Each new Horological or Legacy Machine from MB&F makes the headlines and the rule doesn't change with the LM101. This watch has been presented in May this year and it aroused a lot of comments maybe more due to its more "reasonable" character than due to a true element of surprise. Actually, the LM101 has 2 clear objectives: firstly to complete the Legacy Machines collection with a case featuring a more contained diameter and secondly to propose a more affordable price tag than the ones of the other Machines.
In absolute terms, the LM101, which is available with PG or WG cases, has a lot of seducing characteristics. It belongs to the same stylistic trend which has been initiated in 2011 with the LM1 and it embodies with success an approach which can be considered as totally opposite to the neo-retro one: any Legacy Machine represents a futurist watch which could have been invented by a watchmaker of the XIXth century. I wouldn't be surprised to find one of these Machines in a Jules Verne's novel. I have to confess it: the LM101 is really convincing when I consider this side of the coin. It gathers and blends a lot of details which pay homage to traditional and classic watchmaking like the pristine-white lacquered subdials, the sunrays of the plate or the decoration style of the movement. However, like with the other Legacy Machines, you don't feel the dust on it. It reshuffles all these elements to propose an original design which is glorified and emphasized thanks to the mesmerizing behaviour of the floating and visible large balance wheel. I could even say that the LM101 is the most original Legacy Machine due to its asymmetrical dial lay-out.
If the LM1 and LM2 display perfect symmetrical dials, the LM101 stands out because of the unusual locations of the twin arches and of the sub-dials giving the feeling that the whole dial has made a 45 degrees rotation clockwise. The LM1 is not that surprising because it has an aesthetic proximity with the other Legacy Machines. But the MB&F team managed to give it the touch of originality which is enough to create its own identity.
The specific identity of the LM101 is actually required (if not mandatory) taking into account the goals the watch has to achieve. If I consider its smaller size, the removal of one complication and the more affordable price by comparison with the LM1, this aesthetic gap prevents the LM101 from being judged as a "cheap" Legacy Machine. I can feel the difficulties encountered by Max Büsser in this context: how to avoid to give the feeling that the LM101 is a "light" version of a Legacy Machine while being able at the same time to significantly reduce the price tag?
The LM101 on the right of the LM1:It is here where the LM101 is very convincing: it never arouses the feeling to be in front of a watch which suffered a lot of concessions. The finishings are at the same level than with the LM1 or LM2, dial or movement sides. The twin arches which hang the balance wheel are even more spectacular because their inclination in relation to the plate is more pronounced due to the smaller case size. The balance wheel whose diameter is 14mm looks more present on the center of the dial because its relative size is higher than the one observed on the LM1. The finishings of the sub-dials are done with a lot of care than the multi-layered lacquer. And the blued hands still have their charm.
Finally, the irrefutable argument which proves that the LM101 is a true Legacy Machine is the fact that it is powered for the first time by a MB&F movement developped in-house. It is the reason why the reference to Jean-François Mojon was removed from one movement bridge. However, Kari Voutilainen's name is still engraved because he contributed to the aesthetical design and the finishings specifications.
This three-dimensional movement (due to the position of the balance wheel) offers bridges side a classic architecture which is faithful to the one of the calibres of the other Legacy Machines. The flawless finishings make it very nice to observe. It is also a very enjoyable movement at the use because the winding operation is smooth. The winding ritual by the way has to be done on a daily basis bacause the power reserve is around 45 hours. The frequency of 2,5hz is deliberately low to pay homage to traditional watchmaking and of course to reinforce the mesmerizing behaviour of the balance wheel.
So the LM101 is a watch perfectly made and the objective to keep the same level of execution and of finishings than with the other Legacy Machines is achieved.
The LM101 is more affordable and easier to wear thanks to its 40mm diameter, the question is to know is this watch is not the most irresistable Legacy Machine? After all, it keeps all the quality criteria of MB&F. Sadly, it was not my feeling and several explanations can be brought to explain my relative disappointment.
The main issue for me is that for the first time, I have the feeling that Max Büsser answers to a request from the market rather than creating the desire, the surprise through the expression of his own convictions. I believe that, despite the description of the context and of the "reason d'être" of the LM01, the right size for any Legacy Machine is the 44mm diameter. The maximum height of the LM101 being 16mm, it loses the slender side of the LM1 and LM2 because the diameter/thickness ratio is less favourable. I consider that the use of a 40mm case doesn't bring anything to the Legacy Machine collection and this feeling is reinforced if we consider that the collection is a kind of homage to the pocket watches of the XIXth century. It is the reason why the 44mm case is more compatible with the spirit of the collection. I'm experiencing here the same story than with De Bethune when several DB25 watches were unveiled with a 40mm case. After all, if the first Legacy Machine was unveiled with the 44mm, it is because this size is THE size.
The other detail which didn't convince me is the removal of the three-dimensional power reserve indicator which is a key element of the LM1 (and believe me, I also regretted its absence on the LM2). By becoming more classic, this indicator loses the interactive feature it was bringing to the owner of the watch. Of course, while winding the watch, the hand is moving but the feeling is not the same and this display is now a bit too common. Moreover, this indicator is not located in front of the twin arches. These arches don't have any opposite element and so the dial of the watch gives the feeling to have a too large empty zone below the time display subdial. It is a paradox because despite their larger cases, the lay-outs of their dials are more harmonious. The removal of a complication (and so of one sub-dial) is not insignificant because the dial is not as balanced as it is on the LM1.
Finally, the presentation of the movement is not, in my mind, appropriate. Despite its excellence and the finishings quality (don't get me wrong, this in-house caliber is superb!), I find the movement of the LM101 too faithful to the ones of the LM1 and LM2. I wonder if Max Büsser didn't want to do too much here... Because I think that it would have been much better to use a different decoration style in order to have an aesthetic gap with the other calibers and so to better highlight this first in-house movement. Why? Let's have a straight talk: the movement of the LM101 looks more like an evolution of the movement of the LM1 and not like the first in-house movement. It is a pity in my point of view.
These reasons explain why my evaluation of the LM101 is mixed. On one hand, the LM1 is the fruit of a superb execution. On the other hand, it is the "raison d'être" of this watch which can be questionable. If I understand the commercial objectives of the watch, I believe that it doesn't bring anything to the Legacy Machine collection. The previous (Legacy or Horological) Machines have seduced me so much for many years that I have become extremely demanding with MB&F, maybe more than with any other brand. In the case of the LM101, I didn't get the message behind except the objective to answer to some markets requests. And it is the first time at MB&F that I feel that the strategic side of the brand takes over the history the watch is supposed to tell us. This detail prevents me from appreciating the LM101 like any other Machine.
Thanks a lot to the MB&F team for the warm welcome at Baselworld.
Pros:
+ a high level of execution which respects the criteria of MB&F
+ the beauty of the twin-arches
+ the mesmerizing behaviour of the balance wheel
+ the first in-house movement which is always a main event for a young brand
Cons:
- the smaller size makes the diameter/thickness ratio less favourable
- the dial looks a bit unbalanced due to the empty zone in front of the arches
- it is a bit a paradox but the in-house movement is not enough highlighted
- the strategic message of the LM101 takes over the history the watch is supposed to tell us
