Ever wanted a free MB&F? Well, the brand’s actually giving some away – here’s how to get one
Borna BošnjakDon’t worry, you haven’t clicked onto some weird, scammy copy of Time+Tide that’s using clickbait titles to get you to give out your personal information. And for what’s likely to be the only time I’ll ever get the chance to say this, there’s a likelihood that an email will land in your inbox informing you that you’ve won a free MB&F or M.A.D.1S. Taking a page out of Jesus’ book, MB&F is being the one giving gifts for its own birthday, celebrating 20 years by giving away 20 watches in total, split across two new, anniversary special models.
The first is, quite appropriately, a “Longhorn” model, in this case the treatment being applied to the LM101 that recently had an Evo upgrade. Initially a design used for a unique Legacy Machine 1 that was auctioned off for charitable purposes in 2021, all Longhorn MB&F models see their lugs take on an elongated, spider-like appearance that almost gives them a touch of zoomorphism from the brand’s own Horological Machine cabinet of wonders.
Unlike those, and many other MB&F models, for that matter, the LM101 is known as the most tame of the bunch, which isn’t really saying much. Nevertheless, the 40mm diameter and 16mm thickness mean you can kind of get away with wearing this one to places other than a watch meetup or fair. In many ways, it brings together the greatest hits that make MB&F the brand it is, with that signature, flying balance wheel suspended above the domed, black-lacquered sub-dials and rhodium sunray dial plate.
Turn it over, you’ll be met with the gorgeous LM101 movement that, had you not seen the front of the watch, may even suggest it to be a much more traditional affair. With its finishing and aesthetics advised on by Kari Voutilainen, there’s really not much to add other than the fact that it looks top-notch. For this special 20th anniversary edition, MB&F also pad-prints a special message on the caseback: “Fortune favours the bold”. Oh, how true this is, in more ways than one.
The other 10 watches up for grabs will be M.A.D.1s models that tribute their 20th anniversary Longhorn counterpart in colourway. Mostly in monochromatic grey, a flash of electric blue separates the case, which has now been slimmed down compared to the first M.A.D.1 iteration, mostly by combining the timing barrels into one, slowly turning ring. The resultant height drops down to 15mm: with a 42mm diameter, it’s most certainly an improvement. One final point of comparison to the original M.A.D.1 is the movement – the M.A.D.1s now uses a La Joux-Perret G101 instead of a Miyota 821S, both inverted and fitted with the signature, lumed triple-axe winding rotor.
Okay, those are the watches – now tell me, how the hell do I get one? Well, not everyone is eligible to win both. Remember that message printed on the sapphire caseback of the LM101 Longhorn? Well, if you’re keen on winning one, you would’ve had to have had the fortune or been bold enough to have purchased an MB&F watch. If you’ve done so in the past 20 years and have registered with The Tribe, you’re automatically in and have a chance of winning one of the 10 watches.
For the M.A.D.1s 20th Anniversary, your odds of getting into the draft are significantly higher – though that does mean your odds of winning skew in the opposite direction. If you’ve ever entered your name into a raffle to win one of the previous M.A.D.Editions products, you have a chance to win one of the 10 on offer.
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I say much of this in jest, of course. Despite all the hype surrounding its releases (especially lately), and the astronomical prices associated with most of its products, Maximilian Büsser & Friends has always seemed like an enterprise that wouldn’t allow fame to get the better of it. In recent memory, its fairness with M.A.D.Editions drafts has been exemplary, including creating a watch for all the “losers” – those who had entered all the raffles up to that point, but hadn’t won a single time. This 20th anniversary giveaway is yet another example of them doing right by both their fans and their supporters.
Max Büsser had this to say about it: “Amongst the few regrets I have from the last twenty years, one is that it was incredibly difficult to be generous when we were in survival mode. This 20th Anniversary allows us to say thank you to our entire community: our own team, the artisans we call Friends, our Tribe members, our retail partners, the growing M.A.D.Editions community… all without whom our ideas would have remained simply that: ideas.”
Good on you, Mr Büsser. To those keen, you won’t have to wait for too long for the results – the raffles for both are set to take place in October 2025. May the odds be ever in your favour…