Two decades back, Maximilian Büsser felt the watchmaking world had become too comfortable. After guiding traditional maisons, he envisioned something bold—not a brand, but an innovation hub. Thus, MB&F was born: Maximilian Büsser & Friends, a group of artists, engineers, and dreamers dedicated to turning time into kinetic sculptures. From the futuristic Horological Machines to the romantic Legacy Machines, Büsser’s creations blend emotion with mechanics, transforming horology into a craft, rebellion, poetry, and play.
Introduced in 2011, the Legacy Machine line took MB&F back to classical watchmaking roots—though ‘classical’ hardly captures its achievement. With a grand balance wheel hovering like a celestial body over the dial, it paid homage to watchmaking’s history while pushing it into new realms. The LM101, launched in 2014, epitomized this philosophy. It showcased the visual heartbeat of time—hours and minutes, power reserve, and a mesmerizing 14mm flying balance—with theatrical reserve. Notably, it was the first movement entirely designed by MB&F’s in-house team, with finishing standards set by the unparalleled Kari Voutilainen.
Now, two decades after MB&F reshaped the field, the LM101 returns as the EVO. Aptly named evolution, not reinvention, the EVO concept, introduced in 2020, gave MB&F’s art a more personal purpose: to be worn, lived with, possibly even scuffed by daily life. These watches are crafted for living, not just admiration. The LM101 EVO embodies this with 80 meters of water resistance, a screw-down crown, an integrated rubber strap, and hidden inside, the brand’s exclusive FlexRing shock absorber, protecting the watch’s core from modern life’s shocks. Engineering here enhances, rather than diminishes, artistry.
Made of titanium, the new LM101 EVO feels like a weightless sculpture that breathes. Two dial colors—a sunlit salmon or a peacock green, created using Chemical Vapour Deposition technology—glimmer beneath the domed sapphire crystal. These colors are dynamic, constantly changing with the light. Floating above, two black subdials—one for time, one for power reserve—are encircled by subtle silver rings, adding structure to the dreamscape. Below the balance, twin arches of mirror-polished metal rise like light bridges, reimagined with gentler curves.
The hand-wound calibre inside now runs for 60 hours—a testament to endurance. Through the sapphire caseback, darkened bridges play with light and shadow over Geneva waves, polished bevels, gold chatons, and countersunk blued screws—the trademarks of Voutilainen’s finishing, yet executed with MB&F’s modern rhythm.
It’s tempting to view the LM101 EVO as just a 20th-anniversary homage, but it feels more personal. It’s a reaffirmation of Büsser’s vision—that time, reimagined, can move us like art. It marks the start of a new dialogue between tradition and audacity. Beneath the domed sapphire, the suspended balance wheel beats with a human-like quality. In its slow, steady rhythm, one can hear the heartbeat of MB&F itself.
