MB&F’s latest Legacy Machine 101 editions bring miniature jungle worlds to the wrist. Created by Swiss-based artist and enameller Gabriel Colliard, three cloisonné enamel scenes transform the watch’s dial into a vivid meeting point between independent watchmaking and the decorative arts.
The collection comprises Monkey Blue, Macaw Red and Crocodile Green. Each limited edition is built around one animal and a dominant colour, explored through a range of translucent, semi-opaque and opaque enamels. The effect is layered and atmospheric, rather than broadly multicoloured, with a contemporary sensibility that nods to the richly enamelled dials of the 1950s.
The collaboration began with a simple invitation: MB&F gave Colliard the freedom to create his own compositions. Born from a background in painting, his practice treats enamel as a medium for working with colour, light and composition not merely as ornament. He studied fine arts in Argentina before moving to Switzerland in 2003, where he first worked in watchmaking. He later trained in enamelling in Limoges, France, and developed his craft in specialist workshops and at Patek Philippe.
Each dial is made using the traditional cloisonné technique. Colliard shapes fine gold wires by hand to define the animals, foliage and other details, forming compartments that he fills with enamel. The dial is fired repeatedly as successive layers build the colours and their varied degrees of transparency. Since enamel shifts in the kiln, even a subtle change in tone can mean several more rounds of work. Colliard’s view is that the fire always has the final say. At roughly one completed composition a month, the full run of 24 watches is expected to take more than two years.
Bringing the artwork to the LM101 presented a further challenge. The model’s suspended balance wheel and sculptural bridges take up much of the dial, while the enamel adds its own thickness. Colliard worked these mechanical forms into the scenes, making them part of the composition. To accommodate the work, MB&F modified the dial plate, removed the original sub-dials and extended their hands. The result allows the watch’s architecture and the artwork to share the stage. The dial’s palette carries through to the movement’s reverse, where an enamelled ratchet wheel echoes its colours and motifs. Colliard develops both elements in parallel, giving the front and back a shared visual language.
The 40 mm platinum case stands 16.55 mm high. Double-sided anti-reflective sapphire crystals protect the watch, which is water-resistant to 30 metres. Inside is a manually wound movement first developed by MB&F’s in-house engineering team with independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen, who set its traditional finishing specifications. For these editions, the calibre’s power reserve has been extended from 45 to 60 hours.
The movement comprises 222 components and 23 jewels. Its 14 mm suspended balance wheel is fitted with a Straumann double hairspring and beats at 18,000 vibrations per hour, or 2.5 Hz. Hours and minutes appear at 2 o’clock, with the power reserve indicator at 6. Finishing details include undulating Geneva waves, hand-polished bevels, gold chatons, countersunk blued screws, NAC-treated rear bridges and a rhodium-plated mainplate.
Each edition is limited to eight pieces and comes on a hand-stitched alligator leather strap with a white gold folding buckle cover. Pricing is CHF 98,000 / €107,000 / US$131,000, excluding taxes.
