Marco Tedeschi used to wind mechanical watches in his father's Geneva shop as a kid. Now his name is on the dial.
Kross Studio, the independent brand he founded during the pandemic, has officially rebranded to Marco Tedeschi. The name change arrives alongside two significant developments: Chanel has taken a 30% minority stake in the company's manufacturing arm, and a new MT1.1 tourbillon will debut at Watches and Wonders next week.
From pop culture to haute horlogerie
Tedeschi's path is unusual for a high-end watchmaker. He studied at the École Technique de la Vallée de Joux, worked on the Hublot UNICO chronograph movement, then served as CEO of Romain Jérôme before going independent. Kross Studio launched with collaborations that other brands wouldn't touch: Space Jam, Harry Potter, Star Wars. The watches were technically serious but wrapped in pop culture references that made the traditional Swiss watch world uncomfortable.
The rebrand signals a shift in emphasis. The technical foundation stays the same, but the brand now carries the weight of a personal name rather than a studio identity. As Tedeschi put it to Monochrome Watches: the new name reflects "a closer alignment between the products and the vision behind them."
Chanel's quiet hand
The bigger story may be Chanel's investment. Reported by SJX Watches in January, Chanel acquired a 30% minority stake in Kross Manufacture, the production arm carved out specifically for the deal. The facility near Nyon employs 15 people and specializes in technical development, CNC production, and decorative finishing for small, high-end series.
"They invest to support and develop companies without taking control," Tedeschi told SJX.
The move fits Chanel's established playbook. In 2019, the French house took a stake in Kenissi alongside Tudor, securing access to manufacturing expertise without running it directly. The Kross deal follows the same logic: back independent infrastructure, preserve the founder's autonomy, and gain priority access to specialized capabilities that large-scale manufacturers can't easily replicate.
The MT1.1
The watch arriving at Watches and Wonders is an evolution of last year's MT1 tourbillon. The MT1.1 keeps the signature central-axis architecture, where the tourbillon, energy source, and display sit on a single vertical axis, a design Tedeschi first patented during his engineering studies.
New for 2026: a power reserve indicator at 12 o'clock, tantalum case options machined in-house, a redesigned double-folding clasp, and an interchangeable strap system. The seven-day power reserve carries over from the original. Pricing hasn't been disclosed.
What's interesting here isn't just the watch. It's the model: a young independent, backed by one of the most strategically ambitious luxury houses in the world, doing original, inventive work with 15 people near Nyon. That's a story worth following.
Sources: Monochrome Watches, SJX Watches (January 2026), aBlogtoWatch.
