To Maximilian Büsser, watchmaking is his life’s calling. Having conquered countless challenges in the beginning, Swiss independent timepiece manufacturer Maximilian Büsser & friends (MB&F) survives and has been offering original horological machines to watch enthusiasts worldwide since its launch in 2005. Hong Kong Jewellery speaks to Büsser about his team’s innovative adventures.
HKJM: Hong Kong Jewellery
MB: Maximilian Büsser
HKJM: How has MB&F’s collection evolved in the last 10 years?
MB: When the brand first started 10 years ago, I only had the designs of HM1 and HM2, and a few sketches of HM3. All the rest came along the way. The creative journey is critical to the story of MB&F. I do not know what I will create tomorrow as I do not know what sort of man I will become in the years to come. We have a stronger desire to explore unchartered territories than to stay in our comfort zone.
HKJM: Have you observed any changes in your business operation during the last decade?
MB: The following for small artisan brands like ours has never been this huge and engaged but at the same time it has never been this difficult on the distribution front. The big brands invested such enormous sums in communication that their products are virtually presold at retail level. It is therefore not easy to find retailers who are ready to work that much to present something as exceptional and at the same time unknown as our pieces.
HKJM: How do you select your retailers?
MB: In 2005, six retailers were crazy and courageous enough to not only order HM1 but also prepay 35 percent in advance two years before I delivered the first piece. Today we count on 30 retail partners around the world who not only share our rebellious and creative mindset but also love artisan watchmaking. Selling an MB&F is not easy as it requires a great level of trust between the clients and the retailers as well as qualified sales teams. Not many retailers could meet this standard.
HKJM: Do you have struggles balancing production costs and market price?
MB: We have had many struggles over the last 10 years. Four out of those 10 years were so tough that we actually wondered if we could get through them. But we did, and it made us much stronger and wiser. The retail prices of our pieces are the direct reflection of our development, manufacturing and artisan finishing costs. I find it interesting that most of our clients and retail partners actually ask us to increase our prices and that we are giving way higher value than most of our competitors.
HKJM: Your anniversary piece HMX was launched at a relatively affordable price; does it mean production will go up?
MB: To thank our faithful clients who had allowed us to create our 11 calibers in 10 years, we launch HMX with nearly no margin. The production is limited to 80 pieces, which all sold out within two weeks. We have no intention of going down to that price point again. With the level of engineering and craftsmanship involved it is simply impossible. Since 2013 our production has been about 280 pieces a year and we do not plan to increase it.
HKJM: Does the theme of your 10th anniversary - “A creative adult is a child who survived” signify the survival of the brand from a child to an adult?
MB: All children are super creative. Then over the years 90 percent of them turn into boring adults. As children we are not scared of being wrong. That fright inhibits all our creativity because we are terrified of being judged. So a creative adult is a child who survived because he or she is not scared of being wrong. And we at MB&F are the ultimate creative survivors.
HKJM: What can we expect of the next MB&F horological adventure?
MB: Most people see my creations as futuristic, but for me they are actually regressive. They are about revisiting my childhood, which was much influenced by science fictions amongst others. MB&F is as much my psychotherapy as my autobiography. As such you will see many more creations that will be considered as “futuristic” or just plain crazy, in the years to come.
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