MB&F has introduced eight new LM Split Escapement Eddy Jaquet unique pieces, each turning the wide dial plate of the Legacy Machine into a hand-engraved scene from a classic work of adventure literature.
The new series follows MB&F’s earlier Eddy Jaquet project from 2020, a collaboration that later earned a GPHG Artistic Crafts Award in 2021 for one of its unique pieces.
Eight novels cut into white gold
The latest set takes on The Three Musketeers, The Jungle Book, Robinson Crusoe, The Call of the Wild, The Last of the Mohicans, Moby-Dick, Robin Hood and Treasure Island.
Jaquet’s interpretations are engraved directly into an 18k white gold dial plate, giving each watch the character of a miniature illustration rather than a decorated timepiece.
It is a fitting use of the LM Split Escapement architecture, which leaves an unusually open stage across the dial for narrative craft.
A wider view through a slimmer bezel
Each watch is housed in a 44.5 mm by 18.2 mm stainless steel case, with the case construction made from 50 components.
For this series, MB&F uses a slimmer bezel and openworked black sub-dials to reveal more of Jaquet’s engraving.
The hours and minutes sit at 12 o’clock, while the power-reserve display appears at 4 o’clock and the date indication is placed at 7 o’clock.
The Split Escapement remains the mechanical theatre
The movement was developed for MB&F by Stephen McDonnell and uses the brand’s distinctive split escapement layout.
A 14 mm balance wheel with traditional regulating screws floats above the dial, while the anchor and escape wheel are hidden beneath the movement.
The manually wound calibre is made from 296 components, runs at 2.5 Hz, uses 35 jewels and delivers a 72-hour power reserve from double mainspring barrels.
Pricing for the eight unique pieces
Each MB&F LM Split Escapement Eddy Jaquet is a one-of-one creation, priced at CHF 158,000 before VAT.
These watches will appeal less to someone chasing a daily complication and more to the collector who sees independent watchmaking, hand engraving and literary memory as parts of the same conversation.
