The ‘Silicon Valley’ aesthetic is an interesting one. On one hand you have your Zuckerbergs and Musks who slouch around in non-descript t-shirts and on the other hand you have the tech billionaires who like to show it with tailored suits and high-end wristwatches (even renowned normcore fan Zuckerberg was recently seen wearing a Patek Phillipe 5236P along with a slew of F.P Journes). MB&F’s latest limited edition is unapologetically aimed at the latter though in a somewhat tongue in cheek manner. It’s the MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual EVO Silicon Valley Edition.
The EVO has historically been MB&F’s sportiest model, if any of their haute horological creations can be labelled as such. What that means is they’ve kept it exclusively in titanium and zirconium for that lightweight, everyday wearability. For the Silicon Valley edition they’ve intentionally turned up the luxury dial by a considerable amount, swapping the case material to rose gold. As MB&F describe, it’s a golden case for the golden state – meaning California where Silicon Valley is located.
Gold is a somewhat impractical watchmaking material. Pure gold is actually a very soft material, meaning it’s easily scratched and bent. As a result, brands have to turn to tougher alloys that provide higher levels of strength and resilience. Rose gold specifically is an alloy of gold and copper, where the copper provides strength while also giving the metal a redder colouration, hence the name rose. The LM Perpetual EVO Silicon Valley is made from 18k rose gold, the most common type in the watch world, which is a mix of 75% gold and 25% copper. You can learn more about essential watchmaking materials here.
Moving beyond the updated and more luxurious case, the display is more or less identical to the existing LM Perpetual EVO models. That means it has a flying balance wheel front and centre, suspended by two arching bridges. There’s then the hour and minute dial offset towards 12 o’clock balanced by the months subdial at 6 as well as the date and days of the week at 9 and 3 respectively. Completing the list of functions are the leap year indicator and power reserve indicator nestled between the subdials on the lower half of the display.
In classic MB&F fashion, the movement powering these perpetual calendar complications is known simply as the LM Perpetual. It has a 72-hour power reserve and is comprised of an immense 581 parts. Considering how busy the calendars are for some of these Silicon Valley moguls, with a watch like this on hand they can plan their lives for the next 100 years. No doubt at least one of them will find a way to extend their lives that long, probably by absorbing the souls of people who didn’t read the terms and conditions on the latest gizmo.
The MB&F LM Perpetual EVO Silicon Valley Edition is a limited edition of just 18 pieces at a price of $210,000 + tax (approx. £166,000 + tax). It’s available exclusively through MB&F’s retail partner Stephen Silver at the soon-to-open MB&F Lab at Menlo Park, in Silicon Valley. It’s brash and luxurious but it’s also targeted at brash people with a lot of money, so MB&F know what they’re doing.
Price and Specs:
More details at MB&F.
