Meteorological science tells us that the encounter between cold and hot currents can cause climate dramas of all kinds and entities. Storms, extreme weather conditions and even tornadoes could result. So when two very different master watchmakers get together (one is a legendary innovator of the Joux Valley, known for the originality of its surprising complications, the other a well-known perfectionist and acclaimed pillar of traditional watchmaking working in Motiers) are very likely to spark.

Rising from a blue guilloche sea, the spherical rotating mass shows itself in all its complexity with gears, pinions and cages. Somehow, this chaotic movement gives off a certain order. The time can be read on a lacquered dial with an enamel and angled finish, demonstrating that even the most violent whirlwinds of watchmaking can be harnessed to the logic of hours and minutes.

Maximilian Busser, the founder of MB&F, states: "One of the many things that makes me incredibly happy is that thanks to this model we have managed to bring together two personalities from the sector for whom I have immense esteem, gifted with great talent, with two completely different styles and personalities and who have never had way of working together ".

Certain opportunities, when grasped, can revolutionize the future of an entire industry. The only statement that MB&F gave to Eric Coudray at the beginning of the project was of "To create the craziest and most cinematic three-axis tourbillon ever". Having carte blanche to give free rein to his creative genius, Coudray has created something totally new in his experience: a mechanism that goes beyond the tourbillon, the new "TriAx"Patented by MB&F.

The new mechanism "TriAx"Present in the Legacy Machine Thunderdome satisfies in an amazing way the indications given by MB&F in Coudray. The triple axis rotating escapement has a minimalist structure, capable of breaking all conventions, both traditional and modern. Instead of the rational (and cumbersome) system that associates a cage with each rotating axis, TriAx defies logic with a three-axis, two-cage configuration that clearly shows the unprecedented whirlwind of the beating heart of the Thunderdome.

In a second rush of audacity, coudray, whose name is synonymous with futuristic XNUMXst century watchmaking, has developed the mechanism TriAx of the LM Thunderdome in such a way as to eradicate the most common notions on watchmaking escapements. Controlling the rate at which energy escapes the barrel is an unusual Potter escapement, which uses a fixed escape wheel in place of movable escape wheels, used in virtually all modern rotating escapements. In this type of mechanism, the fixed wheel of the Potter escapement, which owes its name to the XNUMXth century watchmaker and inventor Albert H. Potter, allows to obtain a higher rotation speed.

Inserting a fixed escape wheel inside a three-axis rotating mechanism is something absolutely innovative, but in the LM Thunderdome It's possible and for a good reason: high-speed rotation consumes a lot of energy, with the innermost frame making a full revolution in 8 seconds, the middle cage rotating once every 12 seconds, and the outermost cage making a full revolution every 20 seconds.

Another advantage of the escapement Potter is that it leaves more space for the balance wheel and its spiral. This allows you to better admire another totally new invention: the balance wheel of the LM Thunderdome it takes on a hemispherical shape, surrounding the helical spiral to create a regulating organ whose structure is unprecedented in watchmaking, neither in the modern nor in the traditional one.

Even for a seasoned watch connoisseur accustomed to multi-axis tourbillons of the last 15 years, ever since this type of mechanism was launched in the world of watchmaking, Legacy Machine Thunderdome it is a true revelation. It is not only faster with components spinning at breakneck speeds but it is also wider, thanks to the offset axis of the outermost cage which increases the overall displacement of the balance wheel and shows itself like never before. The pronounced arched shape of the sapphire crystal dome allows the work of Eric Coudray to dominate the main dial, showing itself in all its beauty from any side.

As difficult as it is to take your eyes off the spectacular dial, the opposite side of the LM Thunderdome it is just as fulfilling. If the manual winding movement with triple barrel was designed by Eric Coudray, aesthetics is entirely due to Kari Voutilainen.

After hours and hours spent working together, the two watchmakers have managed to give the agile dynamism of the Coudray movement elegantly classic shapes. Softly rounded bridges, with hand-smoothed live internal corners and specular curves infuse a deep and unabashed calm, able to stabilize the turbulent vortex on the opposite side. For the first time in a creation MB&F, Kari Voutilainen applied its patented finish to the spools. This technique gives the circular surface a meandering shimmer, capturing and reflecting light with sigmoid waves. It is a jealously guarded manufacturing secret in the laboratories of Voutilainen, which requires years of experience and special tools to make.

La LM Thunderdome is launched in two limited editions: 33 pieces in 950 platinum, with a blue guilloché dial and 10 pieces (photo below) in tantalum for the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of The Hour Glasss, a retail group from the Asia Pacific region. Five will be equipped with a dark blue guilloché dial and five with an inlaid aventurine dial (photo below left). The price will be over 300.000 EURO including taxes.