This year, Revolution turns 20. Two decades of chronicling watches, people and ideas have given us a front-row seat to a remarkable story: how an age-old craft has both preserved its soul and reinvented itself for the 21st century. To celebrate, we’ve chosen over 100 names and milestones that, for us, define the era so far. From leaders to watches, you can see the whole list here.

There is no greater example of resilience in watchmaking than Max Büsser. With his own brand MB&F, Büsser almost went bankrupt three times for reasons beyond his control. Each time, Max Büsser stared into the existential pit of annihilation and, rather than caving into despair, he fought back and came out stronger and more successful than before.

When he first took over as the Managing Director of Harry Winston Rare Timepieces in 1998, it seemed like a dream job; he learned shortly afterwards that his division was on the brink of bankruptcy. At the Baselworld fair, his former mentor Günter Blümlein came to visit him and when Max alluded to his challenges, Blümlein replied, “If there is anyone that can turn this brand around, it’s you.”

These words would prove prophetic. With no resources and zero watch expertise, Max had the brilliant idea to collaborate with independent watchmakers normally relegated to obscurity in our industry, and place them center stage through the Opus Project. What he did would revolutionize the watch industry and bring a kind of badass Indy spirit, combined with true creative and technical brilliance to Harry Winston. Opus 3, despite its decade-long gestation period, was one of the most important watches ever made. Then, in 2005, at the very height of his success with Harry Winston, Max did the unthinkable, which was to suddenly quit his job to start his own brand MB&F, built around the same collaborative spirit he had with the independent watchmakers.

Harry Winston Opus 3 in platinum

Over the last 20 years, Büsser has been the watch making industry’s equivalent to James Brown, “the hardest working man in show business,” in his tireless, relentless, seemingly constant ’round-the-world sojourns where he would disembark at every global port-of-call to win over hearts and minds in person. No individual in watchmaking has built a more tightly knit community, which he endearingly calls his “tribe,” or greater brand loyalty through the sheer force of his personality than Max. Yet at the same time, his watches have been genuinely brilliant.

The Horological Machines (HM) might be divisive, but they represent the most extreme expression of timepieces transformed into contemporary art. His Legacy Machines (LM) unveiled a classic side to his personality that we didn’t know existed but fell in love with. Importantly, the LM’s led to his greatest collaborations with Irish watchmaking genius Stephen McDonnell. Then at the very apex of his popularity and commanding one of the highest average prices in the industry, Max did the unthinkable yet again and launched his own diffusion line at one of the most affordable price points with the M.A.D.1 in 2021. Last year, Max announced that Chanel had purchased a 25 percent stake in MB&F, helping him to secure his succession and his future.

The 14mm balance wheel of the Legacy Machine Perpetual, and its indication dials hover above the movement, offering a perfect view into the 581 components of the movement conceived by Stephen McDonnell (©Revolution)

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

For the very first time, I’ve seen Max relaxing and enjoying life, and this makes me happy as I cannot think of anyone who deserves it more.