IntroducingMB&F LM Perpetual EVO & LM Perpetual Baguette Diamonds For The 75th Anniversary Of Seddiqi

We're a few weeks out from the start of the 10th anniversary edition of Dubai Watch Week, and with that, we're starting to see some special releases exclusive to Ahmed Seddiqi, the founding retailer behind the brand. The first we're covering is this new release from MB&F, a limited edition of seven Legacy Machine Perpetual EVO models in titanium and five LM Perpetuals in steel, with 48 baguette-cut diamonds.

The LM Perpetual debuted in 2015, with an integrated perpetual calendar designed by Northern Irish watchmaker Stephen McDonnell. The movement uses a "mechanical processor" that views the default number of days in the month as 28 and adds extra days as required by each individual month. 

In doing so, the calendar doesn't skip "redundant" days (as in most calendars), and therefore, there's no possibility of the date jumping incorrectly. The date can be quick set with a pusher, and a safety prevents any risk of damage if the watch isn't set correctly. The movement has 72 hours of power reserve and has MB&F's signature flying balance beating at 18,000 bph.

The brand has gone back to a signature light blue/turquoise color on both models, with the LM Perpetual EVO featuring that color on the display subdials, with silvered hands with luminous arrows at the end. Meanwhile, the LM Perpetual with diamonds has the blue baseplate and black subdials, with the more traditional white Roman numeral font and serifed text on black subdials with blued hands. Usually, on a non-EVO watch, the subdials are white, so this is a striking change for the brand. The watches measure 44mm by 17.5mm, with 80m of water resistance (and an added shock-resistor) on the EVO and 30m for the diamond version.

The watches are available only through the retailer Ahmed Seddiqi and no pricing information has been shared.

This is a great warm-up for the upcoming Dubai Watch Week, which promises to be the biggest yet and has relocated to the shadow of the Burj Khalifa. While the LM101 and LM101 EVO are likely still the biggest mainstay watches for the brand, the LM Perpetual and LM Sequential (either in their plain or EVO forms) are the pinnacle of the brand's technical horology. Prices of past releases have been around $200,000, which means that their limited nature (12 pieces between the two models) seems appropriate. I really like the blue colorway here, especially on the EVO, as the black subdials always felt a bit overpowering on other releases. This might be one of my best aesthetics on an LM yet.

Brand: MB&F
Model: LM Perpetual EVO and LM Perpetual Baguette Diamonds

Diameter: 44mm
Thickness: 17.5mm
Case Material: Grade 5 titanium (EVO) and stainless steel (diamonds)
Dial Color: Signature blue subdials (EVO) or signature blue dial plate with black subdials (diamonds)
Indexes: Printed
Lume: Hands (only on EVO)
Water Resistance: 80m (EVO) or 30m (Diamonds)
Strap/Bracelet: Rubber strap with titanium folding buckle (EVO); white hand-stitched alligator strap with stainless steel folding buckle (Diamonds)

Caliber: Fully integrated perpetual calendar developed for MB&F by Stephen McDonnell
Functions: Hours, minutes, day, date, month, retrograde leap year and power reserve indicators
Power Reserve: 72 hours
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 18,000 bph
Jewels: 41
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: EVO Edition with screw-down crown and FlexRing annular dampener fitted between case and movement, providing shock protection along the vertical and lateral axes; Diamond edition with 48 baguette-cut diamonds

Price: On request
Availability: Immediately, through Ahmed Seddiqi
Limited Edition: 7 pieces of the EVO; 5 pieces of the diamond edition

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