MB&F (which by now most watch aficionados know stands for ?Max Büsser and Friends?) has built its brand equity on uniting some of the world?s most inventive and renowned independent watch artisans, and the new Legacy Machine Thunderdome, unveiled today after sneak previews last fall, is no exception. Not only does this wildly unconventional timepiece feature a world-first, proprietary tourbillon device; it also marks the first collaboration between watchmakers Eric Coudray and Kari Voutilainen.
The MB&F LM Thunderdome feature several world firsts in its tri-axial tourbillon caliber.
The watch is comforatble on the wrist despite the large, domed crystal.
The heart of the latest piece in Bussser?s popular Legacy Machine series ? offered in two limited editions in either a tantalum or platinum case ? is the so-called TriAx tourbillon mechanism designed by Coudray, developer of, among other standout high complications, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Gyrotourbillon. It replaces the traditional but more cumbersome system, which links one tourbillon cage with each rotating axis, with a three-axis, two-cage configuration that allows for maximum visibility of the tourbillon escapement?s beating heart ? all under a large domed sapphire crystal that gives the model its cinematic, sci-fi nickname (the fact that the idea, as with all MB&F inventions, sprang from the fertile imagination of company founder ?Mad? Max Busser is just a happy coincidence.) Off-center at 6 o’clock...