You may or may not think much of Hublot, but there’s no denying the success of the watch company founded by entrepreneur Carlo Crocco in 1980 and its stratospheric rise under marketing genius Jean Claude Biver in first decade of this century. Biver, who resurrected Blancpain and steadied Omega’s course before taking up the top job at the company, released the Big Bang chronograph that would make Hublot a thing. He also associated it with football, something no other luxury watch brand had done before.
Hublot’s current brand ambassadors include Brazilian legend Pele, Kylian Mbappe, the face of French football, and Jose Mourinho, the Portuguese soccer manager, and it has tie-ups with several clubs such as Juventus, Chelsea, AFC Ajax, and Benfica.
Keeping time
In 2008, Hublot was the ‘Official Timekeeper’ of the UEFA EURO Championship; two years later, it became the first ‘Official Watch’ and 'Official Timekeeper’ for FIFA and the World Cup. The association with football and especially the World Cup has continued unbroken since then. The brand is the Official Timekeeper of the ongoing World Cup Qatar 2022 and just in time for the football’s biggest extravaganza, it has launched the Big Bang E, a watch for confirmed football and Hublot fans.
Timing is everything
The $5,800 watch, which, according to Hublot, is its most exciting Big Bang E till date, will time all 64 games during the tournament. The timepiece is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 processor, runs Google Wear OS3, and has a 44mm case in micro-blasted and polished black ceramic titanium. Precisely 15 minutes before each match, the Big Bang E serves up team line-ups and player profiles and once a game kicks off, the watch switches into ‘match mode’ and activates a ‘timeline’, which “helps fans capture the most memorable moments in football”. Exactly what does that mean?
Keeping track
The outer edge of the Big Bang E’s dial has a scale that is divided into five sections. These represent the first and second halves, additional time allowed in each half, and half time. If the ball hits the back of the net, the watch displays a match event animation with appropriate details such as the goal scorer’s name, with a football symbol marking the appropriate minute on the scale. The same thing happens if there is a yellow card, a red card or a penalty. Should a match go beyond normal time, the Big Bang E switches to extra time mode and, if it is being decided by penalties, into shootout mode. The outcome of each penalty is registered by a green or red outline, indicating the success or failure of the attempt. A final “match period animation” announces the end of the game and displays the final score.
According to Hublot, the Big Bang E comes with a battery that can power the watch all-day and can be charged to full from empty in two hours. The limited-edition watch is available with several dial options via its accompanying smartphone app. While the official version has a burgundy dial and a black and burgundy lined rubber strap inspired by the flag colours of Qatar, football fans can customise the dial and strap designs in the colours of each of the participating countries.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
