To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the unification of the seven emirates under one flag, MB&F joins Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons to unveil its Legacy Machine Split Escapement..
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the unification of the seven emirates under one flag with a whole year of celebrations running from April 2021 until the end of March 2022. The UAE’s leading luxury watch and jewellery retailer, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, is commemorating the ‘Year of the 50th’ with the creation of over 35 instantly covetable limited-edition timepieces, including a MB&F LM Split Escapement EVO – UAE Golden Jubilee Limited Edition of 10 pieces.
THE STORY OF THE LM SPLIT ESCAPEMENT
The idea behind the LM Split Escapement started life in 2015 with the LM Perpetual. Designed and conceived by Irish master watchmaker Stephen McDonnell, there were two criteria for the perpetual calendar: make it fool-proof and display MB&F’s large signature suspended balance wheel in the centre of the dial. McDonnell was soon to realise that there was a problem: there was nowhere to put the escapement. The concept had worked on the previous Legacy Machines, where the balance wheel was on the front of the watch along with the escapement, but with the LM Perpetual, there was just no room for both the balance wheel and the escapement.
A man of solutions, McDonnell had the ingenious idea of creating the world’s longest balance staff that would traverse the whole movement, leaving the large balance wheel on the front of the watch and concealing the remaining parts of the escapement – anchor and escape wheel – on the opposite side of the movement, almost 12 mm below; hence the name ‘Split Escapement’.
When the LM Perpetual was unveiled, there were so many innovations to talk about that the split escapement went largely unnoticed. So, in 2017, MB&F decided to create the LM Split Escapement to highlight McDonnell’s genius idea, publicly crediting him by including his name on the watch.
THE UAE GOLDEN JUBILEE LIMITED EDITION
The LM Split Escapement series has always been somewhat under the radar, so the UAE Golden Jubilee was the perfect occasion to celebrate both the 50th anniversary of the UAE and this unusual mechanical marvel.
For this limited edition of only 10 pieces there are a host of changes that radically modify the design of the watch. Firstly, the whole mechanism has been rotated clockwise by 30 degrees, with the crown at 4:30 instead of 2 o’clock. This completely changes the symmetry of the watch, giving it a totally new character.
Second, this special edition receives the new EVO case, offering enhanced comfort and robustness – and which until now has only ever been used in the LM Perpetual EVO series. The EVO case design features a no-bezel construction, with the domed sapphire crystal fused directly to the titanium case, integrated lugs and strap, and a water-resistance of 80 metres achieved thanks to a screw-down crown. The movement is suspended on the innovative “FlexRing” system, a specially developed monobloc shock-absorbing mechanism that works against both vertical and horizontal shocks.
Finally, for the very first time in MB&F history, the dial plate comes in a rich salmon colour, while two of the dark grey sub-dials – for the date and power reserve indicator – have been opened up. Movement-side, the special darkened treatment creates heightened contrast between the wheels, the rhodium-plated barrels and the rose gold details.
The manual-winding, 298-component movement uses the same base as the LM Perpetual with double barrels, a 72-hour power reserve, and a date-changing security system that prevents the user from inadvertently damaging the movement when adjusting the date.
Special anniversaries deserve special timepieces and the LM Split Escapement EVO – UAE Golden Jubilee Limited Edition is the perfect way to join the UAE celebrations as the country looks ahead to the next 50 years.
