MB&F’s LM101 Gets the EVO Treatment

Of all the watches launched at the recently competed Geneva Watch Days show, few drew more comment that the new LM101 EVO from MB&F. EVO refers to a series of functional and aesthetic design modifications that have been selectively applied to certain of the brand’s Legacy Machine models. They include water resistance, a rubber strap, enhanced shock protection and the distinctive black dials with Super LumiNova that lends these watches a modern air. With the LM101, MB&F’s smallest men’s watch and its first to sport an in-house movement, the combination is most compelling.

Once designed as an entry into the brand, the LM101 has benefited from renewed interest in smaller, dressier styles for men, and is much sought-after for its dimensions and emphasis on classic horology. The new version boasts a number of improvements beyond its EVO livery. Power reserve has been increased to 60 hours. The arches holding the balance, even the escape wheel itself have been given design upgrades. The movement, a classic Kari Voutelainen-designed example of belle horlogerie, receives a further glow with a subtle gunmetal finish on the plates and bridges. Production of this titanium edition, in both salmon and green dial colorations will be very limited, so early inquiries are encouraged.

H. Moser Jump Starts its Pioneer Flying Hours

Students of H. Moser’s relatively short history will note that the brand experimented with an offbeat satellite system for displaying the time seven years ago. Now, the system has been dramatically enhanced and presented for the first time in its Pioneer case. Unlike the original system which presented the time with a gradually moving display, Pioneer Flying Hours now features an instantaneous jump display—a significant technical upgrade. The display is a modular complication over the reliable HMC 240 automatic movement.

Pioneer Flying Hours is presented in red gold and black DLC titanium with a dark adventurine dial as a limited edition of 100 pieces. A regular production version will also be available in steel with a subtle white fumé dial. Satellite time displays are a symbol of the unorthodox approach that is the hallmark of independent watchmaking and a cornerstone of H. Moser & Cie’s ethos. In the sporty Pioneer case, this unique display is transformed into an everyday wearable watch—a very H. Moser take on complicated watchmaking.

Ulysse Nardin’s Blast Freewheel Marquetry Silicon Green Celebrates its Silicon Valley Boutique

Released just days ago, the new Ulysse Nardin Blast Freewheel Marquetry Silicon Green is a perfect summation of the brand’s skill in applying materials science to both the technical and aesthetic sides of watchmaking. The watch contains the silicon parts the company famously pioneered, while also showcasing its evolving skill in using silicon as a decorative art, an appropriate tip of the hat to the Silicon Valley home of its first US boutique. The vivid green and silver gray patterns on the dial plates evoke the construction of a circuit board, but the motif is much more than simple coloration. The patterns were achieved using colored mono-crystalline silicon, which, similar to traditional marquetry forms, is laser cut and arranged in precise patterns.

The Blast Freewheel also contains hairspring and escapement crafted in silicon. The watch is most notable for its unique architecture. It was conceived as an artistic open works movement, where key components sit above the dial, but their mechanical connections remains concealed. Visible are the tourbillon cage, a constant force mechanism (to precisely feed power to the tourbillon regardless of the state of wind), and a double flying barrel that is also decorated with marquetry. The design is intended to provoke mystery as to the inner functioning of the mechanism—a quality that will be familiar to anyone operating in our digital world.