When watchmakers add complications, others question the very way a complication should work. MB&F perfectly demonstrates this postulate with the LM Sequential Flyback EVO.

When MB&F unveils the LM Sequential EVO in 2022, the brand is not just signing its first chronograph. She redefines its foundations. Double chronograph, double column wheel, double vertical clutch, and above all this famous Twinvertera binary inverter capable of instantly switching the state of the two chronographs. Result: a watch capable of performing independent, cumulative, sequential or split-seconds functions, without ever losing readability or mechanical coherence. The GPHG made no mistake in awarding it the Aiguille d’Or.

But for Stephen McDonnellthe watchmaker behind the caliber, the subject was not closed.

Two chronographs, a flyback… and zero compromises

After two additional years of development, the movement went from 585 to 621 components. The reason? The integration of a flyback function on each of the two chronographswithout degrading the energetic stability of the caliber. A feat, when we know to what extent the flyback is one of the most mechanically demanding complications, even on a simple chronograph. The flyback can become a “boomerang”: customer > after-sales service > customer > after-sales service etc.

Here, each return to flight is carried out with a simple press, stop, reset and restart being combined in a single gesture. The whole thing is based on a patented system of vertical clutches with internal rubies, designed to limit friction and preserve the amplitude of the balance wheel. McDonnell went so far as to manufacture a specific ruby ​​himself for the first prototype, due to a lack of suitable parts from suppliers. This detail sums up the philosophy of this watch well: we don't simplify, we invent.

EVO DNA, finally complete

This new version EVO is not just sports dressing. It brings together everything that was missing from the first EVO editions of the Sequential:

• housing in grade 5 titanium 44mm,
• waterproof to 80 meters,
• screw-down crown,
• integrated rubber bracelet,
• damping system FlexRinginvisible but crucial for the protection of movement,
• and above all, the inclined hour and minute dialvisual signature of classic Legacy Machines, which significantly improves readability.

The blue-green dial plate brings a welcome breath of fresh air to an already dense display, without ever falling into demonstrative excess. It’s a delicate, but controlled, balance.

A complication designed to be used

What really sets the LM Sequential Flyback EVO apart is that it is not a theoretical demonstration. It is a chronograph designed to be used in real lifewhich is rare at this level of complexity.

The Twinverter allows, for example, two successive laps, two projects, two competitors or two phases of training to be timed, without ever interrupting the overall measurement. The flyback transforms these uses into fluid gestures. The logic is relentless, almost computational, but entirely mechanical. A form of watchmaking programming, in the noble sense of the term.

A logical continuity in the work of Stephen McDonnell

For those who follow McDonnell's work, this watch is an obvious continuity. It was he who, in 2015, had already disrupted the perpetual calendar with the LM Perpetualby removing the structural weaknesses of traditional dates.

I remember very well the first time I saw this piece, during a visit to the MADGallery Geneva. The watch was officially presented to the press.For those who want to dive back into this founding stage, I recommend reading my article dedicated to the MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetualwhich allows us to better understand the common thread of this extraordinary collaboration.

A watch that doesn't try to please everyone

With a price of 181,000 eurosthe LM Sequential Flyback EVO is obviously not trying to appeal to a wide audience. And so much the better. It is a demanding, intellectual watch, almost radical in its approach. It takes time to understand, and even longer to be fully exploited. But that’s precisely what makes it valuable.

In a watchmaking landscape where many chronographs are content to recycle the same architectures, MB&F offers here an object which pushes the limits of the mechanical chronograph with rare consistency. Not a showcase watch. A watch of conviction.

Another detail but not the least, rare enough in the world of watchmaking to have to be mentioned. The “F” in MB&F stands for “Friends”: those who contribute to the brand’s projects. At the end of the press kit, all the “Friends” who participated in the birth of this watch are mentioned, and that shows team spirit and gratitude. So let's quote them: