The animated-live-action hybrid that’s Space Jam: A New Legacy is all well and set for slam dunks when it hit theatres, but before its arrival, Swiss company Kross Studio has a slam dunk to call its own.
Held in collaboration with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, the watchmaker’s latest creation is a very, very limited Tourbillon timepiece themed after the sports comedy film that looks to merge four different worlds: basketball, horology, art, and Looney Tunes. Quality comes at a price, however, and this exquisite masterpiece will set you back by a whopping US$100,000 – behind the company’s US$150,000 Death Star-inspired Tourbillon, and ahead of the US$30,000 Batmobile Desk Clock.
Yes, the Space Jam-inspired wristwatch could do with one less zero, but it has always been in Kross Studio’s DNA to bring fine craftsmanship, high-end elegance, and great detail to the table. Made out of a total of 281 hand-made components, it features stylised themed elements such basketball-shaped wheels, and a central tourbillion cage covered with an open-work basketball-like structure that reveals its regulator beneath.
Honouring the spirit of basketball is the hour hand, which turns into a free throw lane filled with white-blue SuperLuminova colourways as a nod to court design. A peripheral display mechanism has also been affixed to the hands for a 360-degree orbit around the tourbillon.
It wouldn’t be a Space Jam piece without Loony Tunes characters, so Kross Studio has set aside the fixed hour wheel to bring the affable crew together. Running the gamut from Bugs Bunny, Lola Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Tweety to Sylvester, Marvin the Martian, Yosemite Sam, Granny, Taz, Speedy Gonzales, Elmer Fudd, Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, the Dream Team is assembled and engraved on the wheel.
All of that is packed into a 45mm titanium case with a sapphire crystal dome that showcases the horology of Kross Studio. Coated in a sheet of blue Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD), the plate and barrel bridge highlights the company’s cross-emblem namesake on the reverse side.
Turn to the rear, and that’s where watch-winding and time-setting are done. Positioned at the three-o-clock mark on the edge, the Time Set push button presents a symmetrical aesthetic, faster winding, and greater comfort along with the D-ring crown.
The Space Jam Tourbillon watch will be delivered in two strap variations: deep blue calfskin leather and laser-abraded rubber decked out in the colour and texture of basketballs. An interchangeable strap system has been added to the underside as well for convenience.
It only makes sense that such a majestic timepiece is accompanied by another show of fine craftsmanship. The Kross Studio B-BALL sculpture takes to the limelight as a standalone, impressive-looking sculpture in the form of a wood- and aluminum-crafted basketball, which can be removed from its pedestal. Lifting it upward reveals the heart of the sculpture, where the watch can be stored, while the stand comes adorned with figures from the Tune Squad.
As with all of Kross Studio’s themed collectible sets, the Space Jam Tourbillon Watch will be available in very limited quantities, with only 10 of them to spare for the most hardcore of collectors. Each piece is shipped in a bespoke wood crate, and includes an owner’s book, certificate of authenticity and art-handling gloves.
Now, that’s totally our jam…if only we have the cash to spare!
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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