MB&F x Eddy Jaquet 2024

Overview

When Eddy Jaquet started engraving for MB&F in 2011, he was tasked with inscribing the names Kari Voutilainen and Jean-François Mojon on the bridges of the first Legacy Machine calibres. Even if the flowing letters and words were perfectly executed, they didn’t even begin to reveal the talent of this Neuchâtel-based engraver. All this was to change when Jaquet shared with MB&F that he would like to do more.

After a first series in 2020 featuring engravings inspired by novels and short stories of 19th-century French author Jules Verne, MB&F decided to continue with the literary inspiration for a second series and presented Eddy with a list of 15 famous novels in the young fiction category, of which he was to choose eight works. The LM Split Escapement models with Eddy Jaquet’s engravings features as follows: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, The Call of the Wild by Jack London, Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and Robin Hood (anonymous).

MB&F x Eddy Jaquet 2024

About the collaboration

“We’ve worked with Eddy for years, but getting Eddy Jaquet to engrave names on movements is like playing Für Elise on a Stradivarius violin — you couldn’t imagine a more modest use of such an amazing gift.”

Maximilian Büsser

ENGRAVING CHALLENGES
Not all the challenges of the pieces can be perceived with the naked eye. In certain parts, the dial plate had a thickness of 1.15mm, which allowed Jaquet ample space to engrave even in deep relief. In three particularly vulnerable areas, the dial plate measured only 0.35mm thick, requiring him to work with an extremely light touch in those places while making sure that the overall aesthetic of the engraving, which is intricately detailed, was not compromised.

INTRICATE COMPOSITION
The composition of each adventure also required deep reflection as the parts of the scene that would be hidden by different elements of the watch, such as the sub dials, bridges and hairspring would not disrupt the understanding of the illustration. In certain instances, these restrictions have been used to enhance the scene. In Robinson Crusoe, one of the subdials has been used to show the view through a telescope as our main character and his companion Friday observe a ship out at sea.

ADJUSTMENTS & REDESIGN
Several adjustments were made to the original LM Split Escapement as well, so as to maximise the available engraving space and allow Jaquet to exhibit his savoir-faire to the fullest. New, openworked date and power-reserve subdials were created, along with wider dial plates. The bezel was redesigned to be slimmer, and the case dimensions reworked, in order to make space for the wider dial plate. Because the bezel and case dimensions were changed, a new dial crystal had to be produced, with a less pronounced curve to the dome, since its diameter was now increased.

MB&F x Eddy Jaquet 2024

Machine in action

Eddy Jaquet is recognised throughout the rarefied circles of independent watchmaking aficionados as the man whose transformative touch can turn a watch into a rich storytelling tapestry. Those who have followed MB&F for a long time will already be familiar with his work. The flowing script you see on the Legacy Machine engines is made in Eddy Jaquet’s hand; it is the merest hint of his true artistic talent.

MB&F x Eddy Jaquet 2024

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MB&F x Eddy Jaquet

THE MACHINE

8 unique pieces

Limited edition of 8 unique pieces, with dial plates engraved by Eddy Jaquet, inspired by 8 young fiction novels.

Each engraving is an intricate tableau of scenes and key moments from the stories, synthesised in the imagination of Jaquet and expressly designed to be interpreted through the medium of the LM SE movement. Beyond the list of 15 initial novels for consideration, MB&F has always given Jaquet complete freedom in his creative process.

Material: Stainless steel
Dimensions: 44.5mm x 18.2mm
Number of components: 50
Water resistance: water resistant to 3 ATM / 30m / 100 feet

LM SE movement developed for MB&F by Stephen McDonnell.
Split escapement with balance wheel suspended above the dial and anchor and escapement wheel under the movement.
Manual winding with double mainspring barrels.
Bespoke 14mm balance wheel with traditional regulating screws visible on top of the movement.
Superlative hand finishing throughout respecting 19th-century style; bevelled internal angles highlighting hand craft; polished bevels; Geneva waves; hand-made engravings.
Balance frequency: 2.5Hz / 18,000 bph
72 hours power reserve
296 components / 35 jewels

Hours, minutes and power reserve indicator
Push-button next to the date dial for quick adjustment of the date.

MB&F x Eddy Jaquet 2024

Inspiration

After a successful series in 2020 based on the works of Jules Verne, MB&F decided to continue with the literary inspiration for a second series and presented Eddy with a list of 15 famous novels in the young fiction category, of which he was to choose eight works. Rediscovering the pages of each story over the following weeks and months, he finally made his selection of 8 literary classics.

Like the first Jules Verne series in 2020, none of the illustrations imagined by Jaquet are drawn from existing works of art. They are entirely conceived by the artist after reading the source books and viewing other creative works, such as films and comic books.