Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The MB&F LMX “Deep Purple” Paris Edition (Live Pics & Price)
A deep purple limited-edition LMX for a very special ‘Friend’ sold exclusively at Laurent Picciotto’s Parisian Chronopassion Boutique
It’s one thing to possess a wildly creative streak when it comes to designing watches but quite another to get these original ideas off the ground. When Maximilian Büsser founded MB&F in 2005, he had plenty of ideas but needed fuel to launch his Horological Machines into orbit. One of Büsser’s first supporters was Laurent Picciotto, founder of the famous Chronopassion Boutique in Paris. To mark this 18-year friendship, MB&F has created 15 editions of the LMX in white gold with a purple dial plate known as the LMX Paris Edition.
Audentes fortuna iuvat
Laurent Picciotto is a breath of fresh air on the conservative watch scene and has an innate instinct for trends and talent. Many indie watch brands that have soared to fame in their short life spans, including MB&F and Urwerk, were able to take their first steps thanks to Picciotto. Looking for support, Büsser reached out to Picciotto with an audacious proposal: he needed Picciotto to place orders for the Horological Machine 1 two years in advance and – wait for it – to pay 30% of those orders up front! Further proof of his commitment to Büsser’s brand, in 2022, Picciotto opened the first MB&F Lab in his rue Saint-Honoré boutique.
The latest collaboration between MB&F and Picciotto, the LMX Paris Edition, will be available exclusively at Picciotto’s Parisian boutique. As an accomplished electric guitarist, Picciotto came up with an even better name for the watch: “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!”
From lm1 to lmx
The LMX was conceived as a 10th-anniversary watch of the Legacy Machine 1 of 2011. The LM1 was Büsser’s remarkable proponent of what kind of watch he would have conceived had he been born 100 years before his actual date of birth in 1967: in short, a celebration of traditional 19th-century watchmaking.
Breaking radically from the interstellar trajectory of Büsser’s already famous out-of-this-world Horological Machines, the Legacy Machine 1 displayed an overtly classical spirit with a round case and an exposed 14mm flying balance wheel placed in the centre of the dial plate. With its two white stretched lacquered dials with Roman numerals, the movement of the LM1, developed by Jean-François Mojon, offered dual time zones that could be set independently. Büsser’s change of direction paid off handsomely, and the LM1 swept up two prizes at the prestigious GPHG 2012 awards.
Ten years later, in 2021, the LM1 was feted with the LMX, a special supercharged anniversary edition with more of the mechanics exposed on the dial, reviewed in-depth in this article. Naturally, the spectacular balance wheel still rules the show but is fitted with inertia blocks for greater accuracy. Other salient changes include the inclination at 50° angles of the two independent GMT sub-dials, the exposed rotating 7-day power reserve indicator at noon, and the crowns’ relocation to 10 and 2 o’clock.
LMX Paris Edition
The latest LMX Paris Edition shares identical specifications to earlier editions of the LMX but now comes in an 18k white gold case with a stunning deep purple sunray-brushed dial plate. The dimensions of the case – 44mm diameter with a height of 21.44mm (incl. super-domed sapphire crystal) – are the same as other LMX editions.
Respecting the tight symmetry of the LMX, the purple dial plate hosts the two inclined white lacquered sub-dials with Roman numerals. Nestled between the two is the exposed battleaxe-shaped escapement bridge and gear train. The large 13.4mm floating balance wheel beating at 18,000vhp rises above the purple dial plate, held in place by the V-shaped bridge. At noon is the hemispherical power reserve indicator with its dual scale allowing you to consult the weekday or the power reserve left in the 7-day tank by changing the orientation at the crown. Adding to the elements in motion, the two wheels placed above the tilted dials rotate when the time is adjusted on either dial.
The sapphire crystal caseback reveals MB&F’s manual-winding 367-part movement fitted with three concentrically arranged mainspring barrels, which deliver the mighty 7-day power reserve.
AVAILABILITY & PRICE
The MB&F LMX Paris Edition is a limited edition of 15 timepieces available exclusively at Picciotto’s Chronopassion Boutique in Paris. The retail price is EUR 146,400 (incl. taxes). For more information, please visit mbandf.com.
