M.A.D.1 BLUE
In June 2021, MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser presented a timepiece called the M.A.D.1: not an MB&F Machine but a more accessible timepiece developed under a different brand, M.A.D.Editions, linking it to the mechanical art universe that has been created with the M.A.D.Galleries.
Overview
During the inception of MB&F, nearly two decades ago, Maximilian had an idea for a parallel watch brand at a more affordable price point. The project was a bit mad; at the time, his attention was naturally focused on MB&F and he was not able to drum up enough funding to get it off the ground.
The concept never left him, however, bubbling away in the back of his mind… until 2014, when the idea resurfaced. After several months of work, Max decided once again to put the prototype of what would later become the M.A.D.1 on the back burner – until it came back again in 2020, at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, when the MB&F team spent countless hours in Zoom meetings, brainstorming on new projects.
About the M.A.D.1 BLUE
The M.A.D.1 was never “launched”. In June 2021, without any forewarning, it was simply presented on a short email, accompanied by a few photos, to MB&F’s suppliers and collectors. It was not announced on the brand’s website or social media channels. But that simple email generated a media storm unlike anything MB&F had ever seen.
Coming from MB&F, whose timepieces range from about $60,000 to $500,000, the accessible price of the M.A.D.1 seemed impossible to believe. At the time, since the project was created purely as a thank you to all those who had helped create MB&F, it was not intended to be a business and its price did not reflect the real value of the timepiece.
The M.A.D.1 was conceived with the same amount of creativity as an MB&F Machine, but with an additional constraint, which one could argue is even more challenging: the affordable price point. Developing a movement from scratch would clearly have been too expensive, so modifying a tried and proven base calibre was required. Among a few potential candidates, the Miyota 821A movement was chosen for its unidirectional winding system – essential for easy and high-speed rotation of the winding rotor, a key element of the M.A.D.1 design.
Inspiration
I absolutely LOVE creating insane MB&F Machines – and I still do! – but their very high price, due to their complexity, production and quality of finishing, had created a bit of frustration in me: my family and friends could never afford them. That’s why I've been playing with the M.A.D.Editions side project for quite a while. Also, there was an enormous intellectual challenge in developing something creative at a much lower price point.
Maximilian Büsser