“How Do You Know I’m Mad?” - Welcome to The M.A.D House.
MB&F is expanding its universe. The MB&F team was occupied in the fall of 2022 with a project a little bit closer to home: the new M.A.D. House in Geneva. This was in addition to launching the first MB&F LAB in history in Singapore and getting ready for a second LAB in Paris.
The MB&F offices were spread out over two locations for many years. In the centre of Geneva's historic district stood the M.A.D. Gallery on Rue Verdaine. Next, there was the primary workshop address on Boulevard Helvétique, which was a short walking distance from the M.A.D. Gallery. But the offices at Boulevard Helvétique and M.A.D. Gallery were filling up faster and faster. It was now appropriate to gather everyone under one roof.
In order to enable the company's many divisions to work together as a single, cohesive creative organisation, a larger office was sought by the end of 2019. That was the aspect of logistics involved. From a philosophical perspective, the new site needed to embody the values and aspirations of MB&F and its members. The search for the MB&F team's new residence began.
After months of property tours, nothing seemed quite right, so the hunt was put on hold for a large portion of 2020 before picking back up at the end of the year. A few locations were large and brand new, yet they exuded a chilly, corporate vibe. Furthermore, several stunning areas were unbelievably pricey and hence unaffordable due to the fact that this is Geneva. Maximilian Büsser saw a big ancient home on a nearby plot of land as he was touring yet another office building, this one in Carouge hamlet, which is located somewhat outside of Geneva's southern borders.
Constructed in 1907 and 1908, the house's exterior radiated history and character. However, at the time, it was in desperate need of repairs and was occupied by a nearby business that had partitioned its three stories into strictly functional workspaces, each filled to the brim with desks piled with paper and filing cabinets. However, there was enough promise in those three stories (four, if you counted the basement) to warrant a return visit. Max began imagining how the area may be changed in collaboration with MB&F's Directors of Sales (Thibault Verdonckt), Marketing (Charris Yadigaroglou), and Manufacturing (Serge Kriknoff).
The M.A.D. House started to take shape as it emerged from the realm of dreams.
After then, there were substantial interior renovations and repairs lasting one and a half years, including a complete restoration of the roof. The renowned architects Edmond Fatio (1871–1959) of Geneva and Charles Meysson (1869–1947) of Lyon collaborated on the original design of the land that would become the M.A.D. House. The property was intended to be the private residence of a prosperous family of industrial entrepreneurs, and it was awarded an architectural prize in the year it was completed. Built in the Heimatstil architectural style, it is distinguished by a romanticised view of past architecture and a forethought towards its future residents, who will reimagine and rebuild traditional horology for the contemporary era. A suitable home for a corporation whose inventions were first inspired by the mythology of science fiction and fantasy, its half-timbered facade with rusticated stone walls evokes the castles and structures found in illustrated books of folklore. The M.A.D. House was officially launched as the new home of MB&F in 2022, after they took full ownership of the currently gazetted protected building by the Swiss Heritage Society (Patrimoine Suisse).
To simultaneously exist in the past, present, and future requires a unique type of vision, which some may even call insanity. The M.A.D. House has components from all three, just like the watches made by MB&F. The space is surrounded by historically significant buildings, packed with artefacts that illustrate the evolution of modern watchmaking, and occupied by a workforce that is unwaveringly focused on the future.
On most days, there is so much going on inside the house that it is hard to keep up with it all. It's the type of thing you would expect from a group of more than forty individuals who are all focused on the same goal—building and expanding a business like MB&F. There is a convergence of movement, an arterial confluence that hums and buzzes with comings and goings as several external entrances flow towards the central stairway and atrium. Concealed below the stairs is a charming remnant of the house's original layout, designed for people who are always on the go and have too much to accomplish but not enough time to do it all. You nearly expect to come across a white rabbit, somberly checking his pocket watch, as you plunge down this secret route.
In light-filled chambers with wood panelling and hand-painted ceramic tiles from the house's original construction, watchmakers build movements at specially designed workbenches on the ground floor. A welcome space that connects onto the central stairway and mirrors the M.A.D. Gallery's aesthetic idea is located on the ground level as well. The wood newels on the stairs still have their original 1908 engravings. There is an organic movement across the multi-story space as departmental offices occupy the higher floors while the product creation team resides on the top floor.
Space and light are valuable resources in any workplace setting, and the M.A.D. House has plenty of both because of its open layout among three hectares of parkland. Everything from the Jean Kazès clock on the main staircase to the photographic prints by Marc Ninghetto, Ulysse Fréchelin, and other artists on the walls and shelves is a piece of the MB&F universe.
A series of painters will alternately apply their vision to the white walls of the central stairs, turning it into a type of installation. Maxime Schertenleib, a Swiss comic strip artist and illustrator renowned for his intricately drawn urban scenes brimming with human activity, is the first artist to leave his stamp on the M.A.D. House in this manner. The first thing you see when you go outside the house is an outdoor wind sculpture by American kinetic sculptor Anthony Howe. Visitors to the M.A.D. House get a sneak peek at the captivating works that come to life inside as his inventions experiment with geometry and fluid dynamics, flowing and whirling in the wind to create mesmerising metallic waves.
After moving into the M.A.D. House in late 2022, MB&F brought life, inventiveness, and just the perfect amount of madness to the century-old home. The brand formally opens its doors to tourists, MB&F pals, and other crazy pilgrims in 2023, six months after it was founded.
