M.A.D.Editions unviels its new M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese – and it may be the brand’s best yet
Zach BlassMB&F’s M.A.D.Editions is back with its third model, the M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese, but for me it might just rank first. What does the new design feature? Who is the friend the brand collaborated with? How do you get one and how much does it cost? Well, let’s get into it.
The story of this third design begins with its legendary collaborator Vincent Calebrese, a venerated watchmaker who notably co-founded the AHCI in 1985 long before independent watchmaking was celebrated, collected, and coveted, and is the man behind groundbreaking watch designs such as the Corum Golden Bridge and many more unconventional and unexpected mechanical systems in watchmaking – a less restricted and more adventurous spirit of future generations like Max Büsser would inherit.
The Vincent Calabrese design that inspires the new M.A.D. 3 is the Baladin, an innovative design that did not utilise an hours and minutes hand to tell the time. Instead, you had a wandering jump hour display that indicated both the hours and minutes, with a central second hand to make the dial feel less static – making the watch feel more alive than your usual jump hour design.
With the M.A.D.3 Vincent Calebrese, M.A.D.Editions faithfully reinterpreted the watch while still ensuring M.A.D.Editions signature design codes were seamlessly blended in. For example, the 40mm steel case utilises the brand’s signature floating lugs architecture in which a gap between the lugs and case creates a visual of the lugs floating in the air – like they’re hovering right next to the circular case.
The white outer border that serves as the minutes track injects the brand’s signature ample usage of lume, lighting it up in darkness. And the tip of the central second hand, along with the hour numerals for the wandering jump hour, are luminous as well. But back to the case for a moment. At 12.7mm thick, it is reasonably slender on the wrist, and with a lug-to-lug span of 43.7mm it is arguably the most wearable M.A.D.Editions watch to date. Having tried on all of the brand’s designs, this case fits on my wrist the best. I love the proportions. The finishing is also very well done, with a richly brushed caseband and accents of mirror polishing on the bezel, caseback lip, and lugs.
Despite the compact lug-to-lug, with the dial being large and the bezel being thin, the watch feels larger and still carries a more modern presence on the wrist. The sunburst blue dial variant I have in hand is the variant that will be made available to the public via a raffle, but there is also a pink dial model reserved for the Tribe and Friends. Though I have a ton of blue in my current collection, and am missing having a pink dial in my collection, I have to say the blue is very well done. It’s a rich blue that is somehow both dark and vibrant depending on the light.
As time passes, the entire dial slowly rotates, making one full revolution each hour. You not only see the seconds hand and the dual-purpose hour aperture moving around the dial, but the small M.A.D.3 dial text as well. The outer minutes track is raised above the main dial to allow it to rotate, and its domed surface seemingly slopes down into the abyss beneath it. The attention to detail is top-notch, with even the central seconds hand bent to match the domed curvature of the dial – the tip just microns away from the edge of the outer minutes track. It’s a very easy and intuitive dial to read.
Of course, the big challenge with this design, among many, was how M.A.D.Editions would reliably bring Calebrese’s iconic Baladin concept to a CHF 2,900 watch with a larger production scale while maintaining the wandering jump hour spirit of the original. The solution was a complex MB&F-designed module that redeveloped everything from the ground up, paired with a highly modified and optimised La Joux-Perret G111 movement. It offers 55 hours of power reserve despite the elevated amount of energy transmission needed to make this display happen. Furthermore, it is bi-directional with hacking seconds, so you can adjust the hours both forwards and backwards – allowing you to take the shortest route possible when having to set the time.
Looking at the movement, you have a similar rotor expression to the M.A.D.2, semi-openworked in nature that, when spinning freely, another design signature of the brand, reveals the message “It is fairly easy to please others, far more difficult to be proud of oneself” as a nod to the shared independent spirit between Vincent Calabrese, MB&F, and M.A.D. Editions. Lastly, the watch is tastefully paired with a beige or taupe leather strap that feels very premium with a nice soft under that feels nice on the skin of your wrist. It is fastened with a deployant butterfly clasp as we have seen previously, but you will notice a nod to the wandering jump hours aperture engraved in the clasp – which can also be found on the crown too.
Ok, to wrap things up, so you can get moving and enter the raffle and hopefully be randomly selected for an allocation, which is now open and will close September 7th at 2:00 pm Swiss Time, of all the M.A.D.Editions, this is my favourite. Whether intentional or not, I feel this third model brings the best characteristics of the first and second models together.
You have the less static feel of something always moving on the dial and a wandering display like the M.A.D.1, but then a more wearable case and a jumping hours display introduced by the M.A.D.2. Considering it is inspired by a ‘90s design by Calabrese, of course the aesthetic feels less radical than the M.A.D.1. However, it is still very complex despite its cleaner and more classic look. Should you score an allocation in the raffle, the M.A.D.3, as the M.A.D.2. was, is priced very attractively at CHF 2,900 before tax.
M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese pricing and availability
The M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese raffle for an allocation to purchase is now open, and will remain open until September 7, 14:00 CET. Price: CHF 2,900 (excl. VAT)
| Brand | M.A.D.Editions |
| Model | M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese |
| Case Dimensions | 40mm (D) x 12.7mm (T) x 43.7mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 30 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Blue, sunburst-finished |
| Strap | Leather strap, stainless steel folding butterfly clasp |
| Movement | La Joux-Perret calibre G111, automatic Bi-directional jumping hour and trailing minutes module developed by MB&F |
| Power Reserve | 55 hours |
| Functions | Jump hour, trailing minutes, seconds |
| Availability | Raffle open from now until September 7, 14:00 CET |
| Price | CHF 2,900 (excl. VAT) |