MB&F collaborates with watchmaker Stephen McDonnell
With a shared commitment to celebrating independent watchmakers and educating the market about collecting fine watches, PMT The Hour Glass, one of Thailand’s most prestigious timepiece importers, has joined forces with MB&F, Maximillian Büsser & Friends, a world-renowned independent watchmaker, to unveil one of the most sophisticated horological machines yet, The LM Perpetual. Spending numerous months and many long hours handcrafting 581 components into a single complex machine, MB&F collaborated with Stephen McDonnell, an independent watchmaker and long- time friend of the company.
Together, they rebelled against the traditional “grand levier" system to reinvent the perpetual calendar, one of the most complicated mechanisms in watchmaking. “Stephen singlehandedly reinvented the calendar; he is a superstar," said Maximillian Büsser, creative director and owner of MB&F. “We created a whole new complex movement that’s never been seen before in the watch industry. We just went ahead with it and it works. As a leader of a company with a strong passion for innovation, Stephen had made a huge impact with his creation."
The LM Perpetual’s perpetual calendar uses a 28-day month base and adds extra days as required, as opposed to the traditional 31- day month calendar, which subtracts the days as needed for shorter months, which can result in inaccurate date display and even damage to the timepiece as correcting the dates requires manual manipulation. In fact, The LM Perpetual’s movement is entirely unlike anything seen before; where traditional calendars comprise three clearly- defined layers—a base movement, perpetual calendar module and display—this timepiece calibrates them into a single system, creating a fool-proof, 3D wearable timepiece that is truly one of a kind.
Cased in a high- domed sapphire crystal, the sophisticated machines are crafted individually by hand, resulting in extremely limited pieces being available each year. “Quality over quantity," said Büsser. “At MB&F, we are all about rebelling against the corporate ways of watch uses a 28-day month base and adds extra days as required, as opposed to the traditional 31- day month calendar, which subtracts the days as needed for shorter months, which can result in inaccurate date display and even damage to the timepiece as correcting the dates requires manual manipulation.
In fact, The LM Perpetual’s movement is entirely unlike anything seen before; where traditional calendars comprise three clearly- defined layers—a base movement, perpetual calendar module and display—this timepiece recalibrates them into a single system, creating a fool-proof, 3D wearable timepiece that is truly one of a kind. Cased in a high- domed sapphire crystal, the sophisticated machines are crafted individually by hand, resulting in extremely limited pieces being available each year. “Quality over quantity," said Büsser. “At MB&F, we are all about rebelling against the corporate ways of watch manufacturing. The 20 people in our extraordinary team are all friends who are artisans, designers and engineers. That is where the company name comes from: we want to celebrate the individual makers and their stories. On our website, each creator has all their information on display: address, telephone number, even photos from their childhood. We want to celebrate the humanity behind the machines, as well as the work itself."
Besides the state-of- the-art system, the LM Perpetual also comes with a look to match, available in Platinum 950 or 18k red gold case, with sleek black or dark brown hand-stitched alligator strap. “When I started MB&F, I wanted to created something beautiful and to work with people who shares the same passion," said Büsser. “It is so important to preserve the craftsmanship of watchmaking. Artisanal products anchored us into reality and that is why our company is here, to celebrate the beauty of creation and drive forward with innovation."
