MB&F’s Maximilian Büsser On Why He Gave Away 20 Timepieces For The Company’s 20th Anniversary

MB&F is unique for so many reasons: its fearless approach to watchmaking, unfettered aesthetic sensibilities, the way its timepieces seem to only be a small part of its wider universe, one that encompasses design, community, and a general passion for, well, anything and everything, as long as it is creative. But here is one more specific way that shows that it is a brand that lives by its own rules: late last year, to celebrate its 20th anniversary, it gave away no fewer than 20 watches. Ten of them were full-fat MB&F timepieces. You know, the ones that start at about RM250,000. No strings attached.

It was an eyebrow-raising move, no doubt, but if it were to come from anyone at all in the industry, it would indeed have come from MB&F’s greatest and most unique asset: Maximilian Büsser himself, the eponymous ‘MB’ and the man whose vision is the primary driver behind everything that MB&F was and is.

Büsser is not the type to even celebrate his own birthdays, but the 20th year of MB&F is, he feels, much more important and relevant to a much wider circle. “This 20th anniversary was about saying thank you, to be grateful for where we are. We never, in our wildest dreams, thought we would be where we are,” he explains, referencing the brand’s chaotic and difficult early days, when it held a fraction of the cachet it does today—and when every customer was not just a lifeline to keeping the lights on, but also a precious affirmation that this crazy horological pursuit might just be worth doing. “So, we wanted to give back. First, it was the team, then it was all the artisans that we worked with, then it was our retail partners, and the last piece of the puzzle was our clients.”

There are so many perfectly acceptable and typical ways for a brand to mark such an occasion, and indeed they were considered during the early planning stages—round-the-world tours, picturesque venues, and vibrant gatherings. But ‘typical’ has never described MB&F and, more to the point, it did not resonate with Büsser. Boisterous parties aren’t really his thing. “Treat people the way you want to be treated,” he says, simply. “If it doesn’t feel right, we don’t do it.”

Originally, it was going to be a raffle of just two pieces from the current portfolio. “And then quickly I realised, we can’t just give two pieces. I said it should probably be more,” Büsser relates. “And then I realised, let’s do something that money can’t buy. Let’s create a piece that makes it even more worthwhile.”

That is how the LM101 Longhorn 20th Anniversary edition came to be. ‘Longhorn’ refers to the lengthened lugs, an early design concept that was never implemented until recently and only in three MB&F executions before this one. It is now applied to the LM101, which has lately been seen as the definitive MB&F timepiece—it has a pared-down purity even as it houses the oversized balanced wheel on the dial side within an understated yet pioneering architecture. As with previous Longhorn editions, it has a distinctive, casual, yet reserved appearance with a 40mm stainless steel case, grey rhodium dial plate with contrasting black sub-dials, blue hands, and calf leather strap.

Ten of these were created, and were freely raffled off to the Tribe—MB&F’s owner’s club, which numbers about 1,500. Büsser, realising that this would essentially mean 1,490 disappointed people, then came up with the idea of a gift that could go out to everybody: the DinoSharpener, a pencil sharpener collaboration with Caran d’Ache, a perfect combination of retro, analogue tactility and the brand’s quirky creative stylings. It is not quite on the same level as the timepieces, but neither was it an insignificant cost, in terms of both money and logistics. But this way, everybody would get something.

That was not the end of it. The Tribe is an exclusive bunch, but the appeal of MB&F—and much of the brand’s value—extends far beyond those who are lucky enough to be able to own one. This is particularly evident through the M.A.D.Editions, a whimsical COVID-era side project that has since blossomed into effectively a brand of its own. Built to a much more accessible price point of around RM15,000 and with runs in the thousands instead of dozens, and yet still looking very much like they were conceived by the same minds behind MB&F (which they are, of course), the M.A.D.Editions attracted massive interest. To manage this, the runs that are made available to the public could be bought only by participating in a raffle, and are as oversubscribed as you would expect.

M.A.D.Editions fans are part of the community, too, and Büsser wanted to include them in the 20th anniversary give-back, and thus created the M.A.D.1S 20th Anniversary, with its wild design coloured to match the Longhorn aesthetic. Ten of these were created, too, and like the LM101 Longhorn would be given away—but not just to M.A.D.Editions owners. These had a chance to go to anyone who had participated in a previous raffle. In other words, those who are technically not customers. “But they wanted to be,” Büsser points out. “It didn’t make sense to give a gift to those who’ve already bought it, when there are so many frustrated people who would have liked to buy it. Again, we always think—if we were in that situation, what would we like?

“And, yes, we only did 10. I sometimes felt like we should have done more,” he continues. “But with the number of people who have registered on the raffles, we’re talking of a hundred thousand. So, if I’d done 10 or 50, honestly, I don’t think it’ll make any difference to your chances of winning. So, it was just the symbolism of 10 plus 10 equals 20.”

Symbolic or not, Büsser’s appreciation for his community is very real, and these giveaways already strain the bounds of practicality. Then again, he would be the first one to admit that he is very good at coming up with ideas that don’t make money. But this is part of the charm of MB&F—whimsy, creativity, and passion come first, and practicality is the last thing to think of. “If you want to say thank you, you say thank you,” he says firmly. “That’s it. And you do it in a meaningful way.

“We’ve been able to assemble an extraordinary team of human beings because of the way we think,” he explains.  “As one of our clients told me: you’re a company of missionaries, not mercenaries.”

MB&F