In Depth · MB&F

Can the LM1 EVO make independent dual time an everyday watch?

MB&F keeps the original’s two separately settable clocks, then adds EVO shock protection, 80-metre water resistance and a longer reserve.

Hen & Mills Editorial · 3 min read · 14 October 2026

• Two fully independent subdials can each show hours and minutes, including half-hour or 45-minute offsets.
• The 42 by 16.8 mm titanium case adds an 80-metre rating, FlexRing shock dampener and interchangeable rubber strap.
• MB&F also offers a 33-piece rose-gold edition; its machine description gives no edition-specific or Australian-dollar list price.

Two independent time displays are the Legacy Machine N°1's most useful idea. Each subdial has its own hours and minutes, so neither is confined to the whole-hour offsets imposed by many conventional GMT layouts. In the LM1 EVO, MB&F has placed that arrangement inside its more protective EVO case. The question is whether the extra engineering makes this very architectural watch easier to live with, or simply changes its silhouette.

Two displays that really are independent

Look past the suspended balance and the dial resolves into two small, separate time displays. Each can be adjusted to its own hours and minutes. That matters for places whose offset is 30 or 45 minutes, and it also lets one display serve as an elapsed-time reference while the other keeps local time. The arrangement is not a conventional GMT hand circling a 24-hour scale; it asks the wearer to read two complete clocks instead.

This is also the original LM1's core idea, so the EVO treatment should be judged by how it supports that idea. MB&F has retained the twin-subdial layout and dramatic 14 mm suspended balance; the EVO uses black time displays. In the titanium edition, the rhodium-plated dial plate, black displays and blue hands give the two readings a strong visual separation. The watch remains busy in the centre, but the time displays have defined surfaces rather than vanishing into the exposed mechanics.

The power reserve moves down

On the original LM1, a vertical power-reserve indicator rose above the movement. The LM1 EVO moves that information to an inclined display below the balance. It is a significant change to the layout: remaining energy becomes a glanceable gauge rather than another tall object competing for attention. The new manual-wind movement also runs for 60 hours, up from the original's 45, according to MB&F. That is a practical increase when there is no automatic rotor to replenish the barrel on the wrist.

The movement was developed by MB&F with Jean-François Mojon, while Kari Voutilainen specified its aesthetics and finishing. MB&F describes gold chatons, polished bevels, Geneva waves and hand engraving. From the back, the darkened bridges are framed by the box-shaped sapphire window. The calibre is not hidden to make the case feel more like a tool watch; the contrast between traditional finishing and modern protection is the point of the EVO interpretation.

Protection with a substantial case

The grade 5 titanium case measures 42 mm in diameter, 16.8 mm high and 52 mm from lug to lug. Those numbers matter more than the nominally modest diameter: a high-domed sapphire crystal and elevated balance give this watch a lot of vertical presence. The 18 mm lug width is less useful as a buying shortcut than the integrated strap geometry, which determines how the watch wraps around a wrist. A photograph can show the proportions, but it cannot establish a universal fit.

MB&F rates the case to 80 metres and uses screw-down crowns. Between case and movement sits the FlexRing, an annular dampener intended to reduce shock transmitted to the calibre. Those are tangible changes from a precious object designed chiefly for careful handling, though MB&F does not publish a quantified impact test for this model. The quick-change rubber strap can be released at the case and at the folding clasp, making replacement less dependent on a watchmaker's bench.

There is a trade-off in the packaging. The protective hardware and dome make a 16.8 mm watch, and its two-crown case still looks like an elaborate machine rather than a simple travel companion. Yet the combination of water resistance, shock damping and an easier strap system gives the dual-time display a more plausible role outside occasional wear. The EVO case does not make the LM1 discreet; it makes its complications less fragile in ordinary use.

LM1 EVO pricing and availability

MB&F presents a grade 5 titanium version with a rhodium dial plate and a 5N+ rose-gold version with a green dial plate. The rose-gold edition is limited to 33 pieces. The machine description does not assign an edition-specific list price, and it gives no Australian-dollar price or local stock position. MB&F lists a retailer in Sydney, but buyers would need to confirm the edition, price and availability directly.

As an answer to the original question, the LM1 EVO is more convincing as a daily companion because its useful dual-time arrangement now sits within an 80-metre case with a shock dampener and a longer-running movement. It is still a large, complex watch to wear. That tension, rather than a claim that it has become an ordinary sports watch, is what makes this version interesting.