Grade One Replica Watch

MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual In 18k Yellow Gold

25 January 2020

First launchedin 2015, the Legacy Machine Perpetualhas been crafted since in red gold, platinum, white gold and titanium. A new18k yellow gold case with striking blue face now joins the series.Beginning with a blank sheet of paper, MB&F and independent Irish watchmaker Stephen McDonnell have completely reinvented that most traditional of horological complications: the perpetual calendar. The result is Legacy Machine Perpetual, featuring an in-house movement developed from the ground up to eliminate the drawbacks of conventional perpetual calendars.LM Perpetualis powered by a fully integrated 581-component with 72 hours power reserve. Itdoes not need a module or base movement but instead is equipped with arevolutionary new system for calculating the number of days in each month.Traditional perpetual calendars do have a few drawbacks: dates can skip; they arerelatively easy to damage if adjusted while the date is changing; and thecomplications are usually compromises of modules powered by base movements.Traditional perpetual calendar mechanisms use a 31-day month as the default and basically “delete” superfluous dates for the months with fewer days by fast-forwarding through the redundant dates during changeover. A traditional perpetual calendar changing from February 28 to March 1 scrolls quickly through the 29th, 30th and 31st to arrive at the 1st.LM Perpetualturns the traditional perpetual calendar system on its head by using amechanical processor instead of the conventional space-consuming grand levier (big lever) systemarchitecture. The mechanical processor utilises a default 28-day month and addsextra days as required. This means that each month always has the exact numberof days required; there is no fast-forwarding or skipping redundant days. Andwhile the leap year can only be set on traditional perpetual calendars byscrolling through up to 47 months, LMPerpetual has a dedicated quickset pusher to adjust the year.The open dial reveals the full complication and suspended balance. And in an interesting technical twist, that eye-catching balance hovering on high is connected to the escapement on the back of the movement by what is likely to be the world’s longest balance staff.Usingan innovative system developed especially for Legacy Machine Perpetual, the subdials appear to “float”above the movement with no visible attachments. The skeletonised subdials reston hidden studs, which is technically impossible with traditional perpetualcalendar mechanisms because they would block the movement of the grand levier.Takinga clockwise tour of the dial, at 12 o’clock we see the hours and minutesnestled between the elegant arches of the balance; day of the week at 3o’clock, power reserve indicator at 4 o’clock, month at 6 o’clock, retrogradeleap year indicator at 7 o’clock, and date at 9 o’clock.The LM Perpetual in 18k yellow gold is limited to 25 pieces and worn on a black, grey, brown or blue hand-stitched alligator strap. The case size is 44 millimetres...................