Every year the great and the good of the watchmaking industry don their tuxedos, strap on their finest timepieces and flock to Geneva for the prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG).
The annual award show is often dubbed as the ‘Oscars of watchmaking’ and this year’s edition was particularly interesting for the Gulf region, with the industry’s highest honour, awarded to the Swiss brand MB&F – whose Founder, Max Büsser, is a Dubai resident.
The Aiguille d’Or prize is given to timepiece that is considered the ‘Best in Show’ from all of the combined categories. This year, that honour went to MB&F’s Legacy Machine Sequential Evo (pictured below).
Renowned for its elite-level watchmaking (in very limited numbers), MB&F has always been fueled by the understanding that creation is a collaborative process, hence the name ‘Max Büsser & Friends’.
True to form, the Legacy Machine Sequential Evo was conceived by one of the very earliest MB&F collaborators (and Friends), Stephen McDonnell. The heart of the LM Sequential EVO pushes the boundaries of what chronographs can do, with one movement able to power two chronographs and multiple timing modes.
“It was such an incredible evening,” Max Büsser tells Esquire Middle East. “Well, actually, an incredible year…or more like an incredible 17 years!”
A renowned name in the watch industry, Büsser, set up MB&F near 20 years ago after his previous roles at Jaeger-LeCoultre and as CEO of Harry Winston Rare Timepieces.
While MB&F remains very much a Swiss watchmaking company, Büsser himself moved to Dubai in 2014 where he has become a pivotal part of the industry in the region.