The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2025 - Issue 38

bitewatches es at a relatively affordable price point. It also allowed people to experience the mechanical art of MB&F. Its first model, M.A.D.1, presented in June, was equipped with the Miyota 821A movement for its unidirectional winding sys- tem and was created as a ‘thank you’ to the MB&F community. The original M.A.D.1 Blue was initially a ‘Friends and Tribe Edition’ in a blue colourway. M.A.D.1 Red followed as the first publicly available version in March 2022, built on the same platform and innovative case structure as the original mod- el. It also has the exact lateral time display, featuring two rotating cylinders for the hours and minutes. A triple-blade winding rotor in titanium and tungsten powers the upside-down modified Miyota movement. The differenc- es are its vibrant cherry red hue, a slimmer bezel encircling the winding rotor and a more classic, round winding crown. The following year, MB&F presented the M.A.D.1 Green, allowing fans and collectors who were not able to acquire their own M.A.D.1 another chance to join wearers of the blue and red models. It has the same technical features as M.A.D.1 Red, including the movement, a unique triple-blade rotor, and later- al time display on anodised aluminium cylinders. The third edition replaces the red accents with vivid mint green, such as the movement’s finishing, the hour cylinder, and the stitching on the black leather strap. This year, MB&F took its collaborative ethos to new heights with British-Ni- gerian artist and designer Yinka Ilori MBE. Known for his vibrant use of colour and storytelling rooted in Nigerian heritage, Ilori brought his joyful aesthetic to the M.A.D.1S ‘Grow Your Dream’ collection. The collaboration features three limited-edition watches, Sun, Nature, and Water, each infused with Ilori’s mantra and design language. The titanium rotor displays a tree motif symbolising growth, spinning in vivid yellow, green, or blue. Super-LumiNova highlights the contours of the rotors, and the artist’s etched motto adds a poetic touch. “To make something that brings joy and uplifts people. Every detail has a purpose and tells a story,” the creative said. Even the bezel, inlaid with HyCeram, a high-tech liquid ceramic that hardens through heat and is finished with hand-polishing, bursts with colour. To complete the rainbow colours, the aluminium baseplate features stamped textural waves that ripple under the movement with a 3D effect. Each model bursts with mismatched colour through its rubber straps. Sun pairs luminous yellow and green, Water blends deep and sky blues, and Nature contrasts bold purple with red. Every strap is further detailed with stamped leaf patterns, echoing Ilori’s dreamscape and philosophy. Each ver- sion also comes with a second interchangeable white strap for those occasions when the mismatched colour straps may be a bit too much. “I’ve always been obsessed with trees. Harvesting and growing them because you invest time in it,” Ilori explained. “It’s pouring love into something you care about, and that starts a conversation. It’s the same for this process and the way of thinking behind it with Max. You have to be patient and harvest a watch. There are similarities between our universes. Typically, mine are very public, but there’s something very private and public about a watch. Everyone sees it, but it’s you who has that connection with it.” ‘Grow Your Dreams’ is a celebration of colour and identity, and a call to nurture our ambitions like seeds, to believe in their potential, and to remem- ber ‘no dream is beyond us; it is only waiting for its time to bloom’. MB&F’s success lies in its technical prowess and its ability to tap into something more profound. Whether through its fantastical machines or its vibrant collabo- rations, MB&F reminds us that creativity is a survival skill. In Maximilian Büsser and his ‘friends’ hand, it becomes joy, wonder, and transformation. www.mbandf.com