Michael Jordan Reminds Us He’s Also One of the World’s Most Interesting Watch Collectors – GQ

The Last Dance, the new documentary that follows the final victory lap of Michael Jordans Bulls, is ostensibly about a singularly talented athlete and the dynasty he created. But always looming on the periphery of the documentary is everything else Jordans legacy contains. The Last Dance is a great reminder of the monumental gold hoop earrings, of the 90s suits that draped him like window curtains and which he sometimes paired unabashedly with berets, of the rabid community of sneaker collectors he seemed to create with his two feet alone. The first two episodes of the film reminded me of another, less heralded aspect of Jordans style legacy: his watches, which are as far out today as they were a decade or two ago.

Just take the timepiece Jordan wore in the documentary last night: a Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli with a skeleton dial. It is a watch almost tailor-made for Jordan: 90s in its enormous proportions, with a band made out of actual tires (!) that have competed in and won Formula 1 races. Can you imagine a more fitting sentiment for a man crazed with victory? Even his watch needs to be a winner! The watch also seems to follow Jordans guiding philosophy, which is, roughly: everything was better in the 90s. The jeans, voluminous and aggressively stonewashed, were better; the internet, without pictures of his tear-stained face, was better; and the basketball, as dominated by one Michael Jeffrey Jordan, was way better. Jordans watches reflect the same feeling. And, even more interestingly, his watches share that deep 90s optimism for the futurewhen people believed we might be on the cusp of a Jetsons-like lifestyle with flying cars and robot maids.

There is no better example of this than Jordans fascination with the brand Urwerk and its futuristic pieces. Over the years, Jordan has been spotted wearing the UR-103, the UR-202, and the UR-202S. Like the Roger Dubuis, Urwerk isnt a brand seen too frequently on the wrists of celebrities, perhaps owing to the fact that its watches are uniformly unusual. But wearing one is one of the perks of being Michael Jordan. His Airness doesnt need the status-by-association of a Rolex or Patek Philippe. Its him that makes the watch cool and not the other way around. Jordan merely needs an outstanding teammate and so often he reaches for something incredibly technologically advanced. The UR-202 models Jordan owns feature what the brand describes as a satellite complication: a multi-pronged wheel at the center that swivels around and, in the simplest terms, acts as a minute hand. There are also two turbines that generate air to take the place of the typical contraption that regulates the way a watch is wound and wears down over time. Perhaps most notably, the model is the result of years of work and maniacal dedication to a craft. Sound familiar?

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Michael Jordan Reminds Us He's Also One of the World's Most Interesting Watch Collectors - GQ

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