It’s no secret that we’re big fans of MB&F. The Swiss watchmaker has what we’ll call the perfect blend of creativity, eccentricity, and contrarianism, and you don’t need much time to be convinced of this.
You just need to look at their lineup of unique timepieces. Their latest creation is the LM (Legacy Machine) Sequential Flyback EVO. An 'EVO' edition of a watch collection that, believe it or not, is one of their tamest.
The 2022 LM Sequential EVO introduced the brand’s first chronograph and 20th caliber. Developed for MB&F by Stephen McDonnell, its claim to fame was the presence of two chronographs and the ‘Twinverter’ that enables multiple timing modes. The innovation earned it the GPHG Aiguille d’Or (considered by many to be the most prestigious award in watchmaking).
What wasn’t apparent at the time was the inclusion of mechanics for a flyback function, which wasn’t completed until the 2024 release of the LM Sequential Flyback.
With the introduction of the LM Sequential Flyback EVO, a flyback function is now a part of the EVO collection. The new watch is housed in a gorgeous grade 5 titanium case and paired with an aquamarine dial plate with an inclined time display designed to improve legibility. That time dial, along with the other subdials are finished in black with white markings.
The concept remains distinctive: two separate chronographs share a common escapement and oscillator, and each chronograph has its own start, stop, and reset controls. The Twinverter at 9 o’clock acts as a binary switch that inverts the current status of both chronographs at once.
If both are stopped, one press starts both together. If both are running, it stops both. If one is running and the other is stopped, the states swap, stopping one and launching the other. That sounds a little complex for a chronograph, but you can’t discount its utility. You can time two events in parallel (e.g., two athletes) or consecutive lap times. Try that with your regular chronograph.
With the Flyback EVO, both chronographs gain flyback functionality. If you’re unfamiliar with what the flyback does, it allows a running chronograph to return to zero and immediately restart with a single press, rather than requiring separate stop, reset, and start actions. That comes in handy when precision is key.
Integrating flyback into this architecture required careful friction management. This was facilitated by the use of internal jewelling and a special jewelled roller within the flyback mechanism. It is among five patented elements within the movement’s broader control and coupling solutions.
The watch features 80 meters of water resistance, a screw-down crown, a rubber strap, and MB&F's FlexRing shock-absorption system between the case and movement.
The caliber has a double mainspring and a 72-hour power reserve, running at 3 Hz with 621 components, 63 jewels, and darkened bridge finishes. The case is 44 mm in diameter and 18.2 mm thick, with sapphire crystals treated with an anti-reflective coating and a power-reserve indication on the back.
In the Legacy Machine Sequential Flyback EVO, MB&F refines its dual-chronograph concept by adding a flyback while keeping the Twinverter-driven timing logic intact. The watchmaker isn’t in the business of ‘ordinary,’ and this new watch continues to cement that philosophy.
You can add one to your collection for CHF168,000 (a little over $216,000).
