The New M.A.D.3 Is Not What I Expected

The new M.A.D. Editions M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese might be the most traditional M.A.D. Edition yet, but its unusual jumping-hour complication proves it is still anything but conventional. In this video, we take a closer look at the new M.A.D.3, its wandering jumping-hour display and the legendary independent watchmaker behind it. Vincent Calabrese co-founded the AHCI, created the movement architecture that became Corum’s Golden Bridge and has accumulated more than 40 patents during his remarkable career in independent watchmaking. The M.A.D.3 reinterprets Calabrese’s Baladin concept: a jumping-hour complication designed for someone who didn’t actually like the abrupt way jumping hours operated. Instead of making the transition instantaneous, the hour display travels around the dial with the minutes, creating a slower, more visible and more poetic representation of time passing. We also discuss the M.A.D.3’s 40mm Eric Giroud-designed case, layered dial construction, unusual luminous display and modified La Joux-Perret G111 automatic movement. MB&F extensively reworked the calibre and developed a bi-directional jumping-hour and trailing-minutes module to make Calabrese’s highly artisanal concept reliable, reproducible and comparatively accessible. At CHF 2,900 before taxes, is the M.A.D.3 one of the most interesting affordable independent watches available—or has M.A.D. Editions become too traditional? Let me know what you think of the M.A.D.3 in the comments. Is this the