Maximilian Büsser is a 52-year-old child, married and twice a father. Surrounded by a gang of pals he calls his “Friends”, this watchmaking troublemaker has been running the gang since 2005 within a group named MB&F, short for Maximilian Büsser & Friends. Before becoming a naughty kid dreaming up “toys for grown-ups”, the adult Maximilian cut his teeth in marketing and product at Jaeger LeCoultre, then served as Managing Director of Harry Winston Timepieces.
On this page
Now recognised as the figurehead of independent watchmaking, this catalyst of talent, who chose to put independent watchmakers in the spotlight, shares his passions and his vision of watchmaking in his four M.A.D. Gallery spaces in Geneva, Dubai, Hong Kong and Taipei. In France, it is at Chronopassion that you can admire one of his “machines”, as he likes to call them. Meet the creative genius of watchmaking.
Maximilian Büsser, the watchmaker
Which watch are you wearing as we speak?
I am wearing an MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual in white gold. It is the result of an incredible human story and, above all, of the creative and technical genius of Stephen McDonnell.
What is your greatest achievement in watchmaking?
My greatest achievement is having brought together so much talent around my rather “different” ideas.
What is your favourite watch complication?
I don’t have one. A watch doesn’t need to be complicated to be beautiful and artistic.
Maximilian Büsser, the enthusiast
Besides watchmaking, what is your other passion?
As a young man, I dreamed of becoming a car designer. Traces of it remain…
What is your dream car?
I really love the 1967 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale. It is the same age as me… but it has aged much better!
What is your favourite wine?
A Saint-Julien, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou.
How would you define luxury?
A word that means nothing and has been used and abused until it is threadbare…
Which brand best embodies luxury in your view?
Let’s talk about art, craftsmanship and heart instead of luxury. In that case, I would name Kari Voutilainen, for example.
Maximilian Büsser, the man
Who inspires you?
The person who inspires me is Günther Blumlein, with whom I had the great fortune to work at Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Which quality do you value most in others, and which flaw of your own do you regret?
I love enthusiasm in others. As for me, I regret that after all these years, certain kinds of behaviour in others still make me angry.
Which quote do you particularly like?
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man…” A quote by George Bernard Shaw.
What time is it?
Time to create.
Leave a Reply