The current era of MB&F is fascinating to bear witness too. The brand has well and truly evolved from its provocative roots into one of the most dependable and innovative players in independent watchmaking; heck, Max Büsser’s legacy has even been secured thanks to an investment from Chanel. One of the most remarkable feats the brand has managed to pull off with aplomb is the introduction of a diffusion line in 2021 — the M.A.D. Editions. While there is no MB&F branding on these watches — which are offered to the brand’s Tribe for a fraction of the entry price of the full-fat MB&F collection — there’s no mistaking who made this watch. The M.A.D. Editions are full of MB&F hallmarks, and we can’t get enough of them. The latest is the M.A.D.1S, made in a limited edition trilogy in collaboration with Yinka Ilori.

Yinka Ilori and the ‘Nature’ M.A.D.1S

Yinka Ilori (left) and Max Büsser (right)

This watch follows hot on the heels of the M.A.D. 2, released earlier this year and designed by Eric Giroud, but this colorful trio harks back to the first version of the M.A.D. Editions, with the dial side trefoil rotor and large hour cylinder, allowing you to read the time from the case profile. Before we dive into the watch, we need to talk about Yinka Ilora. Ilori is a London-based, British-Nigerian artist and designer with a practice bound in positivity and a penchant for bright colors and bold graphic design. His product design portfolio is stacked with clients including Adidas, Lego and Meta, as well as a clothing collab with The North Face. At the heart of Ilori’s practice is a belief in nurturing one’s dreams, something visually represented by the recurring motif of trees. Dreaming is an important part of Büsser’s creative philosophy too, ‘a creative adult is a child who survived’ is an important part of MB&F — so, perhaps sensing this kindred creativity, Büsser reached out to Ilori after stumbling upon some of their work, and next minute, Ilori was trying his hand as a watch designer.

The result of this pairing is three watches, each limited to 400 pieces. The first is ‘Sun’, with a yellow rotor and a yellow and green strap. Then comes ‘Nature’, with a green rotor and purple and red strap. Finally, ‘Water’, with a blue rotor and a two-tone blue strap. The heart of each watch is still the movement, a LJP G101, only as opposed to earlier versions, here the titanium rotor has been slimmed down and made more intricate, with Ilori’s tree motif cut out of each blade. On top of the physical design changes, the rotor has been anodised to give it its vibrant color, and there’s even luminous text. Color contrast is provided by HyCerem in the bezel — a liquid ceramic that is hardened via heating and then hand-polished. Finalising the kaleidoscopic rainbow effect is the colored aluminium baseplate.

Each version works with a different color palette in keeping with its name, and that colorway extends to the strap,  which is offered in a multicolored rubber strap stamped with a leaf pattern. And just in case you’re not in the mood for such a vibrant strap, each watch comes with a second white rubber strap.

Tech Specs: M.A.D Editions M.A.D.1S Grow Your Dreams 

Movement: Self-winding LaJoux-Perret G101 movement; 68-hour power reserve
Functions: Rotating hours cylinder with Super-LumiNova numerals (minutes)
Case: 42mm × 15mm; stainless steel; water-resistant to 30m
Dial: ‘Sun’ with yellow rotor, ‘Nature’ with green rotor, ‘Water’ with blue rotor
Strap: Each edition comes with a mismatched color strap and an additional white strap, both in leaf-patterned rubber; on steel folding buckle
Availability: Each edition is limited to 400 pieces