crystal. This is the third flying tourbillon produced by MB&F with the HM6 Space Pirate and HM7 Aquapod preceeding it. The ?LM101, which has a flying balanec wheel, is aesthetically similar but the ladies' LM FlyingT features the flying tourbillon cage and movement stacked in the center of the dial with a single diamond stone at the top that moves with the tourbillons rotation. The movement beats at a rate of 2.5 Hz (18,000vph). The dial? A small plate placed at a 50-degree angle so that only the wearer can read it. Which I can only guess is a throwback to one of my favorite vintage designs C the Van Cleef & Arpels Cadenas.? The watch itself comes in three variations that are all white gold and set with diamonds: one with a black lacquer dial plate; one with a dial plate and case fully set with brilliant-cut diamonds; and one with a dial plate and case both fully set with baguette-cut diamonds. The case measures 38.5mm and is 20mm thick (due to the domed crystal).? The watch features an automatic flying tourbillon stacked in the center of the timepiece; the additional height allows the use of a Breguet overcoil. Initial Thoughts If you know me at all, you know I love gem-set watches. You might also know that I love to wear simple mens watches. However, once in a while I am moved by a ladies' watches, and this is one of those instances. And what a watch it is! I have long-admired Max Bssers work; he is incredibly talented, creative, and really warm in person (check out his interview on HODINKEE Radio). So it comes as no shock to me that he applied the same innovative principles to his first ladies' watch as his other horological pieces. ? The LM FlyingT is everything you could want in a complicated ladies' watch. First and most importantly, you can actually wear it. You may laugh, but I have tried on many ladies' watches that you can't really wear. Secondly, its actually complicated with a flying tourbillon centered in the middle of the dial (as I mentioned, similar to the Legacy Machines and the flying balance wheel). Third, it has many thoughtful details that separate it from the pack, like the rotor, handset, and tilted dial. It is clear that MB&F thought long and hard about this watch and how they wanted to make their debut into the ladies' market. Also did you see the red gold sun rotor? And the serpentine blued gold handset (or as I like to call them, squiggle hands)? It's all in the details for this gorgeous watch. Besides that, I can imagine there are a few guys out there who would gladly wear this watch (cough, Jack). The watch starts at $115,000 for the black lacquer version, $145,000 for the pav-diamond-set version, and $315,000 for the baguette-diamond-set version. ? The sun-form rotor in red gold C one of the many thoughtful details of this watch. The Basics Brand: MB&FModel: Legacy Machine FlyingTDiameter: 38.5mmThickness: 20mmCase Material: White goldDial Color: Black lacquer or diamond-setIndexes: NALume: NAWater Resistance: NAStrap/Bracelet: Leather strap This example features a pav-set diamond dial with black lacquer dial at a 50-degree angle, allowing only the wearer to tell the time. The Movement Caliber: Automatic Flying TourbillonFunctions: Time onlyPower Reserve: 100 hoursWinding: AutomaticFrequency: 2.5Hz (18,000vph)Jewels: 30Additional Details: 280 components Pricing & Availability Price: $115,000 for the lacquer version, $145,000 for the pav diamond version, and $315,000 for the baguette diamond version. Limited Edition: NoFor more click here.