he latest collaboration between Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Kross Studio celebrates the upcoming animated/live-action Space Jam: A New Legacy movie, releasing in theatres on July 16, 2021, and on HBO Max for 31 days from theatrical release in the U.S.. This marks a new opportunity for the Swiss design studio to draw inspiration from a cherished childhood memory, like the 1989 Batmobile before (read Europa Star’s interview with its CEO Marco Tedeschi here).

For the occasion, Kross Studio designed a high-end sophisticated watch and a functional art object merging four fascinating worlds: basketball, horology, art, and Looney Tunes.

Basketball is one of the most popular and fast-paced professional sports, requiring skilled technique and excellence of its athletes on every inch of the court. The Kross team developed a wristwatch that embodies the precision and sporty style of the basketball world, demonstrating their own dominance as one of the leading design startups and independent watchmakers in the game today.

The 3 Hz caliber KS 7’000, developed and produced fully in-house by Kross Studio, made its entrance on the court earlier this year. This caliber is the perfect match for the Space Jam Tourbillon, reflecting Kross Studio’s streetwise design style and finely honed technical skills. The mechanical hand-wound movement, equipped with an oversized barrel that can deliver a 5-day power reserve is placed in the center of the movement. It leaves no space for the regulator that is therefore placed in the center, in a tourbillon cage, on top of the barrel.

Kross Studio raised its game, leveraging the “Space Jam: A New Legacy” collaboration to engineer watchmaking parts that reflect the baller’s action-packed life on and off the court. The fully skeletonized design provides a deeper look at the highly detailed components, such as the wheels that have been styled as basketballs.

The central tourbillon cage towers over the piece, covered with an open-work basketball-like structure that reveals its regulator below. Each of the watch’s 281 parts have been hand-made to offer the ultimate fine-tuned finish.

Every detail of the watch invites you to get up and be ready to slam anytime just as the hour hand which turns into a free throw lane or “key”, a marked area on a basketball court surrounding the basket, filled with white blue emission SuperLuminova™. The hours and minutes are also displayed in a unique way. The hands have been affixed to a peripheral display mechanism orbiting 360° around the tourbillon.

The Tunes Squad enters the stage engraved on the fixed hour wheel, and each character of the “Dream Team” appears ready for action, from Bugs Bunny, Lola Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Tweety to Sylvester, Marvin the Martian, Yosemite Sam, Granny, Taz, Speedy Gonzales, Elmer Fudd to Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner.

A 45mm titanium case with a sapphire crystal dome houses the entire scene, exalting the unique horology savoir-faire of Kross Studio. The reverse side of the case subtly highlights the Studio’s namesake cross emblem through the plate and barrel bridge, which have been coated in blue PVD for a captivating effect.

Watch winding and time setting are done via the “D-ring crown” on the case back and the “Time Set” push button, placed at 3 o’clock on the edge of the watch. Not only does this system ensure design symmetry and a more comfortable experience than a watch with a conventional crown, but it enables faster winding.

The watch is delivered with two straps: one in deep blue calfskin leather, and the other one in laser abraded rubber, reproducing the famous basketball orange color and texture. An interchangeable strap system allows a quick and simple strap change with a single click of the quick-release buttons, located on the underside of the Space Jam Tourbillon watch.

The watch comes along with a functional art piece, a stand-alone design object: the Kross Studio B-BALL. Like the timepiece, it also celebrates basketball culture and “Space Jam: A New Legacy.” Designed and engineered by Kross Studio, the sculpture takes the form of a basketball, crafted in wood and aluminum. Eleven wooden layers representing flat basketballs have been affixed on a central pillar to create a mesmerizing effect. The watch can be stored in the heart of the sculpture, revealed by lifting the ball straight upward.

As a sneak peek of the Space Jam Tourbillon, the Tune Squad meets on the stand of the sculpture, waiting for the game to begin. This art piece was designed to be held and experienced and can be carefully removed from its pedestal. Holding this incredibly detailed piece, the collector can imagine their own destiny as a player in the Space Jam world.

The artwork is produced in a limited edition of 10 numbered pieces at a price of CHF 100,000. Each piece arrives inside a bespoke wood crate, with its owner’s book, its certificate of authenticity and art handling gloves.

About “Space Jam: A New Legacy”

Welcome to the Jam! Basketball champion and global icon LeBron James goes on an epic adventure alongside timeless Tune Bugs Bunny with the animated/live-action event “Space Jam: A New Legacy” from director Malcolm D. Lee and innovative filmmaking team that includes Ryan Coogler and Maverick Carter. This transformational journey is a manic mashup of two worlds that reveals just how far some parents will go to connect with their kids. When LeBron and his young son Dom are trapped in a digital space by a rogue A.I., LeBron must get them home safe by leading Bugs, Lola Bunny and the whole gang of notoriously undisciplined Looney Tunes to victory over the A.I.’s digitized champions on the court: a powered-up roster of professional basketball stars as you’ve never seen them before. It’s Tunes versus Goons in the highest-stakes challenge of his life, that will redefine LeBron’s bond with his son and shine a light on the power of being yourself. The ready-for-action Tunes destroy convention, supercharge their unique talents and surprise even “King” James by playing the game their own way. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. It will be released in theaters nationwide on July 16, 2021 and will be available in the U.S. on HBO Max for 31 days from theatrical release.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

THE WATCH

• Model Name Space Jam Tourbillon
• Reference SJBBT21
• Limited Edition 10 pieces
• International warranty 2 + 3 years
• Parts 281
• Case Grade 5 titanium
• Dome-shaped anti-reflective sapphire crystal
• Push-button “Time Set” engraved
• Diameter 45 mm
• Thickness 20 mm
• Thickness w/o crystal 12,5 mm
• Water resistance 30 meters or 3 ATM
• Case-back Grade 5 titanium
• 4 anti-reflective sapphire crystals
• D-ring crown to set time and wind
• Caliber KS 7’000
• Functions Manual-winding central tourbillon
• Frequency 21’600 bph / 3Hz
• Jewels 27
• Movement parts 203
• Power Reserve 5 days

Interchangeable Straps

1. Blue calf leather strap, black stitching, black rubber inlay 2. Orange laser abraded rubber, black stitching, black rubber inlay Grade 5 titanium deployant buckle clasp

KROSS STUDIO B-BALL

Height

• Closed H 333 mm
• Open H 440,5 mm

Diameter

• Basketball Ø 260 mm
• Base Ø 253,7 mm

Weight

• 6,5 kg

Materials

• Oak wood
• Aluminum