MB&F Legacy Machine 1: Time To Say Goodbye

A good artist knows how to put on a show; a great artist knows when to quit. This sounds like an obvious statement, but in the watch world, watches do not quit, they disappear. They are silently discontinued, usually after encountering a slump in the sales figures. Some are being replaced with a new model, who takes center stage before the previous model has had a chance to bow down. Not at MB&F, who is giving the Legacy Machine 1 a proper goodbye, when it is actually at the height of its popularity, with a final edition.

This final edition is done in a style we know from high-end cars: introduce a limited final edition, in this case of only 18 pieces. But at MB&F they know that you need to do more than just toss on a few badges to make the final curtain call really special.

They do this by, for the very first time, encasing the Legacy Machine 1 in a steel case. This is complemented by a brown dial. Until recently, this color was most associated with 1960’s and 1970’s cars, but then Porsche introduced a beautiful mahogany brown on the 911. Even die-hard critics must admit that metallic brown also looks very distinguished on the new Mercedes S-class. The same goes for the Legacy Machine 1. With the pattern on the dial, it gives the watch a very warm look, while the steel elements keep it contemporary.

The watch itself hasn’t changed of course. You still get that 14mm oversized balance wheel that seems to hover above the two subdials, one for each time zone. Between them that unique vertical power reserve indicator, telling you exactly how much power the manual wind movement created by Jean-François Mojon and Kari Voutilainen has left.

Are we going to miss the Legacy Machine 1? For sure, as it is a landmark interpretation of how an original two-timezone watch could, or should, look. The watch is innovative in design and technology, refreshing and retro at the same time. With this special edition, we can give it a fitting goodbye!