MB&F LM1 EVO: Why Both Minute Hands Matter
Featured photograph: The titanium LM1 EVO on the wrist, with its two separate time displays. Photography: MB&F.
A second dial can promise more independence than its mechanism delivers. MB&F's LM1 EVO makes a particularly clear proposition: each of its two displays has independently adjustable hours and minutes. Introduced this October, it revives the original Legacy Machine's central idea inside a more practical exterior. The collecting interest is the relationship between those two small clocks and the single large balance suspended above them. Understanding that relationship is more rewarding than treating the watch as another luxury travel accessory.
Independence includes the minutes
Many dual-time watches keep their minute indications linked, allowing the second hour display to move in whole-hour steps. Here, each dial can be set separately through its own crown. A thirty- or forty-five-minute offset is therefore possible without mentally correcting one of the readings. Both displays remain conventional twelve-hour clocks; their freedom comes from setting, rather than from a ring of city names.
That changes the purchase demonstration we would request. Have the seller move the minutes on one dial while leaving the other indication alone, then explain winding and setting with both crowns. The point is to see the independence working. Two attractive faces are easy to appreciate in a photograph; understanding the controls makes their arrangement meaningful as a watch.
Two displays share one regulator
The pair of dials does not imply two independently running movements. Above them sits one 14mm balance, beating at 18,000 vibrations per hour. Its Straumann double hairspring means two springs associated with that single balance, rather than two oscillators seeking synchronisation. The mechanism's theatre is unusually explicit: the element regulating both time displays becomes the principal object on view.
This is an appealing distinction for a collector who enjoys mechanical explanations that can be followed with the eye. It is not evidence of a particular measured daily rate. A movement demonstration should separate the architecture from the timing results of the individual watch, especially if accuracy is being used to support an asking price.
The reserve changes the composition
The original LM1's upright power-reserve structure has become an inclined indication in the lower part of the display. The stated reserve rises from 45 to 60 hours, while winding remains manual. That combination gives the EVO a different visual balance and a longer interval between required winding sessions without introducing an automatic rotor.
The back offers another reason to turn the watch over. Darkened bridges sit around visible wheels, with gold chatons and polished bevels supplying contrasts in colour and surface. The calibre was developed with Jean-François Mojon and Kari Voutilainen. Names and finishing descriptions should invite close inspection: look at the consistency of edges, countersinks and engraved details instead of letting the dramatic front consume the entire appointment.
EVO has a specific practical meaning
The 42mm case is 16.8mm high, with much of its presence shaped by the domed sapphire. MB&F specifies 80-metre water resistance, screw-down crowns and its FlexRing annular dampener between case and movement. Integrated rubber straps can now be exchanged at both case and clasp. These are identifiable changes to the ownership proposition, beyond placing a dressier mechanism on rubber.
They still leave sensible questions for a buyer. Ask for the correct crown procedure, strap-change demonstration and service route. Check the dome from several angles and establish replacement arrangements for the fitted strap. The maker's protection system does not make exposed sapphire immune to impact. The photographs show the watch worn by others; they are not a substitute for our own testing, which we have not performed.
Choose the execution before the edition
Grade 5 titanium pairs a rhodium-toned plate with blue hands. The 5N+ rose-gold version uses a green plate and is limited to 33 pieces. In the photographs, titanium makes the mechanical shapes feel cooler and more continuous, while gold separates the case more strongly from the dark rubber. Our starting preference is titanium: its quieter frame directs attention towards the suspended balance and the two readings.
Announced retail prices were CHF 82,000 for titanium and CHF 102,000 for rose gold, excluding taxes. Those are launch quotations, not current delivered offers or completed resale evidence. Obtain a dated proposal identifying the exact material, configuration, contents and delivery terms. The limited number should not settle the choice. The LM1 EVO earns consideration because independent minute setting and an exposed shared regulator make a coherent mechanical object—one whose controls should be as interesting to understand as its balance is to watch.