Modernahab
1151
M.A.D.ness
I’m not usually one to make impulse watch purchases, much less of something that has not been on my “Want List”, but every now and again, I do lapse. When I saw the M.A.D. 1 Red offered at a very reasonable price, I jumped on it. (I apparently was not the only one: the vendor listed three M.A.D. 1s in three different colors, and another one of them sold within an hour of my purchase.)
Most members are probably aware that the M.A.D. collection is Max Büsser’s effort to offer an accessible, creative alternative to the very pricey high horology MB & F line. What fascinates me about this watch, besides the mesmerizing helicopter beanie action of the tungsten-and-titanium rotor (I have a very simple mind), is just how creative Büsser has gotten using very simple means.
Understand that the M.A.D. 1 is not primarily an exercise in fine watchmaking, per se. It is, on the other hand, a very, very clever exercise in pure design within the context of a wristwatch. What has been achieved here, using a humble off-the-shelf Miyota 821A automatic caliber, is nothing short of dazzling. Let’s start with the mechanics before taking on the more purely aesthetic aspects of the M.A.D. 1 Red – acknowledging, however, that the two are near-inseparably intertwined.
The Miyota 821A is set upside-down in a mineral crystal cylinder and topped with a domed sapphire crystal. The balance wheel is visible at what would normally be 8:00 on the dial, were there in fact a dial. The unidirectional Miyota rotor is replaced by a three-armed titanium rotor with a broad tungsten mass at the end of each arm. The mechanics of the Miyota caliber and the extreme outwardly-biased mass differential on the rotor cause the rotor to spin rapidly for 15-to-20 seconds with each flick of the wrist. Beneath the rotor one sees the plate and balance cock of the 821A, finished simply with côtes-de-Genève and surrounded by the bright red spacer ring that gives the M.A.D. 1 Red its name.
How, then, you may ask, do you tell the time? Well, beneath the movement, instead of hour and minute hands, the pinion rotates a black disk with the hours printed on the rim and a red disk bearing the minutes. These are visible through the glass cylinder, and the current time is indicated by a pointer integrated into the case at the 6:00 position. To all intents and purposes, then, the M.A.D. 1 is a modern visual interpretation of the montre a tact, not too different from the sort seen in some contemporary Andersen Genève references. Except, of course, for the aesthetics.
The case is in fact quite complex, given the M.A.D. 1’s price point, evidence, I presume, of the relative ease of manufacture via modern CNC technology. A broad, polished, slightly convex bezel tops a 5.5mm steel case flank, the latter’s circumference interrupted by two brushed bands in relief. Beneath that is the roughly 7.5mm flank of the crystal cylinder, revealing the colored rings bearing the hour and minute numerals. These, along with the “M.A.D. 1” text on the spacer ring, are rendered in a chunky contemporary font that lends the watch a very sporty, “mechanical” aesthetic. The numerals, the pointer at 6:00, and the rotor masses are also heavily lumed, which means the watch is both legible and entertaining in low light. The very large crown is situated at 12:00 and embossed with the M.A.D. logo, which echoes the shape of the rotor.
The brushed steel case back is roughly X-shaped, partially exposing the workings of the disks which tell the time through the bottom of the crystal cylinder. The pointer for reading the time is in fact an extension of the case back at 6:00. The four arms of the “X” transition into the very large, polished, and elaborately shaped lugs, which twist and curve sharply downward from the case back. The lug width is a generous 24mm, and the lug shape help the 42mm case wear more easily than it otherwise might. Even so, this is a big watch, and with an overall thickness of 18mm, it’s not fitting under any buttoned cuff. Granted, that would defeat the purpose anyway, at least for those of us who can entertain themselves by watching the rotor helicopter.
The watch comes on a red-stitched black textured rubber(?) strap with racing holes and a rather massive push-button triple folding deployant clasp embossed with “M.A.D.” on a prominent brushed steel medallion.
I’ve long understood mechanical watches to be toys for grown-up boys (and girls!) but the M.A.D. 1 revels in its toy status like no other I’ve seen. When wearing it, I can’t help but think of ruckus caused by the Moonswatch and the current Swatch/Audemars Piguet collab. Granted it will cost you, but if you’re able to amass the funds, you can get a shiny toy with Max Büsser’s ingenious design, as opposed to a cynical cross-branding exercise concocted by a bunch of corporate suits. The choice is yours. I’ve made mine.
M.A.D.ness
