The MB&F LMX Paris Edition — It’s Payback Time!
It’s payback time. For Laurent Picciotto, it is. Picciotto is the founder of the Chronopassion boutique at 271 Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris. And that’s not your run-of-the-mill watch shop. The brands in the store are of the exotic kind, and it reflects Picciotto’s trust and belief in Nouvelle Horlogerie. If you’re hunting for out-of-the-box watches, this is where you (traditionally) go. And when it comes to MB&F, the store is of historical importance. The first MB&F watch ever was sold at Chronopassion back in 2007. In 2022, the MB&F LAB right next door to Chronopassion opened its doors. Now in 2023, the MB&F LMX Paris Edition, an exclusive to the new boutique, comes out. This purple Legacy Machine is a limited edition of 15 pieces that celebrate the friendship between the visionary watchmaker and the visionary watch seller.
Calling Laurent Piccioto a watch dealer is selling the man short. He’s more of a Maecenas of Nouvelle Horlogerie. Max Büsser got to live his watch dream partly because Picciotto believed in his ideas.“I met Laurent Picciotto in the fall of 1990,” Max Büsser recalls, “when, as a penniless student, he spent two hours sharing his passion for fine watchmaking in his Chronopassion store.” Picciotto decided to support Büsser in developing the first Horological Machine, and in 2007, Chronopassion, a specialized watch store since 1988, was the shop where an HM1 became the first-ever MB&F sold. The two men became friends, and the history and the friendship now materialize in a watch. It’s payback time — in the best way possible.
MB&F LMX Paris Edition: reshuffling the Legacy Machine
The MB&F LMX Paris Edition, a limited edition of 15 timepieces, stands out because of its purple dial. Well, that’s actually selling the watch short because, in every guise, the fundamental design of the LMX with its three-dimensional movement under a massive domed crystal is spectacular. You can only see the LMX Paris Edition in the metal at the MB&F LAB on Rue Saint-Honoré, but I’m guessing that you’d better plan your city trip quickly because this edition could well be a future legend.
With the LMX, MB&F reworks and reshuffles the initial Legacy Machine collection. The LMX shows the same principle of a central flying balance wheel and two dials, but it does so in a very different way. One fascinating element is the striking three-dimensional rotating display of the power reserve at the usual 12 o’clock position. And it’s quite an impressive power reserve indeed because the “motor” inside the LMX will run for seven days when fully wound.
LMX front and back
The “X” in the name LMX refers to the movement having a balanced X-shape. The hand-wound, 41-jewel, 367-component movement is a very symmetrical affair. It shows on the front but also through the sapphire case back. You will discover three barrels that keep the LMX running for 168 days. The “engine” is also nicely decorated. The sunray pattern of the Côtes de Genève finishing is in line with a long horological tradition.
The ”X” also relates to a decade of Legacy Machines. The LMX is a supercharged version of the LM1. Yes, you get the same signature flying balance wheel and two fully independent time displays, but this time, the dials are tilted. It looks cool, but it’s also challenging from a technical perspective. The angle requires conical gears to transfer the energy and make the display of time happen. Also, the LMX’s three-dimensional power reserve display has the option to select between two modes. There are two markers on opposite sides of a hemisphere, with one framed by a curved scale that goes from 1 to 7 and the other one showing the seven days of the week.
Definitely rock ‘n’ roll!
The mechanical ballet under the humongous domed sapphire gets a nice color accent in the form of the purple sunray dial. “If I were to give a name to the LMX Paris Edition, I would undoubtedly call it the ‘LMX Deep Purple’ in reference to the famous 1968 rock group – this piece is definitely rock ’n’ roll!” states Monsieur Picciotto, the original rock ‘n roll horloger.
The LMX Paris Edition with its 44 × 21.4mm, 27-part white gold case is available exclusively at Chronopassion/MB&F LAB in Paris. The price of the watch is €146,400. More info about the LMX collection is available on the Maximilian Büsser and Friends website. And if you want to see what else is for sale in Laurent Picciotto’s shop, take a look at Chronopassion online. But I do recommend a live store visit if you have the opportunity.
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