TFS#198 - Maximilian Büsser Founder @MB&F shares his journey on Crafting 21 Calibres in 19 years

Maximilian Büsser is a creative force in the world of watchmaking, known for founding MB&F (Maximilian Büsser & Friends), a brand that turns traditional watchmaking on its head. After honing his craft at Jaeger-LeCoultre and leading the creation of the Opus series at Harry Winston, Büsser launched MB&F in 2005. His designs push the boundaries of traditional watchmaking, turning watches into kinetic sculptures that blend technical mastery with bold artistic vision. Connect with Maximilian Büsser! instagram.com/maxbusser youtube.com/@Mbandf Visit MB&F website to learn more! mbandf.com CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Introduction 03:09 - How did Max start his journey in designing watches? 04:55 - Max on working with Harry Winston Timepieces before building his own watch brand 09:17 - The difference between watchmaking and crafting other products 11:17 - Why is buying a Rolex the first step in starting a watch collection? 16:18 - Where did Max develop his taste for designing watches? 21:01 - Are we running out of watchmakers? The story of MB&F watchmakers 25:16 - How long does it take for MB&F's watchmakers to produce a watch for each collection? 27:47 - Is it possible to make your own watch from scratch? 29:49 - Does MB&F use different components for each calibre in their collections? 31:37 - How does Max teach watchmakers to craft the new designs he creates? 35:42 - How does MB&F differ from other watch brands? 38:11 - Max’s inspiration for creating the M.A.D. Edition watch 40:57 - Max on being a hands-on watch designer for MB&F and working with Stephen McDonnell 42:47 - Max’s day-to-day life as a watch designer at MB&F 46:32 - How have Max’s watch designing skills evolved over the years? 49:45 - Does MB&F continue to produce watches from its old collections? 52:03 - MB&F needs to generate an 8-12 million Swiss franc return on R&D before they consider stopping production of certain calibres 55:16 - What has been the bottleneck for MB&F? 58:33 - MB&F on using human hands to polish the metal parts of their watches 1:00:50 - How long do MB&F watches last? 1:03:21 - How does MB&F's watch repair service work? 1:06:06 - What does the retail and resale market for MB&F watches look like? 1:08:55 - What is the MB&F customer demographic? 1:10:53 - Max on owning Finn Juhl furniture, a Wiesmann car, and his favorite restaurants 1:13:39 - Max on his favorite clothing brand "Son of a Tailor" 1:18:31 - What is Max’s vision for MB&F? 1:21:45 - Max on keeping the price of the M.A.D. Edition at 2,900 Swiss francs 1:23:52 - Max on finding and working with manufacturers 1:25:30 - How much does it cost to craft a single watch? 1:28:41 - How does MB&F distribute their watches? 1:30:17 - Where can you buy/find MB&F watches? 1:35:59 - Max on why he loves to wear the Stephen McDonell's Legacy Machine Perpetual Evo 1:38:13 - Max on his Collector's Dream watch: Beat Haldimann’s watch 1:39:28 - Max’s recent life discoveries 1:40:37 - Max’s goals and focus for the next six months 1:41:13 - Connect with Maximilian Büsser 1:42:15 - Outro