gfoo
29
It was a hard process, here's why.
When I first saw the LM1 last year, I had to have it. It was just so beautiful - the finishing, Kari, etc. I waited almost 9 months for a piece to finally be available to me - and it arrived two weeks ago.
The following is a ramble of an uninitiated non-Purist noob who really doesn't have that 'finer taste' that many others better, older, and more established than me have. These are my own opinions only and please forgive me if i offend!
I LOVE THE LM1
And in the week prior to its arrival, i started reading and soaking in all i could about the brand MB&F, and Max. The risks, the polarization of views his machines invoked. All the wonderful machines he created from HM1 thru 5, and the LM1. And then I stumbled upon the HM3.
Further enquiries revealed that there happened to still be a HM3 available in my market. Pristine in condition even though it was made probably in late 2011, and sitting in the windows for at least a year or two - flawless, untouched, and pristine in its plastic wrapping.
And when I handled the HM3 in real life - that surety about the LM1 dissipated. Because unlike the LM1, my heart skipped a beat. It planted a seed of doubt in my hereto LM1-ish heart. Those nights of indecision was excruciating.
TWO DIFFERENT FEELINGS - ONE RATIONAL, ONE EMOTIONAL
Both watches invoke very different feelings.
The LM1 was a no brainer. It was beautiful. It won 2 GPHG 'Oscar' awards. It had Voutilainen engraved at the back. It had a long waiting list. Finishing, anglage, chatons, maillechort - everything was ticked in the 'list'. My brain said 'YES!' 'Get This!' ..... I watched the wonderful LM1 videos on the MB&F site; Max's GPHG acceptance speeches; countless of reviews etc. In situ, i would have gotten that immediately. It was the rational choice, like buying Berkshire Hathaway.
But it was the HM3 that sang to me. A total shock design-wise, a shock that made me smile and my heart sing.
But why in the world would I buy an 'old' watch? A watch introduced in 2008 with deliveries starting in 2009? That's 4 years! When for exactly the same money, i can have the spankingly fresh LM1 that is right now the darling of the horological world?
Because to me, the HM3 as a design, as a whole, as an image... it redefined what was acceptable in watches, and was instrumental in propelling MB&F into public 'man-in-the-street's' eye - i dare say more so than the HM1 and HM2 in terms of its boldness. It was a tremendous risk for Max back then IMHO - but one that has paid off in terms of MB&F's public perception and brand value.
RENDER UNTO CAESAR
Even before i really started doing research, when someone asked me 'who is MB&F' - i'd have responded 'oh those spaceship watch guys'. During my research period, I consulted many people from all walks of life - guys in my car club; fellow beginner collectors like myself; established Purists here - and their responses, like the watches, were equally polarizing.
But two esteemed Purists and past reviewers here whom I highly respect reminded me: why do you buy a Lange, why do you buy a Dufour? therefore, why would you buy an MB&F? One further emphasized - "if you want finishing, something more classic, go for Voutilainen or Dufour. the LM1 is NOT designed by Voutilainen - he specified finishing and aesthetics. if you want avant-garde, go for MB&F and Urwerk.
WHY NOT THE LM1 FIRST
Because the LM1 was the sensible choice, the rational choice. It had a waiting list, and the higher level of finishing simply meant it had a higher intrinsic value. It was round, thus much more acceptable to the general market and would do well in the resale market. The more I went on, the more I felt i was buying a stock.
I went back almost daily in a week to do wear-tests with the LM1. It was a beautiful watch, with the mesmerizing large balance wheel suspended on the dial. On the wrist, it looked like a really beautiful and shiny traditional watch. 2 metres from a full length mirror and it hit me. It looked like a shiny Haldimann, no, a McGonigle, no, a (put an indie here) ----- whatever it was, it didn't look like an MB&F. The LM1 was excruciatingly beautiful, but it didn't shock. It didn't polarize. It didn't make one stop and exclaim - WTF is that, it's beautiful/ugly/crazy/trekkie. It was a tremendously beautiful movement in a round case. It made one admire, but it didn't make one palpitate.
My wife agreed. She thought the LM1 looked beautiful. But she loved the HM3 more. So did I.
INITIAL THOUGHTS ON THE ORIGINAL HM3
HM3 must be Max's most successful design - it has spawned numerous iterations and partnerships with the likes of Sarpaneva and Boucheron. At launch in 2009, only a few pieces were available to my market with an 18 month waiting list. They have discontinued it in favour for the more useable/readable HM3 Megawind - which was also available for me to choose, also at the same price point as the HM3 and LM1, at the same time.
Why didn't I go for the Megawind? Because just to show a nice big rotor, compromises were made. They removed the date dial - once waxed superlative by Max in his interviews as being 'the first in the world' or something (I remember reading it in Timewerke). The previous smaller all-gold rotor was now two-toned - titanium grey with rose gold. They removed the solid gold half cover from the two peaks leaving the sapphire cones naked. The Night/Day indicator in rose gold was also removed. Yes it's definitely more readable now, but it felt like something was missing compared to the original. It's definitely cheaper to build than the original HM3. It seemed 'less cool'. Less Steampunkish. The fact it didn't come in Sidewinder didn't help.
RELEVANCE FOR THE FUTURE
Yes I said it - Steampunk. Some called the LM1 steampunkish. I say that the HM3 is the granddaddy of Steampunkishness (if there's such a word). Somehow, 5 years on since its introduction, the original HM3, to me, seems more relevant than ever design-wise. I dare say that it would stand the test of time - being at home in a Jules Verne novel as well as it sits with James T Kirk or Picard or around Bruce Willis' wrist in the 5th Element or around Queen Amidala's pinkish aureolas.
Thence the long-winded story of my choice. Forgive my noob-ness, my inexperience, and if I have offended. (P.S. That said about the LM1, it's beauty is undeniable and I still have it on reserve - and if I should bite the bullet and execute now or wait the next round!)
This message has been edited by gfoo on 2013-05-18 08:40:59 This message has been edited by gfoo on 2013-05-18 08:43:18
More posts:
Two MB&F beauties make for indecisive anguish
Two beauties - one avantgarde, one traditional - which to choose on a thin wallet? There can only be one. See the pain on my face... After sleepless nights i have chosen one of these for a start - my first foray into MB&F - leaving the other beautiful...
Congrats!
Love both MB&F pieces (slightly prefer the sarpaneva frog). If it were me, I would go with the LM1, which is certainly on my short list. Look forward to seeing your new watch, do post some wrist shots!
That is a tough choice
But personally I would go for the LM1. I have loved all MB&Fs from the start, but my favourites are HM2 and LM1. Let us know, and looking forward to a wearers review.
It was a hard process, here's why.
When I first saw the LM1 last year, I had to have it. It was just so beautiful - the finishing, Kari, etc. I waited almost 9 months for a piece to finally be available to me - and it arrived two weeks ago. The following is a ramble of an uninitiated non-P...
Perfectly understandable
I rememeber passing by the same pros and cons list between 2 watches I was aiming at. The problem was they both had their strong characteristics but very difficult to compare from one another. As always it is difficult to forecast what it will be like to ...
Huge congrats!
even Tony Stark would be envious of you =) Striking with style =) Best, Alex ...
Steampunkishness
There is the word now that you've coined it ... IF you can imagine climbing up on this machine to repair / launch / aim it, whilst wearing your HM3? Congratulations on a fantastic timepiece. Cazalea ...
