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THE START OF MB&F
As Ahmed Seddiqi celebrates 75 years in business in 2025, we revisit one of the family’s most audacious partnerships and highlight their role in launching MB&F’s first Horological Machine.
An Artist’s First Sketch
In early 2005, Maximilian Büsser sat in his Geneva studio sketching what he called “a machine for my friends” on a plain sheet of paper. He envisioned a three-dimensional timepiece with separate dials for hours and minutes, a central one-minute tourbillon and multiple mainspring barrels housed in an avant-garde case. That single drawing became Horological Machine No. 1 and gave birth to MB&F, Maximilian Büsser and Friends, a true horological concept laboratory.
From Harry Winston to a Dubai Tea
After seven years as CEO of Harry Winston Rare Timepieces, Büsser left in 2005 to pursue creative freedom. Needing daring retail partners, he arranged a tea meeting in Capricorn Tower with Abdulmagied and Mohammed Abdulmagied. Over cups of karak, he pitched for six retailers to order his first machine sight unseen and to pay thirty per cent up front two years before delivery. The Seddiqis agreed alongside only five others worldwide, placing that inaugural HM 1 order and cementing MB&F’s launch.
Building the First Machine
With seed orders in hand, Büsser assembled independent craftsmen and engineers. Over eighteen months, they developed a new 376-part and 81-jewel movement featuring four mainspring barrels, a raised one-minute tourbillon and dual time display domes. The sculptural case, crafted from forty-eight welded elements, set a new standard for watch architecture. When HM 1 debuted in 2007, it shattered conventions by marrying micro engineering with kinetic art.
Two Decades of Creative Rebellion
HM 1’s success sparked a creative rebellion. In 2008, MB&F introduced Horological Machine No. 2 with jumping hours and retrograde minutes and then HM 3 in 2010, nicknamed the Frog for its sapphire domed eyes. Over the next decade, MB&F expanded its catalogue with both Horological and Legacy Machines, earning awards at Geneva’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie and building a global community of collectors who prize innovation over convention.
A Lasting Bond
Today, as the Seddiqi family marks its 75th anniversary, the friendship with MB&F remains as strong as ever. Seddiqi boutiques across Dubai continue to showcase MB&F’s latest machines alongside other independent masters. Collectors can explore the full MB&F collection on seddiqi.com or visit the MAD Gallery at Dubai Mall, where that daring first sketch still lives on in every radical creation.
The Seddiqi Stories
These are the defining moments of our legacy.
