A Few Minutes with Maximilian Busser
JH - What was your first watch? Was it a gift? Is there a story behind it?
MB - I was 8 years old. It was a hand - winding Jean Perret and every evening I would religiously wind it up in front of my father when he would come to say good night to me. I remember the winding would hurt, because the crown was so small…
JH - A bit about yourself please - you started out with Jaeger-LeCoultre and stayed for 7 years. But then you left - why?
MB - I had no intention of leaving! And then one day one of the top headhunters in the world (who only hunt top executives), called me up. I was intrigued… “Why would he call a small fry like me ?”, so I went down to Geneva for an interview with them. It turned out the job position was Managing Director of Harry Winston Timepieces! I laughed out loud, but the headhunter convinced me of trying the interview. I thought anyway I did not have a chance to get the job, but it could be fun. Then four months later, to my dismay… they told me I was the “chosen one”!
JH - So then after Jaeger-LeCoultre you went on to Harry Winston - this was a very large jump in terms of the types of company "profile" - from a world-class horology based type of company, to a jeweler turned watch maker - why such a jump?
MB - Because when you have never expected or dreamt of such an amazing job (head of a watch brand), the day someone gives it to you on a platter, you just cannot turn it down without having regrets all your life. Clearly I had my reservations on leaving such a beautiful company as JLC, a real Manufacture which devotes all its energy to creating fantastic mechanical calibers, to join a jeweler! But Ronald Winston (son of Harry, and then owner of the company) found the right words to convince me to join. He basically told me he would give me the freedom and support necessary to turn the brand into one of the most admired watch creators, when it was already one of the most prestigious jewelers in the world. He kept his word and let me follow my own path to develop Harry Winston Timepieces.
JH - When you were a boy - what did you want to be when you "grew up"?
MB - A car designer. I was obsessed with this idea - doodling cars from the age of 4 to 18 ! And then my 5 years of studying engineering at university sort of killed that. I suspect that maybe I was kind of depressed during those years, and really did not connect with what I was studying.
JH - Where did you go to school - what did you study exactly?
MB - I did a Masters in micro technology engineering. Not my most inspired choice, but it introduced me to watch making (5 hours of courses amongst 5 years of studies!) which became my passion and my life. In my life, the brightest light has always followed the darkest moments.
JH - Who else is making watches that excite you?
MB - A few real creators/watchmakers who create not to please clients but to follow their calling. For example Felix Baumgartner (Urwerk), Denis Flageollet & David Zanetta (DeBethune) or François Paul Journe (F.P.Journe)
JH - MB&F is Maximilian Busser & Friends - where did this idea come from?
MB – It was really a matter of simply stating the obvious. Without all those amazing people around me, my ideas would just remain ideas. And I have chosen the “Friends” as much for their fantastic competence and ability as for their/our shared human values. I discovered early in life that by being totally transparent, one had nothing to lose - on the contrary you have everything to gain.
JH - What do you like to do in your "down-time"?
MB - What “down time” ??? In the last 5 years, since the beginning of MB&F, the little time I have not been working I have devoted to my family, loved ones and friends. There was no way I could build my dream company without sacrificing hobbies, sports and social life.
JH - How does MB&F work on a daily basis?
MB - Fast! All joking aside, MB&F is a very small, adrenaline - addicted beehive! There are only 7 of us in the company (including the two Master watchmakers who assemble every movement). It is the type of place where everyone works as if it were their own company. That is also one of the most important reasons of our success.
JH - It appears that you spend a good amount of time meeting your fans and customers - what is your favorite spot to visit so far?
MB - I love travelling in Asia – it is so vibrant, so energy - driven, so forward-thinking! Everyone looks to the future, contrary to Europe where everyone looks back and tries to hang on to a grandeur which was once theirs.
JH - Why watches?
MB - Because it is one of the only technical working environments where each human being is important and each person can make a difference (contrary to cars for example, where only massive corporations can hope to exist and where individuals are more or less expendable)
JH - If you weren't doing this - what would you be doing?
MB - I don’t know. I already have issues grasping the fact that I am so lucky! This is my life. This is my calling.
JH- Who was/is your "horological hero"?
MB - Günther Bluemlein, the man who recreated Lange & Söhne, and the ex-CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre and IWC. Visionary, charismatic, engaging, knowledgeable and caring for the individuals he respected.
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