Maverick Swiss watch brand MB&F (Max Büsser & Friends) has announced a new collaboration in its M.A.D.Editions series – this time with British artist and designer Yinka Ilori. According to info released by one of the watch world’s most loveable independents the new watch, the “M.A.D.1S Grow Your Dreams”, will be available in three limited editions (Sun, Nature and Water).
Ilori, celebrated for his bold use of colour and storytelling, has reimagined the brand’s M.A.D.1S – a watch that replaces the traditional dial with a spinning rotor, while the time is shown on a single rotating hour cylinder viewed from the side. The result feels less like a conventional watch and more like a piece of wearable kinetic art or, some have pointed out, a fidget spinner or ninja throwing star.
The collaboration comes in three models – Sun, Nature and Water – each limited to 400 pieces. Ilori’s influence is instantly clear.
The watches feature vibrant anodised titanium rotors, leaf-patterned rubber straps, and a rainbow of coloured accents set into the baseplate, creating wave-like ripples beneath the movement in 3D relief – a technical first for M.A.D.Editions.
Maximilian Büsser – the Swiss watchmaker who founded MB&F in 2005 – made his name with “Horological Machines”: six-figure creations that looked more like spaceships or engines than conventional timepieces.
In 2021 he introduced M.A.D.Editions as a more accessible offshoot, releasing limited runs of these playful machines by raffle.
Demand has been extraordinary, with up to 24,000 collectors vying for just 1,500 watches.
“The concept is grow your dreams,” Büsser tells Esquire, of today’s launch.
“Believe in your dreams and work together. Both of us are good examples of that. Yinka pushed us technically and creatively – even asking for colour on the case, which forced us to invent new solutions. The result is something neither of us would have created alone.”
For Ilori, whose design practice spans furniture, architecture and public art, the collaboration was a natural extension of his ethos.
“I’ve always been inspired by nature – trees, water, sunlight – and the way they symbolise patience and growth,” he says.
“To pour that into a watch, and to know it can start conversations, is really powerful. Max didn’t just want me to put my name on something – he challenged me, and that openness made this feel authentic.”
Tech specs include a 42mm stainless-steel case, a Swiss-made La Joux-Perret calibre with 68-hour power reserve, 30m water resistance and a rotating hour cylinder with Super-LumiNova numerals.
