I finally got around to starting the ESPN/Netflix co-production, The Last Dance, a detailed ten-part miniseries on the life and times of basketball legend Michael Jordan. The series focuses on the 1997-1998 NBA season of the Chicago Bulls, then two-time consecutive NBA champions about to win a third – for a total of six NBA championships in eight years.
The miniseries contains the best of more than 500 hours of footage filmed at the time with Jordan’s consent, who also stipulated that it could only be used with his permission. According to reports, Jordan didn’t give permission until the 2016 documentary proposal from Mike Tollin for what was to become The Last Dance.
The series was originally scheduled to begin airing in June 2020, but due to COVID-19 and ensuing lockdowns it was pushed to an April release on ESPN, an American all-sports channel, which had no live sports to show.
Though I’m not a particular basketball fan (tennis is my preferred sport), I like the dynamism of the sport and have loosely followed it over the years. I’m enjoying The Last Dance immensely, and even more so thanks to glimpses of the great watches I keep spying as the series progresses.
I’m only two episodes in at present, but what grabbed me right from the first minutes was the fact that both Jordan and Bulls forward Scottie Pippen are wearing noticeably large Roger Dubuis watches during the modern interview portions.
Michael Jordan wearing a Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli in ‘The Last Dance’
I wondered about that, so I asked the brand whether these watches were loaned to the two basketball stars for the interview sessions. The reply I got was pleasantly surprising: the two men already owned them, and Roger Dubuis had no idea they were going to pop up in the documentary series.
In case you were also wondering what these two watches are, here is the low-down on them.
In the modern interview section, Jordan is wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt that shows off his wrist, putting his Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli in full view. This watch came out at SIHH (now Watches & Wonders) 2018.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli
This black DLC-coated titanium watch is quite notable as a non-traditional timepiece able to meet the requirements to sport the Geneva Seal. The sizable 45 x 14.02 mm Automatic Skeleton Pirelli, though airy, is quite large, but does look very much at home on the 1.98 meter (6 foot 6 inch) tall Jordan.
Scottie Pippen wearing his Roger Dubuis Excalibur Double Flying Tourbillon in ‘The Last Dance’
Pippen is also sporting Roger Dubuis in the modern interviews, a long sold-out, limited edition Excalibur Double Flying Tourbillon in white gold.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Double Flying Tourbillon in white gold
For more on Michael Jordan’s extensive watch collection, check out the rundown by our friends at Time & Tide. He seems to have a different watch for every occasion!
Quick Facts Roger Dubuis Excalibur Automatic Skeleton Pirelli
Case: 45 x 14.02 mm, black DLC-coated titanium
Movement: automatic Caliber RD820SQ with micro rotor, Geneva Seal, NAC-coated plate and bridges, 60-hour power reserve, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: 88 pieces
Price: $69,500 (at introduction in 2018) in 2018; $72,000 (2020 price)
Quick Facts Roger Dubuis Excalibur Double Flying Tourbillon
Case: 45 mm, white gold
Movement: manually wound Caliber RD01SQ with two flying one-minute tourbillons connected by a differential, 50-hour power reserve, 2 x 3 Hz/21,600 vph frequency, Geneva Seal,
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: 28 pieces
Price: $305,000
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