By Jacky, artist, watchmaker (at Right Time Inc), and lifelong sci-fi daydreamer
Swiss watchmaking isn’t exactly known for encouraging rebellion. But in 2005, Maximilian Büsser went full mad scientist and launched MB&F, a brand that makes timepieces that look like spacecraft, behave like kinetic sculptures, and might honestly ask you for a passport.
For someone like me, an artist, watchmaker, fashion designer, and textile engineer who’s always been more inspired by Star Wars than tourbillons, MB&F, isn’t just a brand. It’s proof that watches can be narrative-driven objects. Not just carriers of time, but carriers of story.
From Corporate Conformity to Creative Chaos
Before he founded MB&F, Büsser was the golden child of traditional watchmaking, first at Jaeger‑LeCoultre, then as CEO of Harry Winston Rare Timepieces. He had the numbers, the title, and the seat at the grown-up table. But instead of renewing his very fancy contract, he walked away.
Why? Because spreadsheets weren’t cutting it. He wanted to build something smaller, weirder, and riskier — a “horological concept laboratory” that wasn’t bound by corporate logic but by creative obsession.
And so, Maximilian Büsser & Friends was born. Yes, “& Friends” is part of the name, and no, it’s not just branding. It’s a radical commitment to collaboration. MB&F isn’t a one-man show. It’s a platform where designers, watchmakers, suppliers, and wild thinkers are all credited, celebrated, and unleashed.
Making Watches That Look Like Spaceships (And Win Awards)
MB&F,’s first creation, the HM1, wasn’t just a new watch; it was a declaration of independence. It looked like alien technology and moved like a Swiss symphony. Then came the HM4 Thunderbolt, a 2010 icon that deserves its own Marvel movie.
Inspired by jet engines, it featured twin pods, a central cockpit, and a case that practically screamed, “Engage warp drive.”
As someone whose design language is rooted in sci-fi, I remember seeing the HM4 for the first time and thinking, "Finally, someone made a watch for the inside of a spaceship, not a boardroom."
These Horological Machines kicked open the door for three-dimensional design in watches. They weren’t just telling time; they were telling stories, using inclined dials, suspended mechanics, and asymmetry to shift the whole conversation from “What movement is inside?” to “What universe is this from?”
The Legacy Machines: Classical… Until You Look Closer.
Not everyone wants their watch to look like a titanium octopus. Some want something round… but still strange. That’s where the Legacy Machines come in.
The LM Perpetual, for example, is a masterclass in mechanical poetry. It takes one of the most complex complications, the perpetual calendar, and flips it inside out. The gears, levers, and “mechanical processor” are fully on display, floating under a domed crystal like a steampunk snow globe. It’s elegant, technical, and deeply weird, which, to me, is the holy trinity.
This is one of those pieces that reminds me why I consider watches to be wearable art. It doesn’t hide its mechanisms like they’re trade secrets. It elevates them, makes them part of the story, and turns engineering into theater.
Redefining What Watch Culture Is
MB&F didn’t just make cool watches; they reshaped the culture around independent watchmaking.
They proved that you can succeed with radical design, limited production, and openly credited collaborators. They made mechanical drama part of the aesthetic. They helped turn “weird” into “valuable.” And they inspired a wave of avant-garde makers to throw away the round rulebook and start designing in full 3D.
When Chanel took a stake in MB&F, it wasn’t just an investment. It was validation that art-minded independents weren’t fringe players; they were the future.
Welcome to the M.A.D.ness
Now, if you’re thinking, “This is amazing, but I can’t drop six figures on a space crab,” MB&F heard you. Enter the M.A.D.1, the first watch from the more accessible M.A.D.Editions line. The abbreviation M.A.D. in M.A.D.Galleries stands for Mechanical Art Devices. It channels MB&F’s DNA with a spinning rotor on top, a lateral time display, and a design that looks like a prop from The Expanse at a price that doesn’t require a Swiss inheritance.
This piece isn’t just more approachable; it’s part of MB&F’s larger mission to build a community, not just a clientele. That same spirit lives in their M.A.D.Galleries art spaces that blend kinetic sculpture, machine art, and MB&F watches into immersive, cinematic retail.
Then came the M.A.D.2, inspired by 90s club culture, featuring a turntable-like dial, which refined the concept without losing the fun. With its sleeker case, enhanced legibility, and that unmistakable top-mounted rotor, it’s still pure MB&F just dressed up for its second act. The M.A.D.2 kept the sci-fi spirit alive while making subtle improvements that collectors appreciated (read: it tells the time better but still looks like it might launch into orbit).
These pieces aren’t just affordable by MB&F standards; they’re a philosophical shift. They prove that boundary-pushing design doesn’t have to be locked behind museum glass. And they’re a core part of MB&F’s mission to build a community, not just a clientele.
That same spirit lives in the M.A.D.Galleries art-meets-watchmaking spaces that showcase kinetic sculpture, machine-inspired art, and watches that probably shouldn’t be legal in most time zones. For artists like me, they feel less like boutiques and more like creative playgrounds. They tell us that watches belong not just in vaults but in conversations about art, identity, and imagination.
The Impact: From Fringe to Framework
MB&F showed the watch world that:
- You don’t have to be round. Asymmetry, volume, and narrative-driven forms are now accepted, even admired.
- You can put the movement on stage. Mechanics as visual drama? That’s now standard for many avant-garde brands.
- You should name your collaborators. Büsser’s transparent “& Friends” model normalized open crediting in an industry known for secrecy.
- Watches can be more than watches. With M.A.D.Editions, galleries, and collector culture, MB&F blurred the lines between luxury, design, and art.
For independent creators like me, MB&F is more than a brand; it’s a template for fearless creativity.
Final Thoughts
At the intersection of engineering and imagination sits MB&F, a brand that reminds us that the best machines are the ones with personality. Whether you’re a collector, an artist, or someone who just wants to wear a story on your wrist, MB&F shows what’s possible when you reject the safe, embrace the strange, and let your inner sci-fi nerd drive the bus.
And let’s be real: what other Swiss brand has a watch called the Space Pirate?
