2025 is MB&F’s 20^th Anniversary and their celebrations kick off with two 20-piece Limited Edition “Longhorns” in stainless steel with rhodium-plated base plates, glossy black lacquer dials, and blued hands.

MB&F LM Sequential Flyback Longhorn (left) and LM Perpetual Longhorn

From the press release:

2025 marks the 20^th Anniversary of an adventure that started in 2005 when Maximilian Büsser started putting together a network of “Friends”, on the basis of a drawing that we know now as Horological Machine No.1. Two decades and more than 20 calibres later, the MB&F team includes over 60 employees – what a ride it has been.

Reflecting on the last 20 years, Max shares: “It is like a dream come true, only I never dreamt it. I could never have even imagined we would be where we are today back then; it is surreal.”

This birthday year will be jam-packed with new timepieces, collaborations, and surprises that are a genuine celebration of the art of MB&F creativity, starting with two limited editions – the LM Perpetual Longhorn and the LM Sequential Flyback Longhorn – limited to just 20 pieces each.

MB&F LM Perpetual Longhorn on the wrist

The Longhorn Adventure

The Longhorn concept was born in 2009 during the design phase of LM1, MB&F’s first Legacy Machine. The stylistic idea of playing with longer lugs – also called horns – was pleasing to the eye but problematic as where should the spring bar go: close to the case or at the tip of the lug?

Depending on the wrist size, both options can lead to a bad fit. So, the long horns were switched for short horns and that was that, or so everyone thought.

Fast forward to 2021 and the 10^th anniversary of the LM1. There were no LM1 timepieces left, since MB&F had made the decision to close the series. Just one prototype remained, potentially to mark this important milestone. But how could this timepiece be even more special than everything that had come before?

It was at this moment that the question of the long horns was raised once more, but this time with the ingenious idea of drilling two holes in the lugs – one at the tip of the horn, the other closer to the case – so the customer could decide.

This wasn’t the only special feature of this unique piece. Where most of the LM1s were crafted in gold, platinum or titanium, this one-of-a-kind timepiece came in stainless steel – and instead of the Legacy Machines’ classic white sub dials, it featured glossy black dials against a rhodium-plated base plate.

The black dials were a headache to create as even the smallest speck of dust would ruin them, but patience and perseverance prevailed.

The piece was sold at auction by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo with a significant portion of the proceeds going to Save the Rhino International, closing a chapter on the LM1. The incredible feedback following the sale, however, left a question about whether the long horns and this inversed black and silver colour scheme should end here.

MB&F LM Sequential Flyback Longhorn on the wrist

The First Two Anniversary Limited Editions

They say that “all good things come to an end”, but if you can make them last a bit longer, why not seize the right opportunity? This was the thinking behind these first two anniversary timepieces featuring stainless steel cases, long horns, rhodium-plated base plates, glossy black lacquer sub dials and blued hands.

MB&F LM standard lugs (left) compared with longhorn lugs

Legacy Machine Perpetual Longhorn

The first is the LM Perpetual Longhorn, containing MB&F’s GPHG award-winning perpetual calendar first released in 2015.

Back of the MB&F LM Perpetual Longhorn

Created in collaboration with independent watchmaker Stephen McDonnell, the 581-component, fully integrated and purpose-built movement eliminates the drawbacks of conventional perpetual calendars, offering a significantly more user-friendly and trouble-free solution.

MB&F LM Perpetual Longhorn

McDonnell’s perpetual calendar relies on a ground-breaking “mechanical processor” which avoids skipping dates and jamming gears as the adjuster pushers automatically deactivate when the calendar changes.

MB&F LM Perpetual Longhorn on the wrist

In this anniversary edition of 20 pieces, McDonnell’s visually stunning in-house movement takes on a whole new aesthetic with the addition of long horns and the black, silver and blue colourway.

Legacy Machine Sequential Flyback

The second limited edition, the LM Sequential Flyback Longhorn, was also conceived by Stephen McDonnell. The first version of the series, the LM Sequential EVO, was first released in 2022 and was MB&F’s first-ever chronograph – and 20^th calibre.

MB&F LM Sequential Flyback Longhorn

It featured significant technical innovations and an unprecedented combination of timing modes thanks to its “Twinverter” binary switch, allowing independent timing, split-second, cumulative and lap-timer modes – going on to win watchmaking’s ultimate prize, the coveted Aiguille d’Or award.

Back of the MB&F LM Sequential Flyback Longhorn

The Flyback version went even further than the EVO edition as, on top of the previous timing modes, typically associated with motor racing, it added the flyback function originally conceived for pilots, bringing the Sequential into the world of aviation.

Now adorned with long horns, blued hands and glossy black sub dials, this second limited edition of 20 pieces is also ready to kick off MB&F’s 20^th birthday celebration.

A Tribute to a Special Friend

“We cannot talk about MB&F’s journey, without talking about Stephen McDonnell,” notes Maximilian Büsser. “It is for this reason that we wanted to start our 20^th-anniversary celebrations with his calibres, which are some of the most complicated movements in the MB&F collection.”

Stephen McDonnell explaining his movement development process at Dubai Watch Week 2023

Northern Ireland-based watchmaker Stephen McDonnell is indeed one of the original MB&F Friends. His collaboration began in the very early days of the brand when he assisted with the final development and assembly of Horological Machine No.1. Several years later, he went on to develop the above mentioned LM Perpetual and LM Sequential.

These two Longhorn limited editions are just the beginning of a year of celebrations dedicated to MB&F’s many collaborations and creations, so stay tuned for more over the coming months.

For more information, please visit www.mbandf.com

Quick facts: MB&F LM Perpetual Longhorn
20^th Anniversary Limited Edition: 20 pieces in stainless steel with black sub dials
Engine
Fully integrated perpetual calendar developed for MB&F by Stephen McDonnell, featuring dial-side complication and mechanical processor system architecture with inbuilt safety mechanism.
Manual winding with double mainspring barrels.
Bespoke 14 mm balance wheel with traditional regulating screws visible on top of the movement.
Superlative hand finishing throughout respecting 19th century style; internal bevel angles highlighting hand craft; polished bevels; Geneva waves; hand-made engravings.
Black lacquered sub dials
Power reserve: 72 hours
Balance frequency: 2.5Hz (18,000vph)
Number of components: 581
Number of jewels: 41
Functions/indications
Hours, minutes, day, date, month, retrograde leap year and power reserve indicators
Case
Material: stainless steel
Dimensions: 44 mm x 17.5 mm
Number of components: 69 components
Water resistance: 30 m / 90′ / 3 ATM
Sapphire crystals
Sapphire crystals on top and display back treated with anti-reflective coating on both faces.
Strap & buckle
Calf leather strap with stainless steel folding buckle.
Limitation: 20 pieces
Price: 168,000- Swiss francs (excluding taxes)
Quick facts: MB&F LM Sequential Flyback Longhorn
20^th Anniversary Limited Edition: 20 pieces in stainless steel with black sub dials
Engine
Fully integrated dual chronograph flyback system developed for MB&F by Stephen McDonnell, featuring Twinverter switch allowing multiple timing modes.
Manual winding with double mainspring.
Flying balance wheel with regulating screws at 12 o’clock, Breguet overcoil.
Superlative hand finishing; internal bevel angles highlighting handcraft; polished bevels; Geneva waves; hand-made engravings.
Black lacquered inclined dial & black sub dials
Power reserve: 72 hours
Balance frequency: 3Hz (21,600 vph)
Number of components: 619
Number of jewels: 63
Functions
Time display (hours/minutes) at 6 o’clock.
Left chronograph : seconds displayed at 9 o’clock and minutes at 11 o’clock; start/stop pusher at 10 o’clock and reset/flyback at 8 o’clock.
Right chronograph : seconds displayed at 3 o’clock and minutes at 1 o’clock; start/stop pusher at 2 o’clock and reset/flyback at 4 o’clock.
Twinverter pusher at 9 o’clock: binary switch that inverts the current start/stop status of both chronographs.
Both chronographs are equipped with a flyback.
Power reserve indication at the back of the movement.
Case
Material: stainless steel
Dimensions : 44mm x 18.2mm.
Number of components : 88
Water resistance : 30m / 3ATM / 90 feet
Sapphire crystals
Sapphire crystals on top and display back treated with anti-reflective coating on both faces.
Strap & buckle
Calf leather strap with stainless steel folding buckle.
Limitation: 20 pieces
Price: 168,000- Swiss francs (excluding taxes)

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