Dialog | MB&F Founder Max Büsser

In an industry that worships and adheres to tradition and history, trying to make something crazy and original is like trying to throw a straw against the wind. But Max Büsser is a typical romantic.

17 years ago, he resigned from a cushy executive-level job at a big company and decided to devote all of his passion and love to his new brand—MB&F. After a few painful near-bankruptcies and struggles that few would understand, Max and his brand have proved themselves in the traditional Swiss watchmaking industry.

Watches made by Max are instantly recognizable. They tend to have that retro- futuristic vibe straight from “Blade Runner 2049.” The second you put on his watches, you get transported to a parallel universe, imagining yourself as a transgalactic star traveler.

 

Today, we arrive on Max Büsser’s planet and listen to his own stories of building the brand MB&F and its fantastic creations.

 

Recommended reading time: 10 min

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Max: We are finally talking! So, how did you discover the brand?

J: It was such an eye-opening experience for me. I was spending my New Year’s Day in Interlaken, Switzerland eight years ago. I went into this boutique and there was the HM6. I opened and closed the shield for the tourbillon and felt like I was operating a spaceship gate.

Max: Right, those days we had a retailer in Interlaken. There are so many more interesting places here in Switzerland. I’ll recommend you some cool places next time you come.

 

Interlaken, Switzerland

 

J: Thanks Max! Before MB&F, you did work at other companies and held important positions. Were there things you learned at Jaeger LeCoultre and Harry Winston that helped you in creating your own brand?

Max: At JLC, I was just a student back then and I learned a great deal about watchmaking. I learned how to work and I was putting everything I knew into practice. At Harry Winston I was in charge. I had the opportunity to explore who I was as an individual. I don’t think I could have created MB&F without these two experiences.

In my opinion, compared to working for a big company, you learn much more working for a small company under the guidance of a great mentor. For me, Jaeger was a small company back then, and luckily I had Mr. Belmont and Mr. Günter Blümlein as my mentors, who taught me the fundamentals of the watch business.

 

Harry Winston Opus V designed by Max

 

Jaeger Reverso Tourbillon designed by Max

 

J: What a pair of mentors! They are both legends of the industry. Now, was it difficult to quit a comfy cushy job with a big paycheck? Did you have pressure from your family?

Max: To be honest, I was lucky to have come from a family with no money. So when I was making a lot of money at Harry Winston, I kept in mind the thought that maybe someday I would be back to where I had been before. I told myself not to get attached to the lifestyle. Most importantly, I wasn’t happy.

I think decisions in life have got to be made in such a way that when I look back on my life years later, I’ll be proud of what I’ve done. At the time, others assumed I was doing well at Harry Winston, but deep down I knew I wasn't enjoying my job. The watches I created were not what I wanted to create, but what I thought people would want. I was 38 years old, had no family, no children. I knew it was a once-in-a- life time opportunity to start something brand new.

 

Max and F.P. Journe designed Opus 1 Resonance | Source: Phillips

 

J: Even though you loved it, building your own brand was incredibly difficult from what I understand. You almost went bankrupt on several occasions?

Max: In 2006, the company that made our movements was sold to a big brand overnight. Next day, they called me into the conference room and told me: “Take your money back, we won't make stuff for you anymore”. I despaired, but I needed to finish what I had started. I took out all my money and it was still not enough, so I had to swallow my pride and look for help. Fortunately, I met Peter Speake-Marin at that time, he found a group of competent watchmakers he knew, and together we completed all the orders for the first MB&F project. Without him, we would not be where we are today.

J: But now that you have gone through all that, things are looking up right?

Max: After that, there were still some difficult moments. During the financial crisis, we did not reduce production in time. We wanted to develop more movements but did not have a proper funding plan. Covid and lockdowns also made us feel like walking on thin ice.

But then things began to take a turn for the better. People were sending us emails to order watches even though our stores were closed. We did a collab with H. Moser last year and the 60 pieces were sold out in 4 days. That was insane for our brand but would be considered “slow” by now.

For the piece I’m wearing, the EVO Chronograph, we took 13-year-waiting list in the first 48 hours. Anything we come up with, we get way more demand than what we are capable of making, which feels both foreign and exciting to me.

 

M.A.D Gallery Hong Kong

 

J: Are Legacy Machines, the round watches, the focus of the brand now?

Max: For the first 14 years, what really built our brand were the Horological Machines. When the Legacy Machine debuted, people all just assumed that the round watches would make a big chunk of our sales. But they only make up 25% of the sales.

Although Legacy Machines, in those days, were creative and boundary-pushing, they were still round watches. So there were still competitions from established brands. But if you happen to resonate with the crazy designs of the HM5, HM6, then we are basically your only option. It was in 2019 when people started to really appreciate Legacy Machines.

 

MB&F HM5

 

Legacy Machine Split Escapement

 

J: So will the production quantity increase for Legacy Machines? I see that the latest pieces are not limited editions. 

Max: In terms of production quantity, I have to tell a story. It was back when we had just released the EVO perpetual calendar in a limited edition of 15 pieces. One of our retailers invited 8 VIP clients to his house for dinner and hosted a preview for the watch. Before, in any event like that, I would be thrilled if 2 out 8 people wanted the watch. At that dinner, all 8 people wanted to purchase it. But the problem is, our retailer only had a 3-watch allocation from us. I was sad to hear that story because some of our good clients were mad at the retailer.

That was when I decided to gradually make our creations a bit more available. As of now, the LM101, EVO perpetual, EVO Seqeuential, and HM10 the Bulldog, are not limited editions.

 

HM10 Panda | Source:MB&F

 

J: I think that’s good. Before, everything from you was a limited edition. Now, you do wait a long time, but at least you still can get one.

Max: We still do limited editions, but only for existing MB&F clients. It’s not like we’re trying to be snob or anything. It’s about being grateful. For the first 15 years, if people bought our pieces, they would lose 40-50% on the secondary market. Now, our pieces sell for over the retail. So I want to thank everyone who bought our pieces based on passion and not financial interest. That’s why access to limited editions is reserved for existing customers.

 

 

J: But how does one become a MB&F client if everything is over retail and has an insane waiting list?

Max: I would say the best thing to do is to buy pre-owned. After you buy one, you can register it on our website and become a member of our tribe. For our brand, it doesn’t matter if you buy it new or used.

J: That’s quite refreshing to hear because for a lot of brands and dealers, it’s either “You bought it from us” or “You bought it from someone else.”

Max: I’ve been doing this business for a while now and my philosophy is quite simple: treat people the way you want to be treated. So I just think, if I’m buying a piece from a brand, how I would want them to treat me.

 

Max Büsser and F.P. Journe

 

J: Is there another guy like you in the industry? A guy who is willing to start fresh and take risks.

Max: I don’t think there are enough risk-takers in our industry. I am 55 and most of the independents today are over 50 years old. There is a big age gap between the early independents and the younger guys. Rexhap is about 20 years younger than me, and I have enormous admiration for what he does.

These days people are inclined to feel nostalgic. A lot of youngsters are creating retro, pocket-watch-looking wristwatches. I appreciate vintage watches too but I think it’s also important for the younger boys to look into the future. I wish there were more people who don’t play it safe in the watchmaking world.

 

HM4 Panda | Source: MB&F

 

J: This one might be a bit challenging. I want to know if the introduction of Legacy Machines, your round watches, was in some sense your way of playing it safe?

Max: I actually thought I was taking a gigantic risk. Why? When I came out with the idea of the first Legacy Machine, I showed it to an independent watchmaker I admired. He said, “I am really disappointed in you.” To see why, you have to remember we had just come out with HM1, 2, 3 and 4. We had built a unique world for our watches with diehard fans.

But with round watches, I noticed that there were way more experts, or at least self-entitled ones who were taking their loupes out and passing judgment on the finishing. So if my Legacy Machines were not of the highest standard of quality and creativity, people would make sarcastic remarks like “See, he only knows how to make those toy watches”.

Luckily, with the help of some incredible watchmakers such as Kari Voutilainen, the end result was superb. When it came out, there wasn’t one person who told me that the Legacy Machine wasn’t well built.

 

 

J: I totally understand. So was Legacy Machine an instant success?

Max: It’s one thing to have people praise it and another to have people pay for it. LM101, which has a 15 year waiting list today, was consistently our worst-seller. Nobody wanted them. The only reason I kept it alive was because I didn’t manage to amortize the development cost of the movement. With such a small quantity, at the price we were selling it for, it was difficult to do just that. And boom in 2020, everyone wanted one. I was like, “Where have you been for the past 6 years?”

J: So what would you say, as the creator of these pieces, are the differences between Legacy Machine and Horological Machine?

Max: I am a schizophrenic creator. On the one hand, I create the Legacy Machine based on rational thinking. That is my way of paying tribute to the great masters of the 18th and 19th century—by pushing the boundaries of classic watchmaking. The Horological Machine for me is totally different. It comes from the gut. I revisit my childhood, re-discover what I liked and use them as inspirations for my creations.

I enjoy creating all over the spectrum. I design loudspeakers, espresso machines and clocks. It doesn’t matter, because I’m lucky not to call MB&F a brand, but a creative lab. This has given us the luxury to create what we want to create.

 

Wristwatch stand designed by Max

J: Your Horological Machines are super cool, but their boxes are on another level [laughs]. Who designed those boxes?

Max: I design some of them but most of them I collaborate with the designer Olivier Berthon from Lyon. We have been working together for 13 years. I would show him the watches and he would come back to me with all sorts of crazy ideas for the boxes. They are made in France, so you can imagine the cost…

J: But we love your crazy boxes amidst all the leather and wooden boxes!

 

HM4 and its watch box

 

Max: I buy watches like everyone else does. So I actually have tons of these boxes that I don’t know what to do with. To store them is also a pain. I actually got boxes full of boxes. [Laughs]

But with our boxes, I consider them as part of the furniture, as sculptures. We didn’t do that to impress anyone. We just wanted to make something that we would want to receive.

J: Is it hard for you to pump out one great idea after another though? Have you ever run out of ideas?

Max: There would be six months of nothing, and I would doubt if I have completely run out of ideas. But then all of a sudden, I could do three pieces in a week’s time.

HM 11 will come out next year. It will be utterly insane and unlike anything we’ve created. And then HM12 is going to come out 2025. I have also designed the 13 and 14. So we have four HMs in the pipeline.

J: That’s crazy! You are all set until 2029.

 

HM6 Alien Nation | Source:MB&F

 

Max: Now, the problem with that is the amount of time it takes from an idea to reality. In watchmaking, it’s at least 3-4 years.I realized I can’t just keep pushing novelties when we have so many people waiting to get their watches. Also, since I’m creating from my heart, by the time the piece I designed in 2020 comes out in 2030, the man I will be in 2030 may not want to see the watch.

Max then paused and started asking me questions.

Asking your hero a question is easy, because there are so many things that you are curious about. Receiving a question from your hero though, is difficult. I then started mumbling about what content we would want to bring to our audience. He sensed my nervousness and kindly offered me the words below, which still resonate within me.

 

 

Max: When I was in my 20s, I needed certainty. I had to know what I would be doing at the age of 30, 35, 40. But now, since I created MB&F, I am absolutely clueless of where I am going and what I will become. And I am enjoying this uncertainty immensely.

When I created MB&F, I thought the most important goal was to create extraordinary products. 17 years and 20 calibers later, I realized that was not the goal. The goal is the journey. The goal is the whole adventure of meeting all these people and transforming all these ideas to reality together.

 

Max Büsser and Stephen Forsey (Greubel Forsey founder)

 

So the products are actually just a fringe benefit of my life story. Such a thought has completely shifted my mindset. It means not knowing where you are going and enjoying the fact that you don’t know; it means you are open to all kinds of possibilities.

If you are here, and you want to go there, you can go a straight line. But if you detour a bit here and there, you do spend more time, but along the way you will meet more people right?

 

 

MB&F stands for Max Büsser & Friends. Displayed on its website are the friends that have helped Max along the way. In the watchmaking industry, you often hear “Look, I made this”. But Max is different. He preaches that watchmaking is a complex process that involves lots of people—you need watchmakers who bevel, polish, assemble, adjust…; you need designers who come up with dial and case designs; you need people who arrange the logistics so that everything can arrive on schedule.

These people are usually behind the scene, but Max chooses to display everyone in his team proudly on the website. He wants you to know who takes care of what in every little step of turning your watch from a concept into reality. And these are the people whom he has been lucky enough to encounter in the many “detours” of his life.