This project started with the meeting of Maximilian Busser, the founder of MB&F.

The brand was still young but he felt it was the time to invest in a retail identity that would match its spirit : a true attachment to craftmanship quality and a passion for cinetic art.

The main challenge for VOLTIGE was to design a space that would allow the brand to express itself and a gallery exhibiting different artists at the same time.

To achieve that challenge we designed and selected pieces of furniture that would become the space dedicated to MB&F and placed it at the center so that it would be, with the blue lens, the primary focus. We also kept in mind that we wanted to get as far as possible from what is usually expected in terms of branding, showcases, sales table and other watch exhibition furniture. The goal was for the visitor to feel home and to allow for a simple and friendly conversation about watches and art.

Inspired by the design of the50s and the 60s we matched existing pieces (chair N42) with custom design to get a set of furniture you could find in a living room but with a very high yet invisible level of technicity.

The sales table and the tripode showcase feature a hand made openable glass bell mounted on a custom made stainless steel body with its own custom slider to allow for the glass door to translate and rotate at the same time and get a better access to the watches. All the technical aspects were managed in a way that would not affect the very light and refined design. For exemple the openable glass bell is made of two very precise matching pieces and does not require any other metal frame than the bottom body and allows a 360 degree wiew on the watch with almost no optical obstacle. The watchstanf itself was also designed to have a clear view on both the top and the bottom of the watch case.

A large part of the work was dedicated to the hunt for the people that would manage the quality (opening glass bells shocases), and particularly the big blue lenses (115cm diameter) made of ceramic by a 150 years old french company. It acts as the main branding feature and an artpiece which matches perfectly the DNA of MB&F.

Most of the sale area is made through artisanal methods and solid material like wood, glass and ceramic, to increase quality but also sustainability.

Around this central area we designed a minimal architectural shell with concrete finish on floor, pillars and ceiling and white painted areas in between the pillars to get the best conditions to exhibit art pieces. Various pieces of furniture were designed to match artists needs in terms of size and also to give the staff storage space.

We took a great care to the light plan and to the quality of the lighting to make sure that both the MB&F area and the gallery space all arround received a balanced lighting and that the lighting would allow for the flexibility an exhibition space requires.

MB&F is happy with its new space and more MAD Galleries are now being designed.