The very first model of the Legacy Machine (LM) collection, the LM1 established the aesthetic that would define the series. Conceived as a horological machine designed in the 19th century, the LM1 incorporates many elements inspired by classical watchmaking.

Featuring two time zones on white-lacquered dials modelled on enamel dials, the LM1 is powered by a movement that draws on vintage pocket watch calibres. Characterised by elegantly-formed bridges, the movement has its jewels sitting in gold chatons, and branding in italic script reminiscent of hand-engraved lettering.

The design of the LM1 also made it an ideal canvas for collaborations with artists and designers. One of the earliest was the LM1 Xia Hang that incorporates a discreet sculpture by the eponymous Chinese artist. A tiny, polished aluminium figure forms the power reserve indicator, sitting upright when the watch is fully wound, and head bowed when the mainspring is flat.

Another partnership was between MB&F and Alain Silberstein, the watch designer whose heyday in the 1990s saw him become a leading maker of desirable timepieces with quirky, whimsical styling. Silberstein facelifted the LM1 to give it his signature look, incorporating geometric shapes in the hands and balance bridge, and also the primary colours of red, blue, and yellow, resulting in a watch instantly recognisable as an LM1, but also a Silberstein creation.

One of the more complex Legacy Machines, the LM2 has double balance wheels visible front and centre. Each secured by a V-shaped, steel bridge with polished and rounded arms, the balance wheels are oversized in the typical style of the LM series. They are connected by a differential, which averages the rate of both balances, resulting in a time displayed that’s the mean of the two.

The reverse of the LM2 echoes the symmetry of its front, with the going train visible in between two elegantly shaped bridges, both having large jewels in gold chatons. All of the movement components are decorated in a style typical of the LM series, with wide, polished bevels along the edges of the bridges along with polished countersinks for the screws.

Unusual amongst the LM series for having an asymmetrical face, the LM101 is the simplest and smallest model in the line-up, indicating only the hours, minutes, and power reserve. But it is executed as elaborately as its more complex cousins, having the same white-lacquered registers on a frosted dial, along with the oversized balance wheel secured by a polished steel bridge. Reminiscent of the movement in the LM1, the calibre within is similar inspired by the aesthetics of 19th century pocket watch movements. The bridges have graceful outlines, along with details like polished, bevelled edges and generously-spaced Cotes de Geneve.

Powered by a movement derived from the LM Perpetual, this LM Split Escapement (LM SE) offers a streamlined set of displays – time, date, and power reserve – while retaining the oversized balance wheel.

Secured by a long, arched bridge that’s a trademark of the LM series, the balance wheel sits high above the dial, with an elongated balance staff connecting it to the pallet lever and escape wheel on the back of the movement. Because this shares the same basic architecture as the LM Perpetual, the view from the back is almost identical, with the escape wheel bridge in between two large barrels.

One of MB&F’s most complicated watches, the Legacy Machine Perpetual boasts a cleverly constructed perpetual calendar mechanism devised by Irish watchmaker Stephen McDonnell. Almost all of the perpetual calendar mechanism is visible on the dial, and unlike conventional perpetual calendars, it was designed to be robust and easy to set.

Stephen McDonnell reinvented one of the most complex traditional watchmaking complications, the perpetual calendar. Developed from the ground up, the 581-component movement was designed to eliminate the drawbacks of conventional perpetual calendars, namely, skipping dates and jamming gears.

One of the few ladies’ watches in the MB&F line up, the Flying T contains a movement developed specifically for it, a rarity amongst watches for women. The movement is constructed vertically, with the going track stacked up to create a pedestal for the flying tourbillon, which sits high in the centre of the dial.

Created at the suggestion of The Hour Glass, the Thunderdome was also produced with a tantalum case in a 10-piece edition for the 40th anniversary of The Hour Glass. A dense metal with a grey-blue hue, tantalum is rarely used in watches due to the cost of working the alloy, resulting in tantalum cases costing as much as those in precious metals.

Conceived by Eric Coudray, who is best known for having invented the Gyrotourbillon while at Jaeger-LeCoultre, the tourbillon is made up of three cages that contain an unusual, dome-shaped balance wheel that accommodates tall, cylindrical hairspring, similar in shape to those found in marine chronometers of old.

Distinct from the classically inspired Legacy Machines, the bulldog-shaped HM10 sits alongside other imaginatively designed creations within MB&F’s Horological Machine collection. And like the frog and owl-shaped HM3 variants, the HM10 displays time via aluminium domes resembling rolling eyes. Two studded collars double as crowns to wind the movement and adjust the time, and a pair of hinged jaws open and shut according to the amount of wind left in its mainspring.

MB&F’s 20th calibre and first-ever chronograph – an astounding achievement after only 17 years since the manufacture’s inception. Developed by long-time collaborator Stephen McDonnell, the L.M. Sequential EVO incorporates two independently operated chronographs linked by a “Twinverter” mechanism. With an “Atomic Orange” PVD coated dial, zirconium case and integrated rubber strap, the chronograph is decidedly contemporary while upholding the classical watchmaking elements championed by MB&F’s Legacy Machine collection.