It’s M.A.D. 1 Raffle Time Again, Now with a New Green Version

If you’ve been trying to score a M.A.D. 1 – the absolutely insane, value oriented limited edition watch that most certainly is not an MB&F but is conceived by many of the same people – you’re in luck. Max Busser, the “MB” of MB&F, has announced that a new version of the M.A.D. 1 is soon to be released, this time in green, with options to purchase still determined by a raffle. Ever since the original M.A.D. 1 appeared in the spring of 2022, it’s been an object of considerable fascination for the many admirers of MB&F who simply can’t afford a watch with a six figure price tag. The conceit of the M.A.D. 1 is that it offers a whole lot of the imagination and playful whimsy of an MB&F piece, but with an off-the-shelf movement (heavily modified) in an unusual case for not a whole lot of money. Their scarcity, and the sheer visual impression these watches leave, has made them an enduring Instagram hit with a certain type of enthusiast. 

The new M.A.D. 1 is effectively the same watch as the previous version, but with bright green accents instead of red. For those who might be brand new to the concept, a quick overview of how thing works might be in order. The heart of the M.A.D. 1 is a simple Miyota automatic caliber that has been inverted, so the back of the movement points up, where you’d normally find a dial. But there is no dial – just a rapidly spinning, triple blade, tungstend/titanium rotor, which we suspect is the single most heavily modified piece of the humble Miyota movement beating away underneath it. The time is read through a pair of rotating discs, visible through the side of the case, which is suspended in what amounts to a stainless steel carriage. 

It’s an admittedly unusual design, carried out with a lot of character (and a lot of lume). It’s a fairly large watch, coming in at 42mm in diameter and a whopping 18.8mm tall. To say this thing has wrist presence is something of a massive understatement. After having a chance to handle a few of the original run of red M.A.D. 1s, I came away from the experience thinking that this, for me, would be more of an objet d’art than a watch I’d actually consider wearing on a regular basis. And that, by the way, is completely fine. I still want one, personally. I’d probably just let it live on my desk, taking it to watch meetups from time to time, which seems like the piece’s natural habitat. 

If you want a M.A.D. 1 in green, your chances are as good as literally anyone else’s, as Max and his team have devised what is possibly the most fair system in the space to allocate the 1,500 pieces that are being made in this initial batch. It’s a simple raffle, one entry per person (there are multiple checks for duplicate entries and bots throughout the process). If your number gets called, you get a chance to buy the watch. Simple as that. 

If you want to try your luck, you can enter the raffle right here. The retail price, should you be selected to purchase, is CHF 2,900.