In 2019, MB&F unveiled its first women’s watch, dubbed the Legacy Machine FlyingT, characterized by an exaggerated domed sapphire crystal protecting a central flying 60-second tourbillon movement and a dramatically tilted time display. Since then, the Legacy Machine Flying T collection has welcomed several variants in white gold, rose gold, and platinum, along with special dial models made from gemstones such as lapis lazuli, malachite, tiger eye, and anyolite. For 2024, Maximilian Büsser and Friends are expanding the collection again with the brand new Legacy Machine FlyingT Onyx watch in warm yellow gold and moody black.
Like its predecessors, the latest LM FlyingT sports a 38.5mm case that’s 20mm thick thanks to the sky-high convex crystal that sits above it. The case comprises 17 components and is water-resistant to 30 meters — not that it belongs anywhere near a pool or bathtub. There are the customary pair of winding crowns, one on the left for winding and the other on the right for time-setting. While this isn’t the first yellow-gold FlyingT watch, it is the first to include an onyx dial plate.
Aside from the new material for the plate, the dial layout remains the same, which is to say there’s a central flying tourbillon that completes a revolution every minute, as well as an hour and minute subdial at 7 o’clock. The reasoning behind the placement of that subdial, which is tilted at a 50-degree angle, is that only the wearer can see it. Or as MB&F describes it, the wearer’s “time belongs to them and no one else.” The combination of the stark black background and the industrial vibe of the exposed and towering tourbillon with a cantilevered double-arch upper bridge is softened by the whimsical shape of the hour and minute hands.
The back of the Legacy Machine FlyingT Onyx reveals the theatrical sun-shaped automatic winding rotor of the 280-component movement that powers the watch. Boasting a power reserve of 100 hours — one of the longest among MB&F movements — the caliber runs at a pace of 18,000 beats per hour (2.5 Hz). Most modern watch movements are coplanar and radial in construction; conversely, MB&F built the movement of the FlyingT coaxially and vertically. To balance out the shape of the upper cage of the tall tourbillon (which holds more mass on one side), a hidden counterweight was placed on the opposite side, under the carriage.
As mentioned, MB&F has made the FlyingT in other materials and dial colors. However, I think she looks particularly stunning dressed in yellow gold and black. It sounds strange to describe an MB&F creation as subtle, but this particular colorway is the most subdued among all the FlyingT variants, and to me, the most chic and wearable. Fitted with a black leather strap and yellow gold pin buckle, the new MB&F Legacy Machine FlyingT Onyx in yellow gold retails for $138,000 USD. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.
