Maximilian Busser is founder of watch brand MB&F (Maximilian Busser & Friends). He studied in Lausanne, Switzerland, before embarking on a career in the watch industry, with brands including Jaegar LeCoultre and Harry Winston. In 2005, at the age of 38, he launched his brand.
How did you first become interested in watchmaking?
I studied microtechnology, although I wanted to be a car designer until I was 18. During my studies I did a project where I interviewed chief executives of fledgling watch brands and they were all so passionate about what they were doing. That's when I really got hooked.
Why did you decide to launch your own brand?
At 31, after working at various brands, I realised that I had been an interior decorator most of my professional life - each time I created a piece of horology it was to please others or to sell and make money. There was nothing of me in what I did. I started dreaming of my ideal company, something small, only creating what we believe in, even though 99 per cent of the world may not understand it.
Every year we create a horological machine. It's hard to define, but I like to call them kinetic sculptures, where 200-year-old horology meets three-dimensional sculpture. We use the best artisans and watchmakers in Switzerland who all work for the best brands as independents. Usually, they aren't credited for their work, but with our brand they are. Hence the name 'and friends'.