MB&F LM Sequential Flyback EVO: the chronograph reinvented, once again!

While some watchmakers add complications, others challenge the very way a complication should work. MB&F embodies that idea perfectly with the LM Sequential Flyback EVO.

When MB&F unveiled the LM Sequential EVO in 2022, the brand didn’t merely deliver its first chronograph. It rewrote the rulebook. A double chronograph, double column wheels, double vertical clutches, and above all the now-famous Twinverter, a binary switch capable of instantly flipping the state of both chronographs. The result: a watch able to perform independent, cumulative, sequential or split-seconds-style functions, without ever sacrificing legibility or mechanical coherence. The GPHG recognised it accordingly, awarding it the Aiguille d’Or.

But for Stephen McDonnell, the watchmaker behind the calibre, the story wasn’t finished.

Two chronographs, a flyback … and zero compromise

After two additional years of development, the movement grew from 585 to 621 components. The reason? Integrating a flyback function on each of the two chronographs, without undermining the calibre’s energy stability. A feat, considering how mechanically demanding flyback is, even on a single chronograph. Flyback can turn into a “boomerang”: client > after-sales service > client > after-sales service, and so on.

Here, each flyback is executed with a simple press, with stop, reset and restart combined into a single action. Everything relies on a patented system of vertical clutches with internal jewels, designed to reduce friction and preserve balance amplitude. McDonnell even went so far as to make a specific jewel himself for the first prototype, as no suitable part could be sourced from suppliers. That detail neatly sums up the philosophy of this watch: you don’t simplify, you invent.

The EVO DNA, finally complete

This new EVO version isn’t merely a sportier outfit. It brings together everything the first EVO editions of the Sequential were missing:

• a 44 mm grade 5 titanium case,
• 80-metre water resistance,
• a screw-down crown,
• an integrated rubber strap,
• the FlexRing shock-absorption system, invisible yet crucial to protecting the movement,
• and above all, the tilted hours-and-minutes dial, the visual signature of the classic Legacy Machines, which markedly improves legibility.

The blue-green dial plate gives welcome breathing room to an already dense display, without ever tipping into showy excess. It’s a delicate balance, and one that’s been mastered.

A complication designed to be used

What truly sets the LM Sequential Flyback EVO apart is that it isn’t a theoretical demonstration. It’s a chronograph designed to be used in real life, which is rare at this level of complexity.

The Twinverter, for example, allows you to time two consecutive laps, two projects, two competitors or two phases of a training session, without ever interrupting the overall timing. Flyback turns those uses into fluid gestures. The logic is relentless, almost computer-like, yet entirely mechanical. A form of horological programming, in the noblest sense of the term.

A logical continuation of Stephen McDonnell’s work

For those who follow McDonnell’s work, this watch fits into an obvious continuum. Back in 2015, he had already upended the perpetual calendar with the LM Perpetual, eliminating the structural weaknesses of traditional calendar mechanisms.

I actually remember very clearly the first time I saw that piece, during a visit to the M.A.D.Gallery in Geneva. The watch was being officially presented to the press.
For those who want to revisit that foundational milestone, I recommend reading my article devoted to the MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual, which helps to better understand the guiding thread of this extraordinary collaboration.

A watch that isn’t trying to please everyone

With a price of €181,000, the LM Sequential Flyback EVO is obviously not trying to appeal to a broad audience. And that’s a good thing. It’s a demanding, intellectual watch—almost radical in its approach. It takes time to understand, and even more to fully exploit. But that is precisely what gives it its value.

In a watchmaking landscape where many chronographs simply recycle the same architectures, MB&F offers an object that pushes the limits of the mechanical chronograph with rare coherence. Not a display-case watch. A watch of conviction.

Another detail, and by no means a minor one—rare enough in watchmaking that it deserves to be mentioned. The “F” in MB&F stands for “Friends”: those who contribute to the brand’s projects. At the end of the press kit, all the “Friends” who took part in bringing this watch to life are listed—and that is a genuine show of teamwork and gratitude. So let’s name them: