Why Almost 9,000 People Entered a Raffle for a Chance at This Space-Age Watch

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MB&F is more of a creative laboratory than a traditional watchmaker. Established by brilliant industry veteran Maximilian Büsser in 2005, the brand brings together the best and brightest watchmakers and thinkers from the horological sphere, uniting them in the common quest to develop and produce the world’s most innovative watches and clocks. (MB&F stands for “Maximilian Büsser and Friends.”) The one problem with most such timepieces is that the term “industrialist” or “venture capitalist” typically has to figure into one’s LinkedIn profile in order to be able to afford them.

But Büsser developed an entirely new timepiece in 2021 to ensure his mad-scientist creations would be more accessible. The M.A.D.1—offered under a side brand called M.A.D. Editions—is the much more welcome entry point into the MB&F world. The first version, which debuted in 2021, was meant just for MB&F suppliers and members of the brand’s owners club known as “The Tribe.” After fans of the brand begged for a wider release, MB&F expanded the program and offered successor editions to a more general audience. The watch itself still follows MB&F’s futuristic design but is powered by the common and affordable Japanese Miyota 821A. This combination made it possible for the watch to retail for well under $5,000—a positive economic coup by MB&F standards.

Now, the M.A.D.1 is getting a welcome sequel in the form of the M.A.D.1S, and interest in the new watch is overwhelming. Slimmed down from 18.8mm to 15mm in thickness via the absence of a minutes cylinder, its 42mm case still provides an hours cylinder for quick registering of the general time. (The time is ready on the watch’s case band, rather than from the dial as on a more conventional watch.) Furthermore, the Miyota movement—whose unidirectional rotor was essential to the design of the original M.A.D.1—has been replaced with a more premium option in the form of the Swiss-made La Joux-Perret G101, which features 68 hours of power reserve. Slimmer overall lugs also contribute to a more streamlined aesthetic and a better wearing experience.