Two weeks ago we brought a special feature on the M.A.D.1 Friends Edition here on WCL after almost a whole year since it was launched. While the M.A.D.1 is not an MB&F Machine, but a more accessible timepiece that was created under a different brand, the idea was still generated by Max Büsser himself. The first M.A.D.1 Friends Edition literally broke the internet and it was reserved for ‘Friends’ —suppliers who help MB&F create their MB&F Machines— and to the members of ‘The Tribe’ —the owners of MB&F machines.
The reactions to the M.A.D.1 were mind-blowing in a matter of days, with thousands of comments and messages on social media, begging MB&F to make the M.A.D.1 available to the general public. Therefore, without further ado, here’s the new M.A.D.1 RED that was created as a follow-up version accessible to a wider audience.
This time the M.A.D.1 is cloaked in black and red instead of blue. The The M.A.D.1 RED is cased in a 42 mm highly polished stainless steel case with its unconventional time indication —time is read at 6 o’clock via a sapphire crystal opening—, a battle axe-shaped oscillating weight —with luminescent material— that takes the center stage at the top of the watch.
This time a black ring indicates the hours and a red ring the minutes with the use of a pointer at 6 o’clock. The numerals are filled with super bright luminescent material that allows for impressive time telling in complete darkness.
For the release of this new M.A.D.1 RED Edition, here’s the transcript of the video announcement by Maximilian Büsser, Owner & Creative Director of MB&F.
Hello everyone! I have good news for you: the new M.A.D.1 is here! Give me a few minutes and I’ll give you the full story. So: if you’ve been following us, you probably remember that in June last year, we presented a timepiece called the M.A.D.1 – this was not an MB&F Machine, but a more accessible timepiece which we created under a different brand, M.A.D.Editions.
At the time, I explained that I absolutely LOVE creating insane MB&F Machines – and I still do! – but their very high price, due to their complexity, production and quality of finishing, had created a bit of frustration in me: my family and friends could never afford them. That’s why I've been playing with the M.A.D.Editions side project for quite a while. Also, there was an enormous intellectual challenge in developing something creative at a much lower price point.
The limited quantity of M.A.D.1’s we could make in 2021 (only a few hundred pieces) meant that in practice, we could not make them accessible to everyone. That's why we reserved them to two very precise groups of people: first, those we call officially "The Friends": the over 100 suppliers who have helped us create all our MB&F Machines all these years; and second, the members of "The Tribe", the owners of MB&F machines – the patrons who have made our adventure possible.
The response to that M.A.D.1 was mind-blowing: in a matter of days, we were submerged by thousands of comments and messages on social media, begging us to make the M.A.D.1 available. After a few weeks, in early July, I posted a video to explain the thinking behind the M.A.D.1, and why it was limited to our Friends and Tribe members... and at the same time, I promised you that our team was working very hard on making a follow-up version, accessible to a wider public in 2022.
So… as promised, here we are in 2022! We needed the time to organize ourselves, because M.A.D.Editions remain a side project; it has always been clear in my mind that M.A.D.1 could not put our MB&F operations in danger. We also wanted to propose a slightly different timepiece, because the original M.A.D.1 should remain exclusive to the Friends and the Tribe. We’re now ready with that follow-up version, which we’ve called… M.A.D.1 RED!
It’s built on the same platform as the original M.A.D.1, with the same crazy case structure. It has the same lateral time display, with two rotating cylinders for the hours and minutes. The upside-down modified Miyota movement is powered by the triple-blade winding rotor in titanium and tungsten (that’s the star of the show – especially when the Super-LumiNova kicks in!). But the M.A.D.1 RED also has its own special features: we've traded the original blue for a very cool cherry red, we've made the bezel just a bit slimmer, and the winding and time setting is now done with a more classic, round winding crown. To make the M.A.D.Editions project sustainable in the long term – because we do have long-term plans for it! – the price of the M.A.D.1 RED is 2900 Swiss francs before tax.
So, now for the tricky part: how will we distribute these new pieces? We’ve had endless discussions with the team and come up with what we think is the fairest solution. First, among the countless reactions of the last 10 months, some of you actually took the time to write and send us an email. We’ve been carefully registering those written interests, and we’ve decided that they get first priority. There's no obligation of course, but we are first contacting them to check whether they’d like to place their order, within the next 10 days.
By the way – and this is very important! – if you didn’t write to us yet, there’s no need to write now – we’ve closed that list. However, you DO have another chance to get a M.A.D.1 RED, which I’ll explain now.
Once we have the confirmations of the priority orders, we’ll then take all the remaining M.A.D.1 RED pieces available, and allocate them thanks to a lottery, open to everyone. If you're interested in participating in the lottery, which is of course totally free of charge, please go to our eShop to obtain a lottery ticket – and relax, there's no rush, you have the next 2 weeks to get a ticket. After 2 weeks we’ll then proceed with a random draw, and we’ll let you know whether the draw has been favourable to you – in which case you will be able to place your order.
Deliveries of the M.A.D.1 REDs will start in April and continue throughout the rest of this year. The first deliveries will go to those of you who wrote to us, and when those orders are served, we’ll start delivering the lottery winners – most likely between September and December. We’re working very hard on making the wait as short as possible!
You’ll find all this information and the link to the lottery at our eShop, at:
MB&F has always been about building communities around creative projects – and we’re incredibly proud and pleased to build a new community around M.A.D.1!
Thanks again to everyone and good luck if you participate in the lottery!
Turning the watch over reveals a cool case back with an x-grip shape that looks like four claws gripping the watch from underneath. Powering the watch is a simple but reliable automatic Japanese Miyota 821 A movement with a power reserve of 42 hours. With its unidirectional winding system, it allows the rotor to spin at very high speed contributing to the spectacle under low light conditions.
The watch is delivered with a black perforated driving strap with red contrast stitching that is secured by a deployant clasp.
The many fans who have written to MB&F since last year will get priority access to the piece, but they are also making it available to potentially anyone through a lottery as explained by Max Büsser. The new M.A.D.1 RED Edition is priced higher than the ‘Friends Edition’ which was priced at CHF 1,900 Swiss Francs.
Sticker Price CHF 2,900 Swiss Francs —approximately $3,100 USD. For more info on MB&F and the M.A.D. Gallery click here.
