In Bezel's exclusive interview, we sit down with the basketball player, philanthropist, and entrepreneur to explore his introduction to the world of watches, his honorable approach to collecting, plus the most prized watches in his personal collection.
Welcome to Come Collect, an original series where the most noteworthy collectors of our time reveal their watches to Bezel, the fully-authenticated marketplace for the world’s most collectible luxury watches.
Kyle Kuzma is an NBA Champion, also noted for his unbridled personal style. When he’s not taking the game to the next level with the Washington Wizards, Kuzma passionately collects truly drool-worthy watches.
In Bezel's exclusive interview, we sit down with the basketball player, philanthropist, and entrepreneur to explore his introduction to the world of watches, his honorable approach to collecting, plus the most prized watches in his personal collection.
Watch the full interview on YouTube
Though the Nautilus might’ve originally made waves as a result of its full stainless steel construction, it’s hard to deny the allure of this full rose gold execution of the famed Patek Philippe luxury sports watch, fitted with a chocolate brown dial that plays with available light like no other. As Kuz's entry piece into the world of fine watch collecting, it's safe to say the NBA champion kicked off his collection in no small way.
Though Kyle does tend to favor watches from the likes of Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet, he's no stranger to the exciting world of independent watchmaking, as evidenced by the presence of an F.P. Journe in his thoughtfully curated collection. Unlike the rest of his watches, the élégante 48mm Titalyt is set apart from the rest by its unique electromechanical movement, distinguished by its ability to enter a standby mode when not in use, so as to save energy and afford a battery life of as much as 18 years.
The Cerachrom bezel fitted "Panda" Daytona is a true modern classic if there ever was one, channeling the aesthetics of vintage references with a decidedly modern twist. The star NBA forward hit the nail on the head when he described it as a watch you could wear for the next 50 years without it ever going out of style. Few other watches can compete with the Daytona’s unique brand of sporty sophistication, as evidenced by the chronograph’s notoriously long waitlist at retail.
Without a shred of a doubt, Vacheron Constantin's Overseas is surely one of the finest modern luxury sports watches to be fitted with an integrated bracelet. Out of the entire range of references within the "Holy Trinity" watchmaker's collection, Kuz has arguably the best of the bunch. This ultra-thin, tourbillon-equipped Overseas shines with a mesmerizing blue dial, boasting some of the finest finishing seen in today's watchmaking landscape.
Introduced just a matter of months ago, this complicated addition to the Aquanaut collection quickly became one of the most sought after references across Patek Philippe's entire catalog, and for good reason. Equipped with a flyback chronograph, allowing for the timing of multiple instances in rapid succession, the rose gold luxury sports watch just makes sense amongst the basketball player's impressive lineup, matching his rose gold Nautilus quite nicely. Kuzma was lucky enough to be one of the first collectors in North America to receive an allocation for the coveted sports complication.
Honoring the 170-year-long partnership between Patek Philippe and Tiffany & Co. in a limited edition of just 170 pieces for the entire global market, the reference 5711/1A-018 is without question the most enviable variant of the modern Nautilus in stainless steel, notably commanding double-digit multiples of its $52,635 retail price on the secondary market. Naturally, Kuz is honored to be one of the lucky few who can call one example his own, saving the ultra-rare luxury sports watch for occasions where he finds himself in the presence of other similarly important, jaw-dropping works of horological art.
As a watch that caught Kyle's attention long before his considered interest in watches truly began, the presence of a Day-Date in Kuzma's collection affirms all the hard work the NBA star has put in to get to where he is today. This particular variant of the Presidential Rolex features an olive green Roman numeral-clad dial, as well as its case and bracelet executed in brilliant 18k Everose gold – Rolex's proprietary rose gold alloy.
Kuzma enjoys a rare Nautilus, and can you blame him? Executed in hard-wearing stainless steel, and contrasted by the presence of factory-set baguette diamonds surrounding its bezel, this particular variant of the legendary Gérald Genta design was believed to be the last iteration of the reference 5711 prior to the introduction of the aforementioned Tiffany & Co. collaboration piece. Its green dial however is the real star of the show, designed to mimic the appearance of vintage Nautilus examples which aged from blue to achieve a greenish tone over time.
Last but not least is an unlikley albeit outstanding piece in Kuz's collection – the fully skeletonized Calatrava Ref. 5180/1R-001. This is one of those watches that really speaks to his elevated collecting tastes, and genuine passion for all things Patek Philippe. Kuzma let us know this purchase was inspired by Jay Z's acquisition of a possibly unique example of the famed reference 2499 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph, fitted to a similarly styled bracelet. Here's to HOV!
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