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MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual In Yellow Gold Is The Best Yet by Rob NuddsFebruary 17, 2020 MIN READMB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual In Yellow Gold Is The Best Yet
It’s looking increasingly likely to my eyes that the “yellow gold comeback” that’s been threatening to break over the last few years, has well and truly broken. The beneficiary of this new/old trend? The new MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual Yellow Gold. Perhaps the brand’s finest movement gets a new home. And short of El Dorado, there’s no better place to be.
Amazingly, this is just the second time in MB&F‘s fabled history that yellow gold has been used as a case material. The sole example prior to the 44mm MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual in yellow gold? The LM101 Frost YG. Even more astoundingly, that was five years ago (although it still feels like yesterday to me). Since then we’ve seen plenty of red gold, white gold, and all other kinds of materials make their way into the collection. But yellow gold — notoriously tricky substance to modernize — has been conspicuous in its absence.
A rationally-designed masterpiece
No longer. MB&F has taken the leap and been rewarded for its courage. By pairing this more old fashioned material with one of the brand’s most serious horological mechanisms the prospecting design department has struck gold. But let’s not pretend that this model would be half as good as it is were it not for the movement. The true star of the show is a rationally-designed masterpiece. It looks like chaos at first glance. But appearances can be deceptive. Its true beauty is the way it simplifies one of the most complicated systems in watchmaking.
His “blank paper” approach frees him from the mistakes that have been made before.
The “F” (friend) behind this particular piece is independent Irish watchmaker Stephen McDonnell. I’ve been lucky enough to chat with McDonnell about his working process on a number of occasions. Rather than allow himself to be overawed by problems as old as the industry itself, he prefers to tackle each concern with fresh eyes. His “blank paper” approach frees him from the mistakes that have been made before. Each problem is its own separate puzzle. He solves them in sequence before stitching together his solutions in a way that makes them appear seamless. Because they are…
A totally reimagined perpetual calendar complication
The LM Perpetual series was awarded the Best Calendar Watch at the 2016 Grand Prix (GPHG). Boasting 581 components and a totally reimagined perpetual calendar complication that eliminates common problems such as dates being skipped or gear wheels seizing up. McDonnell achieved this by making the 28-day month the rule rather than the exception. The movement, therefore, adds, rather than eliminates, extra days to each month as and when necessary. Simple? Well, now you mention it…
Now in its fifth year, the Legacy Machine Perpetual family has welcomed white gold, red gold, titanium, and platinum models. Most of these limited edition pieces have sold out and so the addition of 25 Legacy Machine Perpetual pieces in yellow gold is surely a welcome sight for collectors eager so spend their pocket money on another creative curiosity from MB&F. For those of you planning on saving up for one of these beauties, you’re going to need a large piggy bank. The retail of the LM Perpetual YG is €147,000, plus taxes. To find out exactly why you might want to pay that kind of money for a watch, visit the official MB&F website here.
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About the author
Rob Nudds
Rob’s first exposure to the watch industry was a part-time retail role for the Signet Group at the age of 17. An obsession with watches soon developed. Following an ill-advised BSc in Archaeological Science, he applied for sponsorship to undertake… read more
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