The MB&F x Bvlgari Legacy Machine FlyingT Allegra : Simply Machinetastic
4 min read
What happens when a futuristic label like MB&F joins hands with a traditionalist like Bulgari? Magic of course, say hello to the most interesting collaboration of the year—Legacy Machine FlyingT Allegra. In a galaxy of stars the new FlyingT Allegra creates a space of its own.
Instantly mesmerising, a flurry of fine gemstones surrounds the artistic flying tourbillon movement of the watch encased in a dome of sapphire glass, very Bulgari and very MB&F all at once. The idea of a watch together for the two houses sparked from a conversation between MB&F founder and creative director Maximilian Büsser and Bulgari’s creative director for watches Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani at Dubai Watch Week five years ago. From then on began a journey of crafting a timepiece that spoke both their languages seamlessly and ticked in harmony that both could tune to.
It's no secret that Büsser’s vision of making horological wonders that wow at first sight has always been his focus. After his journey through the world of watches for many years, he finally started his label in 2005 keeping this very thought in mind. Off late, his path has been tilted towards women too and his artful approach truly comes to life in this very creation. The Legacy Machine FlyingT Allegra is quintessentially a flying tourbillon that’s vertically built along a central axis orchestrating the overall architecture of the entirely visible mechanism. You’d think the name ‘FlyingT’ is a nod to the movement itself but in addition to that it’s also a tribute to Büsser’s wife, Tiffany. “This watch is dedicated to all the women in my life,” he smiles.
Bulgari on the other hand has always been all about women, at first a jewellery house and then a watchmaker, nobody celebrates precious gemstones quite like them. For the FlyingT Allegra, it was only fair for the two houses to come together to craft a high jewellery complication that meshed their astuteness and strengths with ease. Stigliani’s steadfast mind and Bulgari-esq aesthetic comes through the diamond snow-set mainplate with a flurry of tourmaline, tsavorite, diamonds, rubellite, amethyst, tanzanite and topaz. The gems take the mainstage right around the movement encircling it with ease. Each carefully selected precious gem is pronged almost invisibly letting the beauty of each stone shine through. Between seven and eight o’ clock sits the dial angled at a comfortable 50° vertically emblazoned with blue serpentine hands for the hours and minutes and completely paved with brilliant cut diamonds.
At 39mm, the slender bezel that has been reimagined by Bulgari to give it a futuristic yet opulent look outlines the signature sapphire dome case, cocooning the timepiece like a UFO that mysteriously lands on the wrist. Amidst the organized chaos lies the radial and co-planar approach to movement construction, the LM FlyingT engine utilises a vertical and co-axial approach. The cinematic flying tourbillon, which boldly projects beyond the dial-plate of LM FlyingT, is a visually stunning example of the rotating escapement and stands in stark contrast to other flying tourbillons, which usually do not venture past the confines of their surrounding watch dials.
More often than not, flying tourbillon are anchored only at their base, with no stabilising bridge to restrict lateral motion at the top and the LM FlyingT breaks from exactly that. Between the regulating organ and the rotor, the barrel ensures an extremely generous 100-hour power reserve made possible by the reduction in the number of gears. Limited to 20 pieces in 18K white gold and 20 pieces for 18k red gold, these are definitely pieces to watch out for and more importantly celebrate!
