Editor’s note: Presenting our preview and the Gut Reaction Review (Grr…) of the new MB&F LM Perpetual EVO Titanium. For our standard detailed hands-on reviews, please head to our dedicated reviews section here.
Happy Days
“A beetle lumbered up onto her arm, and she stilled herself, enjoying the tickling feeling of its thread-thin feet. It was deep green with shimmers of blue and turquoise, with pitch-black legs. She kissed it very softly. If happiness were a colour, it would be the colour of this beetle, thought Wil,” wrote Katherine Rundell in her book ‘Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms’.
The watch is gently placed upon your wrist, and you still yourself, with so much to marvel on the dial, you enjoy the ticking feeling of this indomitable timepiece. Like the quote above, if happiness were a watch colour (and design), it would be the colour (and design) of the new MB&F LM Perpetual EVO Titanium.
MB&F’s time-telling machines often have the design DNA from the animal kingdom. Truely kinetic, these ‘watches’ have an almost real-life animated personality to them. The new MB&F LM Perpetual EVO Titanium with its green-blue dial is no exception; albeit unofficial, it reminds me of figeater beetles. There is a certain intricately fierce insect-like quality to this timepiece, one that ensures it is regarded as a horological powerhouse.
What, When, Where
The new MB&F LM Perpetual EVO Titanium with a striking green-blue dial is releasing on October 20th at 2pm CEST and retails for CHF 152’000 + VAT (USD 176’000 / EUR 142’000 + tax). The watch will be available both at their retail partners and the online e-shop.
Given last year’s 45-piece run didn’t satiate the appetite of collectors, I am glad to see the return of one of the hottest sports watches in the market. It will be available in both titanium and zirconium cases, and since the brand hasn’t really said if this is a limited edition run or not, I am sure a number of collectors will optimistically look at this being around and available for a while.
(R)EVOlution
One year ago, this house of watchmaking wizardry announced a sports watch of sorts, the zirconium cased colourful Legacy Machine Perpetual EVO. Rather limited in numbers, this only 45-piece release saw MB&F tailor its offering to a more outdoorsy environment, thanks to the inclusion of a mono-block shock protection system called “FlexRing”, an integrated rubber strap, ergonomic double-sprung pushers, Super-LumiNova, and a screw-down crown with accompanying 80m of decent water-resistance.
Looking at the new MB&F LM Perpetual EVO Titanium, I am reminded of a Tim Robbins quote: “Our greatest human adventure is the evolution of consciousness. We are in this life to enlarge the soul, liberate the spirit, and light up the brain”.
When it comes to the watch industry, perhaps the greatest horological adventure is the evolution of the breaking away from the norm. I can’t say for everyone, but at least as a collector and watch-enthusiast, I am in it to enlarge the ‘soul’ by having variety, liberate the spirit by moving away from only traditional timepieces in my watch box, and light up the brain by appreciating kinetic wonders such as the new MB&F LM Perpetual EVO Titanium.
Recently while reviewing the MB&F LM Perpetual Palladium, I compared the design of the Legacy Machine Perpetual family to that of the architectural concept of ‘city within a city’, with the dial featuring symmetric sub-dials and the icon in the making MB&F massive flying balance wheel in the middle. This still stands true for this offering, even though its got a slightly different case designed execution and the absence of a bezel.
The 2015’s Legacy Machine Perpetual’s 44 x 17.5mm sizing is still retained, and the innovative perpetual calendar complication designed by independent watchmaker Stephen McDonnell is also present. The difference is essentially in the aesthetic and functional execution (and also in the inclusion of grade 5 titanium as a case material).
Aesthetics-wise we see the introduction of a blue-green CVD dial plate to the EVO family that until now was only available with an orange, blue or black PVD dial plate.
Functionally, compared to say their recent LM Perpetual Palladium, the new MB&F LM Perpetual EVO Titanium makes use of the FlexRing technology, which essentially makes this a sports watch suitable for wearing pretty much through whatever sojourn of life one may get the desire to subject it to.
This FlexRing concept sees the presence of a one-piece stainless steel annular dampener fitted between the case and movement, that provides shock protection along the vertical and lateral axes.
Beyond the looks, the movement as usual is an added attraction.
While nothing new for this series, it still is as impressive as perpetual calendar movements get: it is manual winding with double mainspring barrels lending a generous 72-hour per reserve. A bespoke 14mm balance wheel with traditional regulating screws is visible on top of the movement.
The movement features 581 components, 41 jewels, and beats at the low frequency of 2.5Hz, and is encased inside an impressive 80m water-resistant titanium body measuring 44mm x 17.5mm.
That’s All Folks!
I will wrap this up with another quotation: “It’s the water beyond the titanium sand that draws me in. Not blue, not even the bright green of a clear lagoon, something more like sea foam. A green so bright it has a tint of yellow. The colour of clarity. Of shallow water over white sand,” wrote Hugh Howey.
It’s the intrinsic quality of being rare and different that really draws me in. True the titanium case is lightweight, the blues and greens are eye-catching, but it is that clarity of witnessing traditional watchmaking stripped down and re-built upon the foundations of creativity and genius that invites me to revel in the mastery that the new MB&F LM Perpetual EVO Titanium is.
This is yet another piece we anticipate going hands-on with to provide justice with a detailed review. Until then, to find out more about the new MB&F LM Perpetual EVO Titanium and other MB&F watches, please head to their website here. All images unless otherwise specified are Courtesy ©MB&F SA 2018. Make sure to check out our reviews of other 2021 novelties here.
