Laurent Picciotto has a lot to celebrate. Once again, he is blazing a trail alongside his friend Maximilian Büsser. Together, the president and founder of Chronopassion and the creator of MB&F are opening the first MB&F Lab in Europe.
A Hybrid Exercise
Is it a gallery, a concept store, or a boutique? It is perhaps somewhere in the middle. Since 2011, MB&F has been operating in this unique horological space called the M.A.D.Gallery, which brings together lovers of mechanical curiosities in a few rare places around the world. From the artisanal to the experimental, the idea of the M.A.D.Gallery has matured to give life to a new type of retail space called the MB&F Lab that combines MB&F Machines along with carefully selected mechanical and kinetic works of art.
A Long Friendship
“I met Laurent Picciotto in the Autumn of 1990 when, even though I was a penniless student, he spent two hours sharing his passion for great watchmaking with me in his Chronopassion store. Thirty-two years later, I am so proud and happy to see our MB&F LAB come to life in the exact same place with a great friend and an incredible connoisseur of high-end watchmaking,” shares Maximilian Büsser.
“Yesterday, we collected objects. Today, we create the whole universe that encompasses them. It finally corresponds to what MB&F has become – a leading brand with extremely strong values, which are concretely translated into the creation of new 350o design, universe, and furniture,” adds Laurent Picciotto.
The Ideal Address
The new boutique, which opened on 26th September 2022, is located at 271 rue Saint-Honoré in Paris. The address is perhaps not unfamiliar as it is right next door to Chronopassion. This is no coincidence; it marks a real desire to highlight the friendship between Maximilian Büsser and Laurent Picciotto. Chronopassion was the first to support the creation of MB&F even before it launched, enabling the first Horological Machine to see the light of day. The first HM1, and even the first MB&F timepiece ever, was sold by Chronopassion in 2007.
“Laurent Picciotto was one of the five original backers of the MB&F concept 17 years ago. He believed in my dream and helped me take those crucial first steps. We are not the only new brand he has helped over the last decades. Chronopassion, his legendary store, has become for all independent watchmaking aficionados a must-visit each time they are in Paris,” notes Maximilian Büsser.
A Mechanical Art Capsule
The MB&F Lab is adorned with a white, gallery-like interior that forms the canvas for this new interior design identity. In the centre, a blue lens – which will soon be found in all the M.A.D.Galleries and MB&F Labs in the future – takes pride of place. Gone, of course, is the traditional glass cage display case that has been replaced by curved glass domes arranged on tripods that have been custom-made for the brand. Joining the domes, visitors will discover bespoke neo-vintage tables and matching furniture, also created especially for the MB&F Lab.
Inside the MB&F universe, fans of the brand will find a selection of unusual mechanical creations that have been meticulously selected, one by one, by Maximilian Büsser and his team. They range from mechanical sculptures to kinetic paintings and co-created music boxes with Reuge, which will be regularly joined by other exceptional creations. The MB&F Lab is positioned somewhere between a cabinet of curiosities and an art gallery but is first and foremost a meeting place that aims to provide a source of wonder for everyone who pushes open the door.
