“I was getting ready for Armageddon. Game over.” On March 17, 2020, Maximilian Busser, founder of niche watchmaking brand MB&F, sent his team home. Covid-19 had struck and all of the brand’s retailers had shut shop.
After spending 15 years building his company, scouring the world for clients who might share his love for unusual, highly complex (and eye-wateringly expensive) horological creations, he thought it was all over. “It felt like the end of the world. We were thinking: ‘Who is going to buy a watch ever again?’”
But then something strange started happening. In April and May 2020, even though the brand’s retailers were still closed, sales were as good as ever. In June, the brand had one of the best months in its history. And that success has continued on an upward trajectory ever since.
Busser is still grappling with the hows and whys of this unexpected development. He suspects it is because many big watchmaking brands stopped communicating with their clients during the early stages of the pandemic, while MB&F, and other like-minded independent brands, “started having incredible conversations with people online, via Instagram live and Zoom and so on”.
At the same time, the secondary market for MB&F’s pieces started growing. From 2013 to 2020, the brand had capped the number of pieces it produced to 278 per year. The complexity of the creations, which are all hand finished, and the dwindling number of artisans who are able to create them, meant they could never be produced in large volumes anyway. But their limited numbers drove demand on the secondary market and, for the first time, there was a waiting list for Busser’s unusual concepts.
The MB&F offering is split into two main collections: the more outlandish Horological Machines, kinetic sculptures that are highly technical, but also three-dimensional, defined by unexpected shapes and seemingly incongruous proportions; and the more nostalgic Legacy Machines, which actually look like watches, rather than futuristic accessories for the arm, and are Busser’s “tribute to the great creators of 200 years ago”. A Dh500,000 price tag for an MB&F piece is not unusual.
We meet in Dubai Mall, within the endlessly intriguing environs of the Mad Gallery.
Founded by Busser in 2011 and now present in Geneva, Taipei and Dubai, the galleries feature MB&F’s own timepieces, alongside a carefully curated collection of weird and wonderful kinetic and mechanical items by creators from around the world. They are the ultimate symbol of Busser’s collaborative approach.
He shows me an MN9 SV Sapphire Vision, the last in the world. Like a miniature underwater vessel transported back from the future, it features a curved and bubbled outer hull of sapphire crystal and precious metal, and is worth Dh1.7 million.
“You do not expect people lining up to try to buy this.” His voice dips slightly, the emotion audible if you listen closely enough. “That is a mechanical sculpture. That is exactly what I set about creating 18 years ago.”
The half-Swiss, half-Indian resident of Dubai was brought up through the ranks of Jaeger-LeCoultre, where he was part of the senior management team for seven years during the 1990s, and became the managing director of Harry Winston Rare Timepieces in 1998 at the age of 31.
But, 18 years ago, he decided he’d had enough. He wanted to create things that were new, innovative and pushed the boundaries of horology – rather than just corporate-endorsed designs that were only produced because they were guaranteed to sell. So he set up MB&F (the F, incidentally, stands for friends – like-minded creative geniuses who are committed to challenging industry norms).
Twenty calibres and a series of award-winning designs later, with a further ten calibres in the pipeline, Busser is clearly stunned by the brand’s success. “Pre-2020, the person who bought MB&F was an insane lover of what we do. They knew that if they tried to sell it, they would lose money. So it was pure love.
“But when secondary market prices came close to original prices, all of a sudden, we found five to ten times more people turning up at our door saying: ‘I’ve always loved what you do, but I wasn’t ready to lose money. But now, clearly, I can buy one of your pieces, and after one or two years, sell it and maybe lose five to ten per cent, and that’s acceptable.’
“As a creator, I no longer have nightmares about who the hell is going to buy my products, which is really nice. But it brings many other challenges. Suddenly, we have to start deciding who is ‘worthy’ of having our pieces, which is horrible. I never signed up for that – I’m just grateful for anybody who wants to buy one of my pieces,” he says.
Production has been upped to 345 pieces a year, but demand still far outstrips supply. Recent launches include a new version of the Legacy Machine Perpetual, which was first launched in 2015, and since been reworked in red gold, platinum, white gold, titanium, yellow gold and palladium. New to the roster is a version in steel and salmon, a first for MB&F.
The award-winning LM Perpetual is a collaboration between MB&F and independent Irish watchmaker Stephen McDonnell, which resulted in a reinvention of one of the most traditional of horological complications – the perpetual calendar. An open dial reveals the full complication and suspended balance, while subdials appear to float above the movement with no visible attachments
Increasingly, Busser’s thoughts are turning to the actual matter of legacy, which is new for him. “I want to make sure this company survives me, which was never a thought in my mind. I think in the last four or five years, especially with the scare we had with Covid … you start thinking that you don’t want all of this to go to waste.”
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier
Results
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs
Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets
Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets
Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets
Semi-finals
UAE v Qatar
Bahrain v Kuwait
Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
'Nightmare Alley'
Director:Guillermo del Toro
Stars:Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara
Rating: 3/5
SECRET%20INVASION
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Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape
The%20specs
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
PSL FINAL
Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi
8pm, Thursday
Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Match info
Karnataka Tuskers 110-3
J Charles 35, M Pretorius 1-19, Z Khan 0-16
Deccan Gladiators 111-5 in 8.3 overs
K Pollard 45*, S Zadran 2-18
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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