CEO: Maximilian Busser
Ownership: Maximilian Busser
A brief history: Founded in just 2005, Maximilian Busser & Friends (aka MB&F) has become a cult favourite, and is widely recognised as one of the forerunners – and one of the most successful examples – of independent watchmaking today. Design and production work is often done with the help of external partners, hence the “& Friends†portion of its name.
Currently known for: The brand has established a reputation for creating watches with quirky designs that belie their technical complexity, and this applies to both cases and movements. A somewhat unusual direction that Busser has taken is to have limited production for each new model – once the “final edition†of a timepiece is released and sold out, it will only be available via the pre-owned market.
Key product lines: MB&F has three main “collectionsâ€, with distinct models within each one. The HM (Horological Machine) line has wristwatches with futuristic designs inspired by science fiction and Busser’s childhood; the LM (Legacy Machine) collection reimagines traditional pocket watches as how they’d be made today by Busser; and Performance Art pieces consist of clocks, sculptures, and other large artefacts.
Price range: From about MYR 250,000 for the LM101 in gold to approximately MYR 1.7 million for the HM6 Space Pirate in platinum and sapphire.