M.A.D.Editions Presents its Second Concept, The M.A.D.2 Jumping Hours by Eric Giroud

M.A.D.Editions… One of the main sensations of the last 5 years, a project started by MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser as a token of appreciation towards his community of suppliers and collectors, which was not meant to become a brand. That was until the story broke (thanks to our editor Robin) despite the absence of an announcement or official press statement. And then this watch, an accessible take on the design language of MB&F, became viral… Enter the M.A.D.1 Red, accessible to the public. M.A.D.Editions wasn’t meant, at first, to become a sustainable, long-term brand. But due to the incredible demand, the concept will live on, and the next chapter in the young project has just been unveiled. It’s naturally named the M.A.D.2, it’s the project of Eric Giroud (a well-known name for MB&F fans), and it hasn’t much to do anymore with MB&F. It’s here with its own design language and doesn’t want to be an accessible Horological Machine anymore. 

Following the frenzy that the non-announcement of the Tribe version of the M.A.D.1 created, the madness began. The original M.A.D.1 Red, a slightly revised version available to the public, gathered incredible interest. 18,000 people registered for the first raffle for just 450 available pieces. The second raffle got 22,000 entries. Then came the M.A.D.1 Green, the M.A.D.1 Time to Love with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and finally the M.A.D.1S – slimmer, sleeker, powered by a Swiss-made movement. All shared something fairly familiar, something typical MB&F Hological Machine in the design, something of a kinetic object… After all, the original concept was to offer family and friends, suppliers and long-time partners a watch with the taste of MB&F, without the price tag. Something most could actually afford. Not an easy task, specifically for a brand that sells watches in the high 5-digit to 6-digit ranges. But the result was there and convincing. And, just like that, M.A.D.Editions was slowly evolving into a brand.

And a brand needs to grow. And that’s where the M.A.D.2 Jumping Hours enters the room… But not as another MB&F-inspired watch. We could have imagined an accessible take on the Legacy Machine – personal note: I’d love that – but that’s not what M.A.D.Editions brings to the table. The young brand declares independence by inviting to the table one of the longest partners of MB&F, the man behind the design of most HM and LM machines, Eric Giroud. Indeed, the M.A.D.2 isn’t the vision of Max. It’s someone else’s creation. A new chapter. A different story. A watch that isn’t anymore, as we’ve heard on several occasions, an “MB&F wannabe.”

The M.A.D.2 is a drastically different watch. Of course, being the brainchild of Giroud and Büsser, it retains some of the attributes you’d expect from the men – some animations, a certain kinetic approach to watchmaking, a non-conventional display and inspirations that are not the traditional. Talking about that, the design idea here was taken from Giroud’s youth, when he was “tearing it up on dancefloors, living the 1990s club scene,” surrounded by creatives, musicians and DJ friends, spinning vinyl on the famous Technics SL-1200 Mark 2 – which is, according to the man, the main inspiration for this new M.A.D.2.

For once, we’ll start with the dial and display, with the raised central subdials – displaying the hours (jumping) and minutes (trailing) – looking like the turntables from a DJ mixing console. The base of the dial, in green (or orange, more on that at the end), is a node to vinyl textures, with grooves and satin finishes mimicking music tracks. And around the central, raised, almost floating dial is something that’s clearly MB&F in the concept, a spinning platter inspired by the stroboscopic band of the Technics turntable, complete with Super-LumiNova stop pins. And just like with the M.A.D.1’s upper-mounter rotor, this is once again the oscillating weight of the movement and every flick of the wrist sets the platter spinning.

Moving on the case, the M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.2 by Eric Giroud is far more organic and streamlined than the brand’s first watch. It’s actually the complete opposite, with a rounded pebble effect and no angles to be found. Measuring 42mm in diameter with a thickness of 12.3mm, it features traditional lugs and domed sapphire crystals front and back, together with a rounded bezel and brushed flanks. Giroud talks about an almond shape, which can be found on the hours and minutes pointers as well as the crown’s logo. The watch is worn on a grained leather strap with a washed green effect and is closed by a folding clasp with an almond-shape alien.

Mechanically speaking, the M.A.D.2 by Eric Giroud relies once again on the Swiss-made La Joux-Perret movement G101, also found in the M.A.D.1S Slim, as a timekeeping base. This quite powerful automatic movement with a 4Hz frequency and a 64-hour power reserve is surmounted by a module developed by MB&F, featuring bi-directional jumping hours and trailing minutes. The display, if quite cool technically, remains highly practical with the two indications positioned one next to another at the centre of the dial.

Availability, order and price

As with the previous watches by M.A.D.Editions, the M.A.D.2 by Eric Giroud, will be available through a raffle that kicks off on April 1st at 2:00 PM (Swiss time) and will stay open for one full week, at this page at www.mbandf.com. The watch is priced at the same price as all previous watches of the brand, meaning CHF 2,900 (excl. taxes).

Finally, another edition of the M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.2 by Eric Giroud will be made, this time with a black strap and an orange dial, but this edition is not available to the public via the raffle but is reserved for the Tribe and Friends.