In 2021, amidst the malaise of the COVID 19 lock downs, MB&F created a special watch as a love note to “The Tribe”, the friends and family of MB&F. The watch had all the creativity and flare of their regular collections, but without the five and six figure price tags. The early images of that watch, the M.A.D.1, utterly broke the internet. The watch was striking, beguiling and mysterious. Initially, no one knew what it was.

The 2021 M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.1 “Friends & Tribe”

The watch collector community found itself glued to their screens, pining for the connections of the watch world they knew and loved, and immediately took to the case of solving the mystery of the M.A.D.1. Rumors flew around what it might be, until it finally became clear that, yes, this was an affordable “MB&F” of sorts, but unfortunately it would be available for wide reaching sale. The frenzy that followed resulted in the creation of an entirely new brand, M.A.D. Editions. After several iterations of that first, glorious horological fidget spinner, the M.A.D.2 has finally arrived.

M.A.D. 2

Keep Spinning

The M.A.D.2 is an entirely different creation which comes from the mind of designer, longtime collaborator, and friend of MB&F, Eric Giroud. The green vinyl record-esque dial evokes the analog musical era of the 1990’s club scene in Lausanne, the shared hometown of both Eric Giroud and Max Büsser. Two central subdials sit above, indicating the hours and minutes, reminiscent of a DJ’s turntables.

Eric Giroud and Maximilian Busser

But the delights of the M.A.D2 are not limited to aesthetics alone. The two subdials actually utilize a bi-directional jumping hour module, originally developed by MB&F. This results in a smooth, sudden, and exciting bit of motion as the watch performs its core function.

Visible along the perimeter of the dial is the spinning edge of the watch’s automatic rotor. The watch utilizes the Swiss-made La Joux-Perret G101 calibre, the very same present within the M.A.D.1 edition. You’d be forgiven for mistaking it for something else, of course, as the amount of modification and customization done to these timepieces is nothing short of astounding, especially given their accessibility. Luminous plots along the periphery of the rotor create dynamism in their motion, evoking the edge of a turntable’s platters (specifically the Technics SL-1200 Mark 2 turntable).

Like the M.A.D.1, the M.A.D.2 will be sold via a raffle which will take place towards the end of March. Those so inclined to purchase enter the raffle, should the horological fates smile upon them, they will have the opportunity to purchase one of the green variants. Additionally, an orange dial variant will be produced for “The Tribe”, maintaining the initial goal of thanking those nearest and dearest to the MB&F family. Also like its predecessor, the M.A.D.2 will retail for the humble price of CHF 2,900.

The levels of detail and obsession amongst audiophiles is matched perhaps only by the passions of watch collecting. It’s a very, very deep rabbit hole, and once you venture down that road, there is virtually no limit to the amount of learning, tweaking, and collecting that one can do. It’s a brilliant choice for M.A.D. Editions’ next iteration, one that combines whimsy, horological ingenuity, motion, and a love of the esoteric. One can only imagine what the next M.A.D. Editions will look like, be inspired by, or who the next collaborator will be (because yes, there will certainly be more to come.)

Tech Specs

Movement: Swiss made Manufacture La Joux-Perret calibre G101 Bi-directional jumping hour and trailing minutes module developed by MB&F
Functions: Jumping Hours and Minutes
Case: 42mm stainless steel case with rounded sapphire crystal on both the dial and caseback
Dial: Green or Orange grooved dial, reminiscent of vinyl records
Strap: Matching leather strap with stainless steel folding buckle
Price: CHF 2,900