BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Following on from our recent coverage of the launch of a brand new high-end independent wristwatch brand, we’re now bringing you our thoughts on a watch from a more well-established high-end independent wristwatch brand. Very few watchmakers tickle our horological senses and delight our eyes as much as MB&F can, and their latest LM Flying T model strips right back on the foibles in favour of a modern and classy look.
It’s very fair to say at this point that pretty much all of MB&F’s watches look a bit, uh, avant-garde. It’s not fair of me to say they look odd or weird because those typically have negative connotations attached, and I don’t think MB&F’s watches look bad. With that said, nobody is going to MB&F because they want a two or three-handed ultra-slim manually-wound dress watch, and if they are going for that, they’ll be disappointed. What MB&F regularly succeeds in is working with all different kinds of watchmakers to make incredible works of art which usually have a modern or sci-fi twist.
Amazingly, we haven’t covered the Legacy Machine (LM) Flying Tourbillon (T) since it came around in 2019 as a unique watch for women. That piece had loads of diamonds applied to it to accentuate the wrists of those who were likely to buy it. This new piece is more minimalist than that and could even be called unisex, although it’s still quite small for an MB&F watch at 38.5mm x 20mm. Sure, 20mm is very thick, and most gentlemen will be able to pull off a 38.5mm watch, but compared to some of the whacky creations MB&F puts out this one seems tame by its footprint.
Of course, whether a watch fits on your wrist is half of it, the other half is whether or not it looks good. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but this beholder thinks the new LM Flying T Onyx is a beauty. The 18k polished yellow gold case seems quite minimalist in comparison with the rest of it. The main dial plate is a deep and rich black provided by the mineral onyx; the time dial with hours and minutes is set on a 50-degree angle and also has onyx as its backdrop. A jewel sits atop the 2.5Hz tourbillon assembly, which is characteristically placed above the dial like so many MB&F creations.
Thanks in part to that leisurely beat rate the automatic calibre inside the new LM Flying T has a 100-hour (over four days) power reserve, despite the watch’s reasonably small size. The power comes from a red gold rotor on the back which is styled to look like a sun. Is it accurate? We don’t know, it’s probably pretty alright, and it’s very unlikely to be the concern of anyone seriously buying an MB&F piece.
This new piece from one of our favourite brands comes on a black alligator leather strap, but a calfskin is also an option if one so desires. There have been no indications that this is a limited edition piece, but MB&F will always take its time in the pursuit of perfection, and that’s part of why we like them so much. This new piece retails for $138,000/€120,000 pre-tax.
