Michael Jordan just scored a brand new De Bethune DB27 Titan Hawk JPS.
The basketball legend and entrepreneur was spotted rocking the first delivery of the new model in an Instagram post from Watchbox, a Philadelphia-based global pre-owned dealer that purchased a majority stake in De Bethune in December of last year. Jordan snagged case number 23 in keeping with his iconic Chicago Bulls jersey number and sported a t-shirt with the same number in roman numerals in the post.
It’s no secret that the sports hero is as serious about watches as he is about basketball (and golf, for that matter). He has a serious collection of everything from high-end indies like Richard Mille, Urwerk and Roger Dubuis to elite brands like A. Lange & Söhne and classic collector staples like a Rolex Daytona.
His latest acquisition is in line with his taste for avant-garde independents. The DB27 Titan Hawk JPS sports a black zirconium case—an ultra-strong hypoallergenic and lightweight material—accented with the brands signature “floating lugs,” which move to contour with the owner’s wrist making it wearable for wrists large and small, and a crown placed at 12 o’clock. It comes with a black fabric and leather strap, a buckle in black polished zirconium, and a pin in yellow grade 5 titanium. Its dial is made of black microlight with a chapter ring featuring gold Roman numerals and a minutes circle with gold Arabic numerals around the dial’s circumference. The “JPS” in the watch’s name refers to “John Player Special”—a popular nickname in watches (most often for a specific Rolex Daytona model) for pieces that sport the black and gold look of the livery of cigarette manufacturer, John Player & Sons’ sponsored Formula One race cars.
Beneath its hood is the AUTOV2 caliber equipped with 60 hours of power reserve from a single mainspring barrel, a titanium balance and white gold inserts. The balance bridge is fixed at two points on the movement plate to offer maximum strength and stability—capable, one would hope, of withstanding Jordan’s jump shot on the court or his expansive gold swing on the green.
To get a shot at following in Jordan’s very big footsteps, collectors will have to act fast. The 43 mm Titan Hawk JPS retails for US$60,000 (HK$471,000) and very few will get their hands on one. Just 25 pieces will be released before the end of the year in this ultra-limited series.
