WORLDTEMPUS - 10 May 2011
Roberta Naas
Within minutes of opening the doors to VIP customers and unveiling the extremely limited collection of Reggie Jackson watches, the first chronograph bearing the limited edition number 2 was sold. The Tourneau Time Machine was packed with guests and Yankees players supporting Reggie Jackson in this latest venture: a watch line with iconic brand Franck Muller.
The Reggie Jackson Collection consists of three models: two three-handed timepieces with sweep seconds and one chronograph. While one of the Center Seconds models is dressed in modern chic black-and-rose-gold, the other two watches are incredibly Yankees in design – sporting a Yankees-colored blue rubber strap and a blue bezel against a titanium case. The white dial features the iconic Yankees blue pin striping of the uniform and the hands are specially made with red and blue accents. The numeral 4 has been replaced by Reggie's number:
44.
“I was really happy that they wanted to create watch in my name. I enjoyed working with everyone at Franck Muller on designing the watches,” says Jackson, who enjoyed a globally recognized 21-year baseball career filled with record-breaking firsts. “They let me give a lot of input into the design, such as the hands, the coloring, the number and even the black-and-gold version. A lot of the athletes and players who are really cool and hip said they would want something black, and Franck Muller understood this.”
The Reggie Jackson Chronograph is a titanium model of which there are only 25 pieces that retails for $20,300. It houses the 8900CC self-winding caliber with228 components and 27 jewels. Aside from the hours and minutes, the watch displays small seconds at 9:00, date at 6:00 (with a quick-correction crown at 9:00 for harmonious design appeal) and a 30-minute counter at 3:00.
The Center Seconds models comprise a 100-piece series in titanium with Yankee colors (retailing for $10,300) and an 18-karat rose gold and black version with a guilloché dial created in a 25-piece set (retailing for $16,000). These watches are powered by self-winding Caliber 8900SC with hours, minutes and seconds in the center. It offers the date at 6:00 and a platinum rotor. The 158-part caliber, with 21 jewels, beats at 28,000 vibrations per hour. The dial features a cellulose varnish with applied numerals and decorative compass indications.
“I've known Reggie Jackson for almost 10 years,” says Ronald Jackson, president of Franck Muller in the United States. “I thought it would be amazing to create a watch in his honor and I was thrilled when he accepted. This is going to be a great watch and a great time.”
