The classical take on the iconoclastic brand?s sci-fi adventurism started out as proof of horological credentials, but now exists as an icon in itself
By Alex Doak

The wristwatch. A flat circle with hands pointing to the hours, minutes and seconds, right" Anything but, if Maximilian BĂĽsser  has anything to do with it. In this man?s eyes, the time is merely the destination ? it?s all about the journey. His ?& Friends? MB&F enterprise has in the short space of 12 years, redefined how you display the time, how you read the time and even how you run a watch company.
What was especially jarring for the Swiss establishment was the form that BĂĽsser?s watches adopted. It was rare you?d find such exquisitely engineered contraptions more at home in the pages of sci-fi comics than the dusty confines of a collector?s display cabinet.  
[See image gallery at www.salonqp.com]
Indeed, it was this disconnect from true horology?s recognisable form and the industry?s refusal to respect MB&F?s craft that led Büsser to release a more traditional-looking piece five years ago: the Legacy Machine N°1. With the LM1, his naysayers could compare like for like. Especially as it was designed and fine-finished by watchmaker?s watchmakers, Kari Voutilainen and Jean-François Mojon.
?Up until LM1, we weren’t talking the same language as the rest of the industry,? says BĂĽsser. ?Now everyone can make comparisons. People understand that MB&F stands for the most ...