Luxury brand Chanel has taken a 25% stake in the independent high-end watchmaking brand MB&F. Thanks to the strategic investment, MB&F takes a major step to ensure its long-term future.
As an artistic and micro-engineering creative lab, MB&F is dedicated to designing and crafting small series of radical concept watches by bringing together talented horological professionals. With over 20 calibres forming the base of the award-winning Horological and Legacy Machines, MB&F continues to follow Founder and Creative Director Maximilian Büsser’s vision of creating 3-D kinetic art by deconstructing traditional watchmaking.
MB&F is an independent company with revenues of CHF 45,4M in 2023. The company crafted 419 MB&F wristwatches in 2023; in 2021 it released a parallel more accessible brand, M.A.D.Editions, which currently manufactures approximately 3’500 pieces per year.
Chanel has now taken a 25% stake in the company. Founder Maximilian Büsser retains the majority of MB&F with 60%, while his partner in the company, Serge Kriknoff (Head of R&D & Production), owns 15%. Max Büsser and Serge Kriknoff will continue to lead MB&F together with Charris Yadigaroglou (Head of Marketing Communications) and Thibault Verdonckt (Head of Sales).
Chanel’s minority stake ensures stability and resilience with a strong strategic shareholder, sharing the same values and guaranteeing that MB&F’s long-term strategy will be maintained. Maximilian Büsser comments: “It was our responsibility, in today’s very favourable context and with our management team in its prime, to take this major step to ensure our long-term future – a natural evolution for a company celebrating its 20th anniversary next year. In addition to allowing us to pursue our independent path, free of any pressure on growth, the investment by Chanel will strengthen our operations by providing access when needed to their wider ecosystem and network of specialized suppliers”.
The strategic investment demonstrates Chanel’s desire to continue to evolve and invest in the future of high-end watchmaking expertise, creation and design. It follows a long-term strategy to partner with luxury specialists to preserve and develop expert ‘savoir-faire’. The investment in MB&F follows similar investments in high-end watchmakers Romain Gauthier (2011) and F.P. Journe (2018), which have remained independently run.
(Press release / SK)
Photo L-R: Maximilian Büsser, Serge Kriknoff
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