MB&F Story: A Vishawatch Exclusive

MB&F, Maximilian Busser and Friends, founded by Maximilian Busser in July 2005 is a Swiss watch company based in Geneva, Switzerland. Maximilian Busser graduated with a Masters degree in Micro-Technology Engineering and his love for high-end horology landed him a job in Jaeger-LeCoultre, his first employer. Our curiosity led to the following interview with the CCO of MB&F, Charris Yadigaroglou.

Maximilian Busser Copyright: Forbes

Vishawatch: MB&F has incredibly unique designs. Where are they inspired from?

Charris Yadigaroglou: The origins of most of our concepts come from our childhood: the dreams we had as kids, watching science fiction sagas, dreaming of adventures in airplanes, driving supercars… Those powerful emotions from our childhood are the creative sparks which kick off our projects.

HM1 Copyright: Watchtalkforums

Vishawatch: Do you plan to bring ‘&Friends’ of MB&F to India?

Charris Yadigaroglou: We actually already have a Friend in India: our retail partner Time Avenue in Mumbai.

HM3 Copyright: The Coolist

Vishawatch: Which timepiece actually gave MB&F the recognition as the most innovative & creative watch maker?

Charris Yadigaroglou: Very difficult to say… our story has been an accumulation of stepstones, each one adding something to the previous step. For example, the very first Machine, HM1, made clear from the beginning that we were not a conventional watchmaker. Then HM3 really pushed the 3-dimensional aspect of our creations further… HM4 was extremely radical, pushing the limits… just like HM6 a few years later. And so on…

HM4 Copyright: MB&F

Vishawatch: Do you get any queries from Indian clients?

Charris Yadigaroglou: Yes indeed, and we are delighted to enjoy a few Indian collectors among our Friends!

HM6 Copyright: Luxsupreme

Vishawatch: Do you have any plans to expand in India other than Mumbai?

Charris Yadigaroglou: Time will tell. We are not in a hurry, we like to choose our Friends carefully – and that also applies to our retail partners, who we consider as Friends.

Vishawatch: We understand that u only make handful of watches every year, with the increasingly popular brand name, do you plan to increase production to meet the growing demand?

Charris Yadigaroglou: That’s an easy one: the answer is no. We craft about 300 pieces per year and that’s just right for our business model: it’s enough to generate funds for intensive research and development, which we need to materialize our crazy ideas – but if we were to produce significantly more, our business model would change and we could no longer take creative risks.

Sherman Copyright: Ablogtowatch

Vishawatch: What is your next big collaboration?

Charris Yadigaroglou: You will discover several collaborations during the remaining months of 2016: first at the end of May, a new ‘Performance Art’ piece with a renowned designer; and later in the autumn, new co-creations with L’Epée 1839, Reuge… and another Manufacture we have never collaborated with before!

Arachnophobia Copyright: MB&F

Vishawatch: Do you plan to extend MB&F’s operation beyond watch making & horological machines?

Charris Yadigaroglou: In certain ways, we already have: with the just-mentioned table clock and music box co-creations we’ve been creating with L’Epée 1839 and Reuge since 2013, but also with our M.A.D.Galleries: after the initial gallery in Geneva, we now have galleries in Taipei and Dubai, operated in collaboration with local partners.