Visiting MB&F: Horological Machines, not Wristwatches (Video)

Max(imilian) Büsser knows the watch industry only too well. After seven years at Jaeger-LeCoultre and another seven years at Harry Winston, Inc. Rare Timepieces (where he became CEO at the age of 31 and saved the company from bankruptcy), it was finally time for him to go his own way and realize his very own definition of watchmaking.

Maximilian Büsser and Friends

Büsser founded the brand, which is usually just called “MB&F”, in Geneva in 2005. However, from day one, the trained mechanical engineer had a slightly different approach to watchmaking than others. As a result, he quickly acquired a reputation as a lateral thinker and maverick who fundamentally questioned supposedly irrefutable approaches. Büsser therefore does not refer to his pieces as watches, but as “horological machines”. What exactly this means can be seen later in our video.

Who are the Friends exactly?

The name already says it all, but who is it referring to? Although MB&F operates as an independent manufactory, the company regularly works with other highly talented watchmakers to realize its crazy designs, such as Stephen McDonnell, Kari Voutilainen or Eric Coudray (whom he still knows from his days at JLC), to name but a few. More friends can be found here. The collaboration with the latter two has resulted, for example, in the Legacy Machine Thunderdome, which was introduced in late 2019 and houses the world’s fastest triple-axe tourbillon.

Meet the Manufacturer: MB&F

Head of Communication at MB&F, Charris Yadigaroglou, gave us a tour of the factory. See for yourself: