M.A.D.2 Green

The M.A.D.1 kicked off the M.A.D.Editions project - the alternative, accessible label created by MB&F - by breaking the rules; the M.A.D.2 spins a different story. Born from the mind of Eric Giroud – designer, rebel, and longtime MB&F Friend – this timepiece is a love letter to the wild, electrifying spirit of 1990s club culture; it’s the second act in a saga that started with an unexpected hit.

Eric Giroud has been designing MB&F pieces for 20 years with founder and creative director Maximilian Büsser. For the 20th anniversary of MB&F, it was only fitting: this one’s his baby. But following up a hit? That’s a challenge - like the second album of a band that nailed their debut.

Eric and Max both hail from Lausanne; Giroud’s journey is anything but traditional Swiss design. While others might have been lurking around cold offices, Eric was tearing it up on dancefloors, living the 1990s club scene. Nights at the legendary MAD (Moulin à Danses) and Dolce Vita clubs in Lausanne, surrounded by creatives, musicians, actors and artists, shaped his aesthetic.

Friends called him "Erico". He hung out with Sébastien and Stephan Kohler—DJs who hit international fame with their track At Night. Early house music boomed, Stephan Kohler (Mandrax) spun vinyl on the famous Technics SL-1200 Mark 2, and there was a palpable sense of freedom. The 90s were electric, a time when change was in the air, especially in music. This is the world that inspired the M.A.D.2—a watch born from the heartbeat of a bygone rave era.

The M.A.D.2’s raised central subdials – displaying the hours and minutes – look like the turntables from a DJ mixing console. The central dial over which they rotate is a love letter to vinyl textures, with grooves and satin finishes mimicking music tracks. Surrounding it is the platter, inspired by the stroboscopic band of the Technics SL-1200 – complete with Super-LumiNova stop pins. Every flick of the wrist sets the platter spinning, and if you listen closely, it’s as if you can hear the rhythm of the past pulsing through it. The stroboscopic platter is in fact the automatic winding rotor, visible from both the front and the back. Flip the watch over and you’ll discover the gyroscopic off-centered rotor which will make your head spin.

And there’s a horological surprise: the jumping hour complication. It’s a secret you only uncover after spending time with the watch—nothing screams “bi-directional jumping hours” at first glance. The small metal markers – which look like guitar picks, almonds, or maybe even alien eyes – conveniently indicate the jumping hour and trailing minutes at the very center of the watch.

At 42mm, the M.A.D.2 feels as smooth as it looks. It balances the playful, unexpected approach of M.A.D.Editions without going over the top—like a perfectly polished almond. Despite being visually worlds apart from the M.A.D.1, they share a heartbeat: the same Swiss La Joux-Perret movement found in the M.A.D.1S, now enhanced with a bespoke jumping hour module developed by MB&F. Swiss-made, Swiss-assembled.