First unveiled early last year, the Legacy Machine FlyingT is MB&F’s first foray into women’s timepieces. It debuted in three white gold diamond-set versions — to extremely high praise — and this year, the LM FlyingT is back, shedding its diamonds and embracing its natural self with an edition in red gold and another in platinum.

Curiously enough, in the making of the LM FlyingT, MB&F creator Max Busser didn’t think it necessary to consult members of the fairer sex in the development of the watch, choosing instead to go by his own instincts. But then again, great designs are not gender-based and ultimately, women, even men, loved the watch. We’re not just saying this. The Legacy Maching FlyingT was awarded Best Ladies’ Complication watch at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve, the highest accolade you could possibly get within the watchmaking industry.

The new version of the LM Flying T is now sans diamonds, and in place of the stretched-lacquer dial plate, we now have a guilloché plate with a radial pattern of scalloped arches, which draws our eyes upwards and towards the movement — putting the central column of the flying tourbillon in full focus.

The guilloché dial plate is created by longtime MB&F collaborator Kari Voutilainen, master of dials, at his dial facility at Clomblémine. The scalloped design is created by a hand-guided rose engine on a brass plate. It comes in two versions: a black one housed in the red-gold case, and a midsummer sky-blue one that comes in the platinum case.

And ok, contrary to what we mentioned just before, the new editions of the Legacy Machine FlyingT do have diamonds: a diamond solitaire sits at the very top of the flying tourbillon column, glinting in the light as its underlying tourbillon makes one complete turn every 60 seconds.

Like before, the dial is located at 7 o’clock, displaying the hours and minutes with a pair of blue serpentine hands. The dial is inclined at a 50-degree angle so that only the wearer can read it. And through the sapphire caseback, you can see the three-dimensional sun winding rotor with sculpted rays, providing the timepiece with four days of power reserve.

There are many reasons why the LM FlyingT speaks to us, but first and foremost, it is architecturally stunning. This is the third flying tourbillon from MB&F, following the HM6 Space Pirate and the HM7 Aquapod. Unlike your conventional modern watch movements, which take a radial and co-planar approach to movement construction, the LM FlyingT (and the HM7) utilises a vertical and co-axial approach.

Flying tourbillons are traditionally anchored only at the base, with no stabilising bridge to restrict lateral movement at the top, thus most watchmakers would choose to conservatively secure the flying Tourbillon within their movements. Trust Büsser to turn that notion on its head and display its flying tourbillon in all its glory.

Movement

Automatic flying tourbillon, hours, minutes, power reserve of 4 days

Case

38.5mm x 20mm, red gold or platinum, high domed sapphire crystal on top and sapphire crystal caseback, water resistant to 30 metres

Strap

Calf or alligator leather with matching red gold or platinum pin buckle

Limitations

18 pieces each