KROSS STUDIO SPACE JAM TOURBILLON

Featuring a miscellany of iconic animation characters, in a timepiece which exhibits superb Haute Horlogerie techniques, the “Space Jam: A New Legacy” watch by Kross Studio is an unashamedly original and effortlessly cool proposition. Kross Studio have made their mark in the watchmaking landscape through a series of highly inventive designs of extraordinary complexity and innovation. From their manufactory based in Gland, close to Geneva lake, the company create contemporary miniature masterpieces often inspired by, or with the creative input of, an external collaborative partner. Brimming with nostalgic nuances, vibrant colour and technical mastery, the “Space Jam: A New Legacy” watch is produced in conjunction with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, and the model forms part of a collector set, which includes an interactive basketball sculpture presentation.

The watch carries a case sized at 45mm diameter, with a height of 20mm. Constructed from titanium, the prominent proportions of the housing are lessened by its minimalist styling. To ensure that its profile remains pure, it has a lugless design and is bereft of a crown. Instead, within the case side, a recessed button engraved “time set” in bright blue text, invites the wearer to adjust the time or wind the watch by releasing the D-ring which is placed out of sight within the case back. A striking structure, the case is topped with a high-domed sapphire crystal, beneath which a stunning three dimensional dial arrangement is showcased.

Residing at the centre, an impressive one-minute tourbillon rises up encased within a basketball-shaped tourbillon cage. Immediately beneath it, an open-worked section enables a look-see deep into the mechanisms of the calibre. Adhering to the thematic styling cues of this celebratory model, a jamboree of thirteen legendary cartoon characters has been engraved upon a circular brushed blue PVD coated chapter ring. Adding further contrast, a minute track in a spirited shade of orange features blue markers and diminutive double digit numerals. Both hands are unique and meticulously open-worked. While the minutes hand is shaped like a curvy-straight paddle, the hour hand is styled to replicate the free throw lane on a basketball court. As if to add a final flourish to this impressive façade, they are each fixed to a peripheral display, so they orbit a full 360 degrees around the central tourbillon and have been enhanced with white blue emission Super-LumiNova.

Powering the piece, the in-house KS’7000 manual-winding movement is superb. Equipped with a five day power reserve, notably, derived from a single spring barrel, it has been impeccably finished and the design language of this special edition is carried through to the components of the calibre, with movement wheels taking the form of  basketball motifs. The caseback features the emblematic cross of the company over the sapphire section, around which the D-ring which enables the winding is discreetly placed. Also on the underside of the case, at the 12 and 6 o’clock position, a pair of quick release buttons allow the wearer to easily change between the royal blue leather strap or the basketball-textured orange rubber strap, each of which is supplied.

A remarkable edition, which blends high-end watchmaking prowess with the cheerful nostalgia brought to mind by the use of caricatures of popular culture, the Kross Studio “Space Jam: A New Legacy” watch forms part of a collectors set comprising the timepiece and a stand-alone functional art B-BALL presentation box, crafted from wood and aluminium. Ensuring exclusivity for the owner, the model is strictly limited to ten pieces.