Max Büsser is one of those names that has become essential in any conversation about creative or innovative watchmaking.
With his slogan “a creative adult is a child who survived” he makes his intentions very clear, and the F of his brand MB&F (Max Büsser & Friends) makes up a fairly long list of brilliant collaborators in different technical sections, capable of bringing to light the spectacular ideas born from the imagination of this engineer specialized in microtechnology.
Perhaps this is why it is little strange to know that on September 20 he received the Gaïa Prize, awarded by the MIH, the Musée International d'Horlogerie, which is based in La Chaux de Fonds.
Since 1993, the MIH has awarded this prize – considered the Nobel of watchmaking – in recognition of extraordinary careers in the field of watchmaking. Although the Nobel thing may sound somewhat exaggerated, it has the same dynamic: it is not a prize as such, but a distinction; You cannot present or request it, only third parties can suggest candidates to the members of the Jury, who will be the ones who finally decide. With this, there have been 25 editions of this award.
Max Büsser's career supports him as one of the great creators of the 21st century. In 1991, at only 24 years old, he started working at Jaeger LeCoultre, meeting there with the legendary Günther Bluemlein and developing various positions in marketing and sales. Seven years later he was signed by Harry Winston Inc where, in addition to multiplying his sales tenfold, he created the successful Opus series with the help of independent watchmakers. This experience is what led him to leave Harry Winston in 2005 to found MB&F and develop what he calls “Horological Machines”.
An interesting list
The list of Gaïa Award winners would be like a watchmaking Hall of Fame. In the Craft and Creation category, some of the most famous names include George Daniels, Philippe Dufour, François-Paul Journe and Kari Voutilainen. In the History and Research category, you will find names like Roger Smith and Ludwig Oechslin. The Entrepreneurship category is populated by prominent figures such as Nicolas G. Hayek, Günter Blümlein, Jean-Claude Biver, Richard Mille, Philippe Stern… and now, Max Büsser.
Max received the Gaïa Award “in recognition of his creative approach to watchmaking in the design and marketing of his products, and for the innovative way in which he conducts his business.” Busser prefers to keep the company “at a manageable size, that does not need middle management, something that would harm creativity.” This is why their watches are sold “in hundreds, not thousands,” although the average price of each one is usually over $50,000.
The other two awardees were Paul Clementi (Craft and Creation), whose career spans L’Epée, Parmigiani and Bovet, as well as academic responsibilities at the Technical College of La Chaux-de-Fonds and the Haute Ecole HE-ARC. And Reinhard Meis (History and Research), now retired, who played a key role for many years at Lange & Söhne and then at Richemont, where he was engineering director for product design and watchmaking.
