jean-charles de castelbajac writes the hours and minutes by hand around new M.A.D.1 watch

jean-charles de castelbajac’s M.A.D.1 ‘time to love’ watch

MB&F’s spinoff timepiece label, M.A.D.Editions, invited the French fashion designer and artist Jean-Charles de Castelbajac to design the M.A.D.1 ‘Time to Love’ watch. It is the first time that M.A.D.Editions has an external collaborator for its timepieces, and having Jean-Charles de Castelbajac as the pioneering creative means bringing together the art of watchmaking and the works of the artist himself in a watch. This is first seen when the French fashion designer and artist wrote the numbers of the hour and minute rings of the M.A.D.1 watch by hand. In this case, it is his own handwriting that the wearer sees when the watch rings rotate to tell them the time.

MB&F’s spinoff timepiece label, M.A.D.Editions

The MB&F Horological Machine was first thought of as the canvas for collaboration with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, but the vibrant playground that M.A.D.Editions can offer sprung, which may resonate well with the artistic and creative flair of the French designer and artist. As soon as the collaboration kicked off, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac added a colored blade pinwheel for his M.A.D.1 ‘Time to Love’ watch. Red symbolizes passion, blue for hope, and yellow for human warmth. These three colors spin and adorn the M.A.D. watch’s rotor, produced in lacquer, and one of the blades is slightly heavier than the other two so the pinwheel can easily rotate.

an angel talking to the moon for the crown

Looking at the handwritten time rings on M.A.D.1 watch, the minutes stand out with its white-over-black color, while the hours have a bright green background, a shade that is close to Jean-Charles de Castelbajac’s heart since it reminds him of his childhood. On the side, the crown features an engraving of an angel talking to the moon, which is a recurring theme in the French designer’s artworks. The strap is crafted in leather, similar to some of MB&F’s material, and is embroidered with the name of the watch, ‘Time to Love.’ Each timepiece comes with two straps, one in black and the other in white.

Other details include a quote from Jean-Charles de Castelbajac in French on the dial’s base: ‘Ce trésor rare et précieux, c’est ta vie. Le temps vole de ses ailes blanches. Tu es le gardien de ton temps’. This translates into English as: ‘This rare and precious treasure is your life. Time flies with its white wings. You are the guardian of your time.’ The M.A.D.1 watch is given the name ‘Time of Love’, not for branding, but as a philosophy of the designer and artist himself, who uses his mediums to spread love, peace and spirituality.

‘My relationship with time is unique. I am often ‘before or after hours’: before in my vision, after in my satisfaction. But when it’s time to love, I am always on time,’ says Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. As of publishing the story, the M.A.D.1 ‘Time to Love’ will be limited to 999 pieces, which is a first since previous editions were not limited. Half of these will be made available for the MB&F Tribe (registered collectors of MB&F pieces) and Friends (suppliers) on a first-come, first-served basis at a price of around 3,525 USD + VAT.

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project info:

name: M.A.D.1 ‘Time to Love’

watchmaker: M.A.D.Editions

label: MB&F

design: Jean-Charles de Castelbajac