Paying Homage To “The Troublemaker Of Watchmaking” With The M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese
Ask any watch fan about the different M.A.D.Editions, and you’ll probably hear about the wacky, colorful aspects of the M.A.D.1 or the bonkers and fun modifications to the standard off-the-shelf caliber that powers the watches. For the new M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese, the brand presents a watch that almost looks deceivingly modest. But we all know that it’s never as simple as it looks with M.A.D.Editions. That’s why I was ready to be surprised when I took it for a spin.
Fun and creativity make M.A.D.Editions one of the most interesting projects to follow in the watch industry. It was started by Maximilian Büsser, the founder and driving force behind MB&F and a string of other “crazy” ventures. But we know that he doesn’t necessarily want us to label it a traditional brand because both MB&F and M.A.D.Editions were founded with a strong focus on collaborative projects involving a range of creative minds. I have always loved the innovative, collaborative spirit that Max Büsser instills in all his projects. It ensures there is so much more to talk about than just the watches. And they already offer so much to talk about.
Vincent Calabrese
This time, Max Büsser and his team wanted to bring Vincent Calabrese into the M.A.D.Editions universe. For those unfamiliar with Calabrese, he co-founded the famous AHCI (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants) in 1985 and is considered one of the most original figures in the watch industry.
Vincent Calabrese
While not always mentioned in the mainstream watch world, Calabrese’s legacy spans five decades of unique watchmaking, in which he challenged industry conventions, rejected accepted solutions, and approached mechanics from completely different angles. As a result, he was considered a creative troublemaker. He once called himself “l’enquiquineur de l’horlogerie,” which translates literally to “the troublemaker of watchmaking.”
But it also led to many creative solutions that are now widely respected in the industry. He created the Golden Bridge for Corum, which is one of the most recognizable movement architectures to date. Calabrese also developed wandering hours, tourbillons, and countless unconventional mechanical systems, reflecting his creative approach to watchmaking. The 40+ patents to his name are a testament to this. To bring Calabrese into the world of M.A.D.Editions, the creative team decided to lend his Baladin complication to the M.A.D.3.
The M.A.D.3 and the Baladin complication
M.A.D.Editions was never intended as a “brand” in the classic sense of the word. Like MB&F, M.A.D.Editions is all about exploring the stories of great creative minds brought together across different projects. Regardless of a project’s concept, the energy and collaborative spirit always lead to surprising new results, which fits the spirit of Calabrese’s work perfectly. It’s also nice that the M.A.D.Editions projects have much friendlier prices than MB&F watches.
The idea behind the M.A.D.3 was to create a Baladin watch, one of Calabrese’s signature complications. He didn’t like the abrupt nature of a jump-hour complication and wanted the passage between hours to be more fluid, visible, and progressive. Therefore, he developed a complication with digital hours traveling slowly around the dial with the minute indicator. The result is a watch that feels far more alive than we are used to. After taking some time to get used to how the time is displayed, the display starts to feel really natural.
The details of the M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese
This brings us to the details of the M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese. The watch has a 40 × 43.7 × 12.7mm stainless steel case with a 21mm lug spacing and 30m water resistance. The elegant case was designed by Eric Giroud, who we know from different MB&F projects.
The case features a stepped bezel and a predominantly polished finish for plenty of visual impact. The relatively short floating lugs give the watch a very distinct look and make it a great fit for a variety of wrist sizes.
The case is paired with a dial consisting of multiple parts. The white bombé minute ring, crafted from sapphire, features a black minute track. The seconds are indicated by the large arrow-tipped central minute hand that hovers over the vibrant blue central disc. The arrow on the blue disc points to the minutes on the same outer ring.
Lastly, the aperture just below the arrow displays the hours in black on a white disc. At first, this display seems odd, but after a few minutes, it feels completely natural. Thanks to the antireflective coating on both sides of the sapphire crystal, you can really see the shiny textures and incredible vibrancy of the multilayered dial.
Necessary mechanical modifications
Making this mechanical magic possible in the M.A.D.3 was not easy. The project’s main goal was to keep the wandering transition visually untouched, with everything else revolving around it. As you would expect, developing Calabrese’s Baladin complication required much time and artisanal craft, which you will often find in high-end watchmaking. Büsser and his team, however, focus on affordable technical wizardry with M.A.D.Editions. That’s why a lot of work went into adapting the complication into an off-the-shelf movement for the M.A.D.3.
It all starts with an automatic La Joux-Perret G111 movement and an MB&F-developed module for jumping hours and trailing minutes, as we saw in the M.A.D.2. The caliber was completely reworked to handle the Baladin complication’s energy demands more efficiently. First, tighter tolerances and improved amplitude control ensure a more stable power reserve. Next, the custom module was completely redesigned and reengineered to achieve the larger production numbers of this project. The technical team even developed new components specifically for the M.A.D.3 to ensure reliability, energy transmission, and long-term stability. While they solved all the technical challenges, they also wanted to preserve the charm of Calabrese’s idea, the visual smoothness of the passage of time.
The modified La Joux-Perret G111
If you turn the watch around, you will see the results of all the mechanical adjustments in all their glory. First, you are greeted by the spinning rotor. Through its openings, you will see the sentence “Il est assez aisé de plaire aux autres, bien plus ardu d’être fier de soi…” This translates to, “It is fairly easy to please others, far more difficult to be proud of oneself.” This sentence portrays Vincent Calabrese’s uncompromising character, which led to his unique approach to watchmaking, not motivated by external validation. Our photographer, Max, captured the full sentence by spinning the rotor and using a slow shutter speed for the photo above.
The movement operates at 28,800 vph, has 24 jewels, and offers a 55-hour power reserve. The color combination is also really nice. The sentence sits on a dark blue background, with the black rotor spinning above it. Lastly, the center of the caliber is silver-colored with a modern finish for the individual parts. As a result, the movement looks modern and fun, as we expect from M.A.D.Editions.
Wearing the M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese
So, how does all this mechanical wizardry wear? In one word, brilliantly! I was nothing short of impressed by the M.A.D.3. The dimensions, style, colors, and time display all make it such a good watch. First off, the case is beautifully designed. It’s such a nice canvas for the rest of the design, and it sits really well on the wrist. I wondered whether the short lug-to-lug would make the watch seem small on my 18.5cm wrist, but thanks to the 40mm diameter, it looks right at home. The M.A.D.3 really wears like a dream, partly thanks to the supple, light brown leather strap equipped with a nice folding clasp.
Next, the dial looks clean but nicely detailed. The white outer ring is super crisp, and as a nice surprise, it lights up blue in the dark. The seconds hand, the white triangular minute pointer, and the hour disc are also treated with lume. They light up green so you can read the time in the dark, which is a nice touch.
Additionally, the dial’s blue sunray center looks utterly stunning. M.A.D.Editions is also creating another pink version reserved for The Tribe and Friends, so it won’t be publicly available. Still, it makes for a drop-dead handsome duo of M.A.D.3s.
Overall impressions of the M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese
I also found the time display so much fun and refreshingly different. At a time when we had a lot of watches in the Fratello office to check out right before Geneva Watch Days, this was the one that stood out above the rest. From the moment it landed on my desk, it impressed me, beginning with the brilliant packaging that the M.A.D.3 comes in. Inside the box, you will find a half-sphere. Upon twisting the bottom, two hatches will open to reveal the watch.
Right after I took the watch out, I was pleasantly surprised by the style. It feels more classic and refined than the M.A.D.1 and M.A.D.2, but it still has the brand’s modern signature feel in the details. The distinct way time is displayed also adds the fun factor we love from M.A.D.Editions. Overall, I feel this is a genuinely impressive new release that will go over well with watch fans
It’s about more than just creating watches
What made this release even better was reading about Vincent Calabrese. While I knew the man’s name, I wasn’t aware of his accomplishments or his unique approach to watchmaking. As someone who grew up in the musical counterculture of hardcore and punk, the concept of an original mind that forgets conventions, disrupts traditional thinking, and creates something without needing external approval deeply resonates with me. Calabrese has a relentless focus on creative thinking, and I love that. It’s also why I have a huge appreciation for MB&F and M.A.D.Editions.
Being a contrarian is easy, but using that mindset to bring new ideas to life is where the real magic lies. Collaborating with multiple brilliant minds takes things to the next level, elevating the M.A.D.3 beyond just a watch. It’s a creative project that perfectly demonstrates how to craft something unique in every facet. The M.A.D.3 is easily one of the highlights of this year’s Geneva Watch Days for me. I would even go so far as to say that it is one of my highlights of the year.
If you’d like to get your hands on one of the approximately 1,500 available examples of the M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese, you can enter the raffle now. Registration will be open until Monday, September 7th, and the watch will be available to the lucky raffle winners for CHF 2,900 (ex. VAT). In the comments below, let me know what you think of the newest M.A.D.Editions release and if you’ll try to secure one for yourself!
