Have you ever fulfilled a dream you had as a kid? Maximilian Büsser can say that he has. Founder of the Swiss watchmaking house Maximilian Büsser & Friends (MB&F), he grew up in the 80s, where the work of Jean-Charles de Castelbajac lit up streets and catwalks with his trio of pop colors. Making watches since 2005, MB&F blends reality and science fiction with designs that are always increasingly original, one after the other. From a watch that looks like a spaceship, to one that could be a spider or a robot, you could say that the watchmaker does not go for simplicity.

Not only do these watches tell time, but they also transform into works of art and collector’s items. If collaborations allow companies to be more visible, they also provide opportunities for comparing creative visions. For the Swiss watch brand, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac was the perfect candidate to add his artistic touch to the M.A.D.1. Limited to 999 pieces, half of which were given to collectors and friends of the brand, this collaboration is a fusion of two worlds that seem to have nothing in common.

To learn more how  » Time to Love «  came about, we spoke with the two men in the Castelbajac lounge for an open-heart discussion, frozen in time.

Your work in fashion has marked many generations, and your artistic career now leads you to collaborate once again with a watchmaker. Could you tell us more about this collaboration with MB&F?

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac: Today, I enjoy working as much as I did in the 70s, because now there is digital technology that allows us all to connect at the touch of a finger. Maximilian wrote to me on Instagram and his profile interested me because he excels in his field, which is opposite to mine. As a designer, I’ve always escaped time because I create collections that will be released a year later and are inspired by the past, so we’re always in a kind of poetic jet-lag. This relationship with time has always been a problem for me actually, but I wanted to see how I could make this universe my own and also bring it into the Castelbajacian universe.

Maximilian, what made you want to collaborate with Jean Charles de Castelbajac?

Maximilian Büsser: Behind this man, there are five decades of creativity and innovation. He has always known how to reinvent himself and amaze us. I followed him closely and from afar and I noticed a kind of comeback over the past ten years, particularly with collaborations. So, I gave it a shot, telling myself « worse case scenario, I’ll just have a coffee with him », and then the spark ignited the flame. What is interesting in a collaboration is finding yourself with someone else who will have an idea that you would not have dared imagine. MB&F is the only company to create these kinetic sculptures, but Jean-Charles brought his poetry, this romance, and also hope. I put a lot of humanity into my pieces, but he managed to take it to a higher level.

There are more than a dozen models at MB&F. Why did you bet on the M.A.D.1 to express your art?

JC: I like what is rare and accessible. Beauty can bring people together, and in the MB&F project, this notion is also present, as it is the most « accessible » watch in the collection.

M.B: At MB&F, the watches are between 50 and 200,000 euros but this piece from the M.A.D.Editions collection will be released at 3,300 euros excluding tax. So, the complexity is not just about creating an object, but a fantastic one at that price and one that can reach more people.

Could you tell us a little more specifically about the M.A.D.1 model? Why call it that and what makes it so unique?

M.B: It takes its name from the MAD Gallery, a place that hosts mechanical and kinetic artists, and that we opened in Geneva in 2011.

Originally, I created the M.A.D 1 in 2014, but it was never released to the public. ​And then, Covid happened, 2020, and then, we said to ourselves, you know what? Come on, anything is possible. We’re going to release it. And so, it gets the name MAD Edition from the MAD Gallery. By the way, MAD stands for « Mechanical Art Devices. » Quickly, Instagram took hold of the idea and demanded the model and in 2022, we decided to make a small series for the general public. Jean-Charles chose this series to enhance.

How long did it take to make this watch from project to design?

M.B: It took a total of 2 years, from project to design. At our meeting, two years earlier, I submitted a series to him, then he chose the piece and his project and made the drawings. Here, Jean-Charles’s work really comes into its own.

The watch features a reverse movement with a rotor that is mixed with Jean-Charles’s romantic vision. You can tell the time on the side like driver’s watches from the 1930s. There is a cylinder for minutes and a cylinder for hours. This box is quite surprising as well, because it doesn’t have any screws! The set consists of a piece that is held together with a snap-fit assembly. The time cylinder rests on a receptacle that is presented in 5 axes, in 3D. In general, this type of watch takes about 18 months to assemble.

Jean-Charles, this watch has several features that are unique to your aesthetic. Where did you draw your inspiration for this latest creation?

JC: I would say that I have had several lives, but for some time now, I feel serene. That’s never happened to me before. For me, the notion of time is really precious. Like the Rolling Stones said: « Time waits for no one and it won’t wait for me », and with this watch, I feel like time waits for me a little, since it’s a watch that will live on after me.

Maximilian, as a watchmaker, how does you succeed in combining an artist’s and a fashion designer’s visions?

M.B: As a watchmaker, we are quite unique in the sense that there are several like us. When we create, we only create for ourselves. We create the object, the object we want to have, to wear, and above all to create. In the end, in my opinion, creating is more important than wearing. That being said, when you collaborate with someone, you have to let go.

JC: I can see it clearly from the reactions under the Instagram posts. These are really two worlds that collided! Traditional watch collectors wonder what they are looking at and say that it is not for them. However, others dream of owning one. You have to dare to assert your ideas.

The base of the dial also features the following quote: « This rare and precious treasure, is your life. Time flies on its white wings. You are the guardian of your time. » Could you explain it to us in your own words?

JC: Like all my poems, it’s a flash of brilliance. So, it’s something that wrote itself. In doing a job as creative as mine, it’s a path of experimentation, and I tried a philosophical approach. I tell myself that we are the guardians of our lives and that it is precious.

On the M.A.D.1, we find other examples of your emblematic codes such as the colors red, blue, yellow, and even green. How did you choose the colors on the watch? What do they represent for you?

JC: We started with a lot of drawings. Then, we were in something more dreamlike during the creation. Then, I quickly came up with this idea of a rainbow and angels through which you could read a sentence. We also identify my chromatic style with lemon yellow, tomato red, or cornflower blue. It was important for me to bring color to this metallic mechanism.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in designing this watch?

M.B: As a technical creator, I had to make these ideas become beautiful realities. Very quickly, Jean-Charles mentioned the idea of angels, and, more specifically, wings. We wanted it to be in relief, and that implied redoing the entire winding system technique, because it didn’t work with the wings.

With this collaboration, you are once again putting your creative vision to the test. Besides clothing, could we imagine you designing another watch after this one?

JC: First of all, I would like to design my own clothes. After 50 years of creating, I find myself being the one I have neglected the most because I have a rather simple style that I would like to diversify. I am already very proud of this watch that I find very connected to pop culture and I feel it is close to the street which is an aspect in particular that I love. It is not just an object of worship, but also echoes my work as a street artist. So, apart from the M.A.D 1, I’m not really sure what else I could do, but why wouldn’t I work with Maximilian again?

Interview conducted by Clara Marcellin