MB&F Chronicles: A Playground For Mechanical Dreams - Part II

If watch brands were people, MB&F would be that eccentric genius who throws the best dinner parties inviting artists, engineers, and dreamers to create something extraordinary together. Maximilian Büsser didn’t just start a watch brand in 2005, he built a playground for horological creativity, where collaboration isn’t just encouraged, it’s the whole point. MB&F has always been about Friends so much so that it’s in the name: Maximilian Büsser & Friends. The Friends include master watchmakers, avant-garde designers, and visionary artisans, all united by a shared love for pushing the boundaries of mechanical art. And then there’s The Tribe, a special group of MB&F machine owners who complete this creative ecosystem.

This spirit of collaboration has given birth to two distinct categories at MB&F: Performance Art and Co-Creations. Performance Art takes existing MB&F machines and gives them an unexpected twist through external creative talents, while Co-Creations are entirely new mechanical marvels—think mind-bending table clocks with L’Épée 1839. Speaking on his penchant for creative collaborations Maximilian Busser shares, “The goal of a real creative collaboration is to work with another creator, who does not think like you, and has their own character. The mix, like that of the DNA of two parents, gives amazing surprises, neither would have created on their own. I welcome these moments of creative maelstrom. Our two major boundaries are wearability and water-resistance. The latter being usually the killer of many unique ideas. Imagination is really not vast enough to cater to what we could do without water-resistance issues!” 

These projects aren’t just about making watches; they’re about reimagining what’s possible when brilliant minds come together. This article dives into some of MB&F’s most extraordinary collaborations and explores why, in the world of haute horology, no one plays as boldly or as brilliantly as MB&F.

Black Badger: Performance art illuminated by smouldering rage

Creativity comes from a multitude of sources, but for ‘Black Badger’ founder James Thompson the fount of his creativity was rage – a rebellious fire was lit when he felt brushed aside as a student by what he perceived as an unfair administrative decision. For the Performance Art collection, James Thompson – aka Black Badger – has reinterpreted not just one but two Machines: HMX, first launched in 2015 for MB&F’s 10th Anniversary, and Starfleet Machine, MB&F’s first table clock, created with L’Epée 1839.

Black Badger's specialty is working with high-efficiency lume – an exclusive material that comes in solid blocks which he mills by hand or machine into the desired shape. The lume is extremely efficient at storing and releasing light, and its solid form means that it shines brighter for longer. The three available colours – Radar Green, Phantom Blue, and Purple Reign – are eye-catching by day, but it's when the sun goes down that they really come out to party.

LM1 Silberstein: Playing with materials and finishes

Alain Silberstein had one overriding aim in his vision of creating a ‘Performance Art’ edition of LM1: to welcome the "eternal time" of the universe into the movement, where it would be transformed into time on a more human scale. To realise this, he envisaged concave subdials to catch "eternal time", rather than the convex subdials of the original LM1. He also envisaged replacing the original dual arches of LM1's balance bridge with a single, transparent bridge, allowing full visual access to the time indications and dial-side escapement.

Engraved in French on the case band between the lugs of LM1 Silberstein is a paraphrased quote from Gustave Flaubert: "Le vrai bonheur est d'avoir sa passion pour métier" – which translates roughly as, "Making a profession of your passion is true happiness”. The phrase carries special meaning for both French watch designer Alain Silberstein, who left the safety of working in his trained profession as an interior designer to found his own watch brand, and MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser, who left the security of being a successful CEO of a well-known brand to found his own niche creative lab.

MoonMachine: Forged By A Giant Impact

MoonMachine by Finnish watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva is the first of the MB&F Performance Art pieces reinterpreted by a watchmaker – and the first to endow a Horological Machine with a new complication. No sooner did modern man start walking the earth than he stared up at the night sky in wonder and awe at the biggest and brightest orb in the heavens. Perhaps none more so than the inhabitants of Finland – including Stepan Sarpaneva – because the less romantic and less well-known counterpoise to the summertime Land of the Midnight Sun are extremely long nights in winter, which gives the population more time than most to study the moon and stars. 

To create MoonMachine, Stepan reconfigured the HM3 Frog by turning it 90° and adding his iconic moon-face/moon-phase indicator. He also transformed the winding rotor into a scintillating firmament of laser-pierced northern stars, forming constellations visible in the northern sky. Available in three limited editions of 18 pieces each: natural titanium case with white gold moon faces and light blue sky, black titanium case with white gold moon faces and dark blue sky, and red gold case with red gold moon faces and anthracite sky.

Horological Machine N°8 Only Watch

Dive into the imaginary world of children with the HM8 Only Watch created by MB&F with the young artist Cassandra Legendre. Based on Horological Machine N°8, this Pièce Unique in 18k white gold and grade 5 titanium is instantly recognisable thanks to its special sapphire crystal pane – engraved and metallised with a whimsical drawing created by the talented 15-year old Cassandra.

Visible under the illustration, the automatic HM8 engine features a unique purple winding rotor. Check the lateral time display and you’ll notice a miniature white gold elephant situated between the hour and minute prism; the elephant was sculpted by engraver Olivier Kuhn based on the elephant in Cassandra’s drawing. The Final touch: the MB&F logo on the double-screwed plate has been replaced by a happy face – symbolising the childlike perspective that Legendre brings to HM8.

MB&F’s collaborative spirit is more than just a strategy, it’s the foundation of its identity. By working with some of the finest independent watchmakers, designers, and artists, the brand has expanded the very definition of what a timepiece can be. Whether through kinetic sculptures, boundary-pushing mechanical art, or playful reinterpretations of traditional watchmaking, MB&F’s partnerships breathe life into horology in a way that few others dare to attempt. In an industry often bound by heritage and tradition, MB&F proves that the future belongs to those who embrace the power of collaboration.