Jean-Charles de Castelbajac launches limited edition watch with MB&F

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Apr 3, 2024

One key test of an artist or designer is whether they have a powerful signature style, which explains the remarkable longevity of Jean-Charles de Castelbajac who on Wednesday launched a limited edition watch with MB&F.

A cunning and cool blend of Jean-Charles' bold colors, iconography and clever collages, the new MB&F watch has been created in a limited edition of 999 pieces. A total of 500 pieces have been reserved for VIP collectors of the brand known as MB&F Tribe and Friends, the remaining 499 have gone into a two-week-long lottery, which debuted today at 9AM. By noon there were already over 5,600 requests for the watch.

The remarkable response is a testament to de Castelbajac’s staying power as an indie creative, and to the inventiveness of MB&F.

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Founded in 2005 by Maximilian Büsser, MB&F refers to his initials and friends, as so many key elements are made by skilled artisans and suppliers in Switzerland who happen to be old buddies. MB&F has established a great reputation with its 3D kinetic art pieces for the wrist. Like its HM11 which has a central movement and side dials – showing hour and minute; reserve indicator; ambient temperature and time setting crown. It retails for 213,000 CHF.

“We first met on Instagram!” recalls Jean-Charles of their initial contact. “I reached out on social media, and amazingly he agreed to meet,” smiles Maximilian.

“I wanted something rare, but accessible. That’s a contradiction,” said de Castelbajac before a lunch with luxury editors. An interior circle has a script reading 'C’est trésor, rare et précieux. C’est ta vie. Le temps vole de ses ailes blanches. Tu es le gardien de ton temps.' Meaning : It's a rare and precious treasure. It's your life. Time flies with its white wings. You are the guardian of your time.

This designer likes to work with his signature hues, like his preferred primary colors of school bus yellow, admiral blue and fire engine red. For MB&F, Jean-Charles developed a unique watch, with three wings in those colors spinning on the watch’s face, and the hour and minute shown on the side. Like a driver’s watch, where one tells the time without moving the wrist when gripping the steering wheel.

The resulting watch, named M.A.D.1 Time to Love, is priced at 3,200 Swiss Francs (CHF), pre-VAT. It’s a major step for, MB&F, which had last year only produced 419 watches – albeit often priced at over 100,000 CHF.

The new watch is not de Castelbajac’s first foray into timepieces. Three decades ago in 1992, he developed a collectors’ item for Swatch at the request of Nicolas Hayek. It had all the classic Castelbajac codes – the happy moon, space people and sense of humor. Like the two hands which met in a smiley face.

Throughout his long career, de Castelbajac has been a king of cult co-branding, multiple examples of which are seen in his 17th arrondissement apartment. Like classic Weston moccasins made in his primary colors; or a great drum kit by Asba – the brand Ringo Star preferred – done with punchy graphics.

Left-handed, Jean-Charles writes and draws with his left, but cuts paper shapes for his collages with his right hand. “I only discovered at 74 that I could use this right hand, which had never used, to cut with scissors!” chuckles de Castelbajac.

MB&F is part of the independent creators in watches movement, along with brands like Urwerk or F.P Journe. Very insider watchmakers who create more for passion and fantasy than finance.

According to Bussër, he nearly went bankrupt four times, though his artisan business seems pretty solid these days, with an atelier in Geneva; a full-time staff of 52 and a waiting list of five years for some watches.

So, M.A.D.1 Time to Love, represents a significant risk, but also a major democratization of his brand. “None of my friends or family can afford a 150,000 CHF watch, so this way they can,” notes Maximilian, who prior to opening his own brand did stints with Jaeger Lecoultre and Harry Winston.

Which dovetails with de Castelbajac’s career, whose powerful sense of graphics has opened multiple new avenues in fashion history. In a remarkable career, Jean-Charles has helmed houses like Max Mara, Courrèges and Benetton; and partnered with Ligne Rosset, Citroën, K-Way, Coca Cola, Villebrequin and Palace skateboards. His creations have been displayed in the Victoria & Albert in London, the Galliera Museum in Paris and FIT in New York. While his iconic Teddy Bear jacket was worn by Madonna and revived in a recent Vetements show.

Hard to think of a designer who can match de Castelbajac’s longevity, an eternally optimistic 74-year-old who has a five-year-old daughter Eugénie with partner Pauline de Drouas; and grandkids thanks to two older sons Louis-Marie and Guillaume.

De Castelbajac first emerged in the seventies with a legendary gang of Paris-based creators like Thierry Mugler, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Claude Montana and Kenzo. All of them have either retired or passed away. Unlike Jean-Charles who keeps on insouciantly trucking on.