Watchmaker Kross Studio created a stir once again with the announcement of a new partnership, now aligning with Hasbro, a toy and game company. Kross Studio CEO Marco Tedeschi announced the news on June 13 at the Las Vegas Licensing Expo, where the first fruit of that partnership was revealed: a 10-piece limited collector's set inspired by the global powerhouse Transformers franchise and its new film Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
“The Transformers franchise has delivered action-packed entertainment on the big screen for over 15 years, and every new adventure deserves a special moment,” said Tom Warner, GM and SVP of Action Brands at Hasbro. “To celebrate the new Transformers: Rise of the Beasts film, we sought to create something truly remarkable. That’s why we collaborated with Kross Studio on an exquisite, bespoke offering of handcrafted timepieces that are sure to delight our loyal fans and collectors, alike.”
With the introduction of the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Collector Set - in official collaboration with Hasbro - Kross solidifies its position as a leader in this space and the only manufacturer to create luxury collector sets consisting of high-end timepieces and functional sculptures inspired by pop culture icons. News of the Hasbro partnership follows the Swiss manufacturer's recent and ongoing collaborations with Lucasfilm and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Remarking on the brand's new Hasbro partnership, Marco Tedeschi, CEO and Creative Director of Kross Studio, said: "We are proud to continue our track record of forging alliances with the entertainment industry's biggest leaders and to continue delivering rare and engaging collectibles that unite the world of horology and pop culture like never before."
“Battle ready”
This is the first time a watchmaking manufacturer has created a piece inspired by the Transformers universe. Since its inception in the 1980s, the franchise has been a crowd-pleaser, enjoying unwavering enthusiasm from a demanding and dedicated community engaged by the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons in movies, TV shows, comic books, innovative toys, and digital media. It naturally fell to the Kross team to conceive an exclusive timepiece to mark the release of the new “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” movie.
“More than meets the eye.”
To pay tribute to this universe and its nearly 40-year legacy, Kross Studio drew inspiration from key elements of the franchise as depicted in Steven Caple's film, such as the Mechatron green, Cybertronix language, Maximal faction emblem, and engravings as seen in the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts movie.
Crafted in the Kross Studio Manufacture
The Kross Studio “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” tourbillon timepiece is equipped with the in-house KS 7'005 movement, a central floating tourbillon that is both a visual marvel and a technical wonder, developed and patented by Kross Studio. The central floating tourbillon’s suspension just below the sapphire crystal dome offers a breathtaking view of the inner workings of the watch beneath it. With the tourbillon and its fixed second wheel levitating above the movement and hands, the design provides a never-before-seen perspective into the mesmerizing mechanics of the tourbillon. This innovative design feature provides the opportunity to fully admire this masterpiece of horology from every angle.
Reading the time
The hours and minutes are displayed in a unique peripheral format made possible by a planetary gear system that orbits 360° around the tourbillon. A 12-factor gear ratio allows the planetary system to empower the progression of the hours.
Adding to this innovation, the hour-and-minute display system is fixed on two broad, high-precision ball bearings designed to optimize the movement's efficiency as much as possible.
Decorations
Each dial element has undergone meticulous work, reflecting the great attention to detail given to its realization. Green SuperLuminovaⓇ has been carefully applied to the hour hand bearing the Maximal emblem, to the minute track of the rehaut, and to the center of the indexes. The Grade 5 titanium dial affixed to the fixed hour wheel has been meticulously adorned with one of the visual pillars of the film, the Inca murals depicting the Maximals existence on Earth.
The circular 45mm case in satin-finished Grade 5 titanium housing this exceptional movement has been engraved and filled with black lacquer, intensifying the immersion into the visual universe of the film. The words "Time Set" are engraved in Cybertronix language and filled with Mechatron Green lacquer on the time-setting pusher.
On the watch's case back, the Autobots icon takes center stage on the winding and time-setting D-ring key, surrounded by Inca representations of the Maximals.
Utility, form & function
For Kross Studio, each design requires a delicate balance between ergonomic and aesthetic considerations. The case offers an ergonomic experience thanks to its clever D-ring winding and time-setting system, located on the case back, and by the “Time Set” push button placed between 3 and 4 o’clock. Two additional buttons are located on the back of the watch to ensure a quick change of its straps.
“She soars to conquer!”
The functional sculpture included with the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Collector Set is a reproduction of a major enigmatic element from the movie, created in honor of the Maximal Airazor. The Maximals were introduced into the Transformers universe in 1996 and have become essential and iconic characters in the franchise. Airazor is the vigilant protector of her team and allies, always on the lookout for danger before it arises. With an alt mode of a peregrine falcon, she has a jaw-dropping wingspan and deadline poise and power.
In the film, this Airazor artifact is presented as a museum art piece that has kept a well-guarded, precious secret for thousands of years. In this Kross Studio x Hasbro collector set, the Airazor artifact conceals an equally precious object: the Kross Studio Transformers: Rise of the Beasts central tourbillon timepiece. The Hasbro and Kross Studio teams have developed a clever mechanism that reveals the watch within in dramatic fashion. To open the Airazor object, pressure is applied to the sculpture's head, enabling it to deploy its wings and activate a lever system, and the watch emerges, greenlit under a Mechatron LED light. The same pressure on the sculpture head enables the sculpture's closure. Kross Studio artisans crafted the detailed and lifelike sculpture in polyresin.
“Unite or Fall”
For the first time, Hasbro has opened the doors of its product development department to a licensed partner to develop an exclusive collaboration and the creation of a one-of-a-kind collector's item dedicated to the ten Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Collector Sets. The emotional bond evoked and the remarkable impact conveyed by this functional art piece cannot be ignored.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Collector Sets (98’000 CHF) will be available at
kross-studio.com, or through official partners and select authorized retailers.
