MB&F has partnered with artisan engraver Eddy Jaquet to create eight limited-edition Legacy Machine watches inspired by the classic tales of 19th-century sci-fi author Jules Verne.

Independent Swiss watchmaker MB&F is no stranger to collaborations (especially with a name that is short for “Max Busser & Friends), and this latest limited edition set of 18K red-gold Legacy Machines Split Escapements created in partnership with master engraver Eddy Jaquet, only serves to reinforce the legacy of “art created by friends.”

Born in 1965, in a small village on the outskirts of Neuchâtel, Eddy Jaquet first learned his trade at the École d’Arts Appliqués in La Chaux-de-Fonds and has worked as an engraver from 1987 to this day. In 2011, he first became a Friend of MB&F, enlisted to hand-engrave the names of Kari Voutilainen and Jean-François Mojon on the movement bridge of the very first Legacy Machine watches.

As MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser explains it, “We’ve worked with Eddy for years, but getting Eddy Jaquet to engrave names on movements is like playing Für Elise on a Stradivarius violin — you couldn’t imagine a more modest use of such an amazing gift.”

It seemed only natural that the next step was to give Eddy Jaquet creative license to unleash the full extent of his imagination and engraving skill upon eight new Legacy Machine Split Escapement watches.

After a brainstorming session with Max Büsser (an avid science fiction fan), the team ultimately decided that the theme for the new watches would be based on the writings of 19th-century sci-fi author Jules Verne, a prolific writer of some of the world’s most captivating science fiction adventures known to readers.

Tasked with creating the individual designs to be engraved on each watch face, Eddy Jaquet threw himself into the world of Jules Verne as part of the research and design process, reading up to 60 novels and short stories by Verne, including the 54-volume series of bestselling adventure novels known as the “Voyages Extraordinaires.”

Eight final stories were then selected, including the more well-known “Around The World In 80 Days” and some of Verne’s lesser-known works like Michael Strogoff and The Adventures of Captain Hatteras.

During the process, Jaquet also researched significant secondary creative works such as original published illustrations and set to work to create his own initial sketches and engraved detailed key moments and characters from each story as a tapestry upon the individual watch faces.

MB&F x Eddy Jaquet “Jules Verne Inspired” Limited Edition Legacy Machines

1. Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (top left)
2. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea (top right)
3. Around The World In Eighty Days (second row left)
4. The Adventures Of Captain Hatteras (second row right)
5. Robur The Conqueror (third row left)
6. Michael Strogoff (third row right)
7. From The Earth To The Moon (bottom row left)
8. Five Weeks In A Balloon (bottom row right)

It’s important to note that although the Legacy Machine has some of the largest dial “real estate” of the MB&F designs, in order to truly bring the engravings to life, the Legacy Machine Split Escapement was redesigned, including a slimmer bezel and wider dial plate, to ensure maximum space to tell the stories as imagined by Eddy Jaquet.

Designs like that of the “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea” allowed Jaquet to utilize the dial plate fully and depict the submarine Nautilus, drifting in the depths of the ocean and a pair of ruined pillars just above the power-reserve, reminiscent of the scene in which Captain Nemo and his crew explore the lost city of Atlantis.

Meanwhile, in the piece used to depict “Five Weeks In A Balloon,” Jaquet used the dial plate to imagine a trio of zebras visible at the date dial, quietly refreshing themselves at a watering hole on the African savannah. While not part of his initial concept sketch, the zebra’s were added late in the engraving process for a key point of aesthetic balance. This, however, required Jaquet to adjust the placement of two nearby hippopotami, highlighting the agility and adaptive skills essential to the delicate project.

Apart from the large amount of space afforded on the dial plate, the Legacy Machine Split Escapement also makes sense as the choice of watch for the special 19th-century Jules Verne inspired editions with MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser having initially created the Legacy Machine based on the musing “What watch would he have created if he had been born in 1867 instead of 1967?”

It would appear the answer to that is about as close to this watch as it comes.

Limited to eight pieces in total (one of each design), the MB&F x Eddy Jaquet Legacy Machines are reportedly sold-out.

MB&F x Eddy Jaquet Legacy Machine Split Escapement Details

Engine

• LM SE movement developed for MB&F by Stephan McDonnell
• Split escapement with the balance wheel suspended above the dial and the anchor and escapement wheel under the movement
• Manual winding with double mainspring barrels
• Power reserve: 72 hours
• Balance frequency: 2.5Hz / 18,000bph
• Number of components: 296
• Number of jewels: 35

Functions / Indications

• Hours, minutes, date and power-reserve indicators
• Push-button next to the date dial for quick adjustment of the dial

Case

• Material: 5N+ 18k red gold
• Sapphire crystals on top and display back treated with anti-reflective coating on both faces
• Dimensions: 44.5 mm x 18.2 mm
• Number of components: 17
• Water resistance: 30 m / 100ft / 3 ATM

Strap & Buckle

• Dark brown hand-stitched alligator strap with 5N+ red gold folding buckle matching the case

Price

• MB&F x Eddy Jaquet Legacy Machine Split Escapement Price: USD $162,000 (already sold out)