First Look: The new M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese Jumping Hour - Monochrome Watches
And the result is a modern, fairly priced take on the man’s Baladin wandering jumping hour complication, known as the M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese. One of his most important creations was the Baladin, a combination of a jumping hour complication with a wandering motion of the display. Two versions of the M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese will be produced.
A celebration of proper independent watchmaking, looking back at the early days of creative thinking, unusual displays and complications that, back then, felt almost rebellious. A best of all we love here at MONOCHROME, served on a platter by the great minds of MB&F… And at a fairly attainable price, as you’d now expect from M.A.D.Editions. Following a watch that was not meant to exist, a project born as a thank-you note for friends and family, M.A.D.Editions started to share its creative direction with an external (but still very close) designer, Eric Giroud, giving birth to the M.A.D.2. And for the next step, the guest is one of the popes of indie watchmaking, an 82-year-old watchmaker known as Vincent Calabrese. And the result is a modern, fairly priced take on the man’s Baladin wandering jumping hour complication, known as the M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese.
Active for over 50 years now, Vincent Calabrese was an independent watchmaker before the whole idea of independent watchmaking was even a thing… A discreet man, not necessarily known by the wider audience, he nevertheless is one of those figures who have influenced an entire generation of watchmakers. An outsider, a creative troublemaker who once called himself “l’enquiquineur de l’horlogerie” (the troublemaker of watchmaking, in French), as he loves to question conventions. Calabrese co-founded the famous AHCI in 1985 with Svend Andersen at a time when independent watchmaking barely existed as a concept.
Born in Naples before moving to Switzerland as a teenager, Calabrese has, during his entire career, kept his curiosity and freedom, which can be found in some of his creations, such as Golden Bridge for Corum, one of the most recognisable movement architectures ever designed. Over the years, he has developed wandering hours, tourbillons and countless unconventional mechanical systems, all approaching problems from unexpected angles. More than forty patents would follow throughout his career.
One of his most important creations was the Baladin, a combination of a jumping hour complication with a wandering motion of the display. The reason behind the creation of the Baladin was that Calabrese disliked the abrupt nature of traditional jumping hours. Too sudden, too disconnected from the idea of time passing by. He wanted a display where the passage between hours became visible and progressive. Hence, this unusual combination of jumping and wandering motions, and instead of an instantaneous jump, the hours travel slowly across the dial while the minutes continue moving normally.
As we explained when M.A.D.Editions released the M.A.D.2 co-created with Eric Giroud, the project was never imagined as a traditional brand with a fixed visual language and the same creative minds at its head. This is why this new M.A.D.3 has nothing in common visually with the two previous collections. On paper, the idea behind M.A.D.Editions’ latest release is fairly simple: bringing the design and mechanical ingenuity of Calabrese into the M.A.D universe and price segment… Easier said than done, as the Baladin isn’t a simple watch, with its wandering jumping hour display.
The mission: turning the Baladin into the M.A.D.3. As explained by the brand, “The goal was not to reproduce the original Baladin exactly as it existed before. Nor was it about turning the watch into a vintage reissue. The intention was more about preserving the spirit of Vincent Calabrese’s complication, while translating it into the M.A.D.Editions universe.” And yet, this M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese is far more traditional in design and approach than anything else the brand has done so far.
So, how do you turn the original Baladin-like mechanisms created by Vincent Calabrese, deeply artisanal in their construction, often developed as experiments, into a larger-scale movement with reliability and accessibility in mind? Well, that’s where the process turned out to be far more complicated than expected. The team behind M.A.D.Editions completely redeveloped the wandering hours module from the ground up while preserving the fluid and progressive transition of the hours. The display, an internally developed module, is powered by an optimised La Joux-Perret G111 calibre, the same technical base used on the M.A.D.1S and M.A.D.2. The movement was reworked to handle the energy demands of the complication more efficiently. The base calibre itself was refined with tighter tolerances and improved amplitude control to guarantee a more stable power reserve. The whole process was about improving reliability, energy transmission, stability and reproducibility, while preserving the charm of the original Baladin display.
Visually, the connection with Vincent Calabrese’s creation is undeniable, yet modernised with the MAD touch. The case, designed by Eric Giroud, retains some of the details of previous M.A.D.Editions (the floating lugs, in particular, but also the layered architecture, and domed sapphire crystals on both sides) but also adds a touch of tradition. The watch itself is also more sensibly sized, with its steel case measuring 40mm in diameter and only 43.7mm from one lug to another. The thickness, despite being measured at 12.7mm, is far more controlled than expected too, thanks to the two domed sapphire and and the double step on the bezel.
The dial is, without a doubt, classic Calabrese with a deep respect for his original creation. The jumping hours, in a circular window, travel all around the dial in one hour, indicating at the same time the minutes. A rather unusual feature on a jumping-hour watch, but one that was present on Calabrese’s creations, is a central seconds hand. The white inner flange with the minute, the hour disc and the arrow pointer are all coated in Super-LumiNova, for a cool touch of modernity at night.
Two versions of the M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese will be produced. The blue model you can see here will be available to the public via a raffle, while the pink model will be reserved for The Tribe and Friends. Both come equipped with a beige leather strap and a stainless steel folding buckle. The price is set at CHF 2,900 excluding taxes. Details for the raffle will be published at www.mbandf.com/madeditions.