Slimmer and Swiss Powered, Meet the New M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.1S

The story behind M.A.D.Editions is pretty simple, yet very cool. It’s all about offering the taste and spirit of MB&F, without the price tag of an MB&F. Many have dreamt one day of owning such a watch, but most of our readers and us here at MONOCHROME won’t be able to. For this reason, M.A.D.Editions was created, with a watch that not only represents the eccentric world of Büsser & Friends, but a watch that would be obtainable for more wrists. After four iterations of the M.A.D.1 – blue for friend, red for public, Green and Castelbajac – the family continues to grow. And while it’s a bit too soon to reveal the M.A.D.2, we have this M.A.D.1S to whet our appetite. Slimmer, with a single-cylinder display and powered by a Swiss movement, it improves many of the aspects some “could” have had something to say about. 

Max Büsser, founder of the independent watchmaker, wanted to create a watch to thank the friends who have supported the MB&F story. But when the project became public – thanks to social media and, in all fairness, to our editor Robin – watch enthusiasts became mad (wasn’t it the point anyway?). The M.A.D.1 Blue, initially created just for MB&F’s community of suppliers and collectors, was met with an unprecedented demand that the brand could never have anticipated. The decision was taken to transform this thank you note into a parallel venture dedicated to creating more accessible watches with the taste and spirit of MB&F, not with the mechanical complexity – even though, thanks to a few clever tricks, we’re clearly not looking at a standard time-only watch.

To achieve a reasonable price, MB&F had to make compromises: no in-house movement but instead a Japanese Miyota, chosen specifically for its reliability and simplicity, but also for its unidirectional rotor that would spin much faster than most Swiss bidirectional movements (and yes, also for its accessible price). The case and design were far from comprised, though. A cylinder-shaped glass container housing two vertical discs to display the hours and minutes, an inverted movement with a rotor on top, SLN to bring the wow effect at night – and a thickness of about 18mm. Not the easiest on the wrist, but that wasn’t really the point. The watches were all highly successful, with far more entries to the raffles than watches available.

But now, it’s 2024 and before M.A.D.Editions presents the M.A.D.2 (no clue when it’ll come, but it’s on its way), we’re being treated to this new M.A.D.1S, where the extra S at the end of the name stands for Slimmer (not slim, but slimmer). Don’t worry, though; the recipe hasn’t changed much regarding the eccentric design, the overall case construction, the display or the cool factor. As such, the case retains the same shape, with an X caseback extending toward four pointy lugs and serving as a base to hold a mineral glass container. The M.A.D.1S still measures 42mm in diameter, still has its crown at 12 o’clock and still comes with a perforated leather strap with a textured surface and a folding clasp.

No, what really matters is what’s inside the glass container and how thick it is. While the original M.A.D.1 models measured about 18mm in height, this new M.A.D.1Slimmer is… Slimmer. By quite a margin, as we’re talking about a 20% reduction, resulting in a watch that’s now 15mm. I know it’s not slim, but it’s an improvement. And to be honest, this is not the reason why you’ll want a M.A.D.Editions watch anyway. It’s all about the design, the style, the unconventional spirit. To complete the evolution, the slimmer movement and case size are matched with reworked lugs for a sleeker fit.

There was one compromise, however, to achieve this slimmer profile. Instead of two discs for the minutes and the hours, this M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.1S now only features a single disc for the hours, with dots marking the quarters. You’re in a rush? Look at your phone, and enjoy the MAD watch for fun.

The main change, which is also of great help in reducing the size of the watch, is the move from Miyota to a Swiss-made movement by La Joux-Perret, the calibre G101. This automatic movement is one of the few on the market with unidirectional winding – needed for the wow effect on the wrist – and beats at 4Hz with a solid 68h power reserve. Furthermore, the rotor, with its classic battleaxe shape, has been modified to offer further transparency to the movement.

The M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.1S will be available in two editions, the first one for Friends (suppliers) and Tribe members (MB&F collectors) in a limited series with bespoke purple accents on the dial. The second one, available to the public, will have ice-blue accents on the dial. Just like previous editions, the M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.1S will be offered through a raffle, which allows ample time for entrants to register. The random draw is taken under the supervision of a bailiff. The M.A.D.1S raffle will open at the end of August, just before Geneva Watch Days. It will be priced at CHF 2,900 (excl. taxes) – which is the same price as all previous editions of the M.A.D.1, despite the new movement and the tendency of brands to increase prices gradually.

For more information, please visit Shop.MADGallery.ch.