The New MB&F LM101 EVO, Reborn to be Worn

It might seem like aeons ago, but MB&F’s Legacy Machine dynasty is still a teenager in watchmaking terms. Launched in 2011, the LM family turned our perceptions of MB&F’s galactic design language inside out and upside down. Flying back to 19th-century watchmaking for inspiration, Max Büsser’s vision of a monumental balance wheel suspended on the dial was to become the dominating trait of the collection. The third LM, the LM101, appeared in 2014. Unlike its siblings, the LM101 was a smaller, thinner, and simpler model – a “volks” version, if you will, of its more complex brothers – and the first LM to be powered by an in-house movement developed with a little bit of help from “friend” Kari Voutilainen. During Geneva Watch Days 2025, MB&F unveils an EVO version of the LM101. Following a series of evolutions, the LM101 EVO is transformed into a more robust and better-equipped model for everyday wear and an active lifestyle.

In a nutshell, the EVO treatment involves a series of design and engineering enhancements to make the watches more robust and consequently more wearable in everyday situations. Using a redesigned, more water-resistant case with a screw-down crown, a proprietary FlexRing shock absorber and an integrated rubber strap, the EVO treatment was introduced in 2020 with the hyper-complicated LM Perpetual, a groundbreaking QP developed in collaboration with watchmaking genius Stephen McDonnell. The EVO treatment was then applied to the LM Split Escapement in 2022 and again on one of MB&F’s most ambitious and insanely complex chronographs, the Legacy Sequential EVO.

This year also happens to be MB&F’s 20^th anniversary, and to celebrate, two LM101 EVO editions will be unveiled. Both come in lightweight 40mm titanium cases with a thickness of 16.5mm, with dial plates in salmon or peacock green (CVD). You will notice that the diameter and height of the case have not been altered; after all, the height responds to the monumental 14mm balance wheel held in place by a double-arched bridge and protected by a high domed sapphire crystal.

Spanning the dial from 9 to 11 o’clock, the arched mirror-polished bridge has been slightly redesigned at the base. The attachment points of the bridge to the base plate are more streamlined and refined now, and the escapement wheel now features details of MB&F’s signature battle-axe motif.

The time and power reserve sub-dials have also EVOed up and are now black with silver frames. The hours are represented with indices and newly designed white gold hands, while the power reserve indicator reflects its new 60-hour capacity compared to the 45-hour tank of the classical LM101.

To protect the manual-winding movement from shocks, the brand’s proprietary FlexRing dampener is inserted between the movement and the case. The 3D movement, developed in-house by MB&F, is darkened to match the more contemporary and sporty EVO spirit. Decorated with Geneva waves, polished bevels, gold chatons, blued screws and curved plates and bridges, the traditional haute horlogerie finishings are supervised by Kari Voutilainen.

Paired with a white or grey rubber strap and closed with a titanium folding buckle, the new LM101 EVO Editions are not formally limited editions but produced in limited quantities. The watch retails for CHF 62,000 (excl. tax). More information at mbandf.com.