Mechanical Worlds

Some watchmakers refine an established language. Maximilian Büsser created an entirely new one.

The first time I ever saw an MB&F, I believe I saw Kevin Hart wearing one — the Legacy Machine 101. Very cool piece. It did something that just looked good. I’m not 54 like Kevin, but I still like the piece. As I stated earlier, it’s the coolness factor, and it’s a great timepiece.

The thesis is as direct as it is ambitious: MB&F expanded the language of mechanical watchmaking. Its work asks what a watchmaker can be when the familiar boundaries are treated as a place to begin, rather than a place to stop.

A larger field of view

What I admire most about Max Büsser is simple: he is a born risk-taker. He may care about outside opinion, but he does not appear affected by it. He has a vision, and he follows that vision to completion. There is something larger than life about him — a charismatic, unconventional, international presence.

In interviews, he comes across as an adventurer as much as a watch-industry figure. His climbing, skiing, and international outlook seem connected to the same quality I see in his work: curiosity, movement, and a willingness to leave familiar ground. To me, he has the presence of James Bond meeting Thomas Crown: composed, unconventional, and always operating several steps ahead. That is my impression of him — not a claim about his private character.

The meaning of “Friends”

What is clear from MB&F’s history is that Büsser is the founder, designer, and creative force behind the company, bringing together the people needed to turn ambitious ideas into mechanical reality. That became MB&F — Maximilian Büsser & Friends — the horological concept laboratory he founded in 2005. The word “Friends” is not decorative.

That is why I see Maximilian Büsser as a true Renaissance figure. He is not limited to one narrow definition of what a watchmaker should be. He brings together design, engineering, storytelling, collaboration, and adventure — and turns those elements into something that feels unmistakably his.

Curiosity beyond the workshop

There is also a personal side to that admiration. Max is someone I would genuinely enjoy spending time with: watching football, talking about ideas, or skiing together. He seems like the kind of person whose curiosity does not stop when he leaves the workshop.

When a discipline moves forward

For collectors, MB&F represents a different kind of significance. It is not about following the safest path or owning what everyone already recognizes. It is about recognizing when a creator has genuinely expanded the language of the discipline.

A future heirloom does not have to be traditional in appearance. It has to carry craftsmanship, meaning, and a story strong enough to survive its original moment. The Legacy Machine 101 offers a careful example of that kind of conviction: a risk-taking creative force stayed committed to a vision that was not immediately understood, and the LM101 later earned the collector respect it deserved. Its mixed initial reception gave way to a deeper appreciation.

Maximilian Büsser and MB&F have created mechanical worlds that do exactly that.

Le Temps, est Intemporel.