To mark its new sponsorship of the famed Italian soccer club, Juventus, Hublot has launched a special limited edition timekeeper. The newcomer from the Big Bang collection is made in the colors of the Old Lady as the club is known and it features black and white appearance to resemble the kits of the team. The ceramic watch also has the appropriate features, since its column-wheel chronograph Unico automatic movement is specially designed to measure 45-minute intervals, the duration of a half of a football game. It does so with the use of two retrograde central chrono hands.
Hublot is heavily involved with sport and soccer in particular and it has been sponsoring some of the major clubs, as well as its international competitions. The Swiss brand was the official timekeeper of the last World Cup in Brazil for which it created a special timekeeper that we have previously written about. The new piece is based on this model and replicates its basic features, while obviously being adapted to the new purpose.
Hublot Big Bang Unico Bi-Retrograde Juventus is focused on the measurement of a soccer game which is why its chronograph takes the central stage at the top of the dial, while hours and minutes are moved down and shown on an off-centered display with micropeened rhodium satin-finished hands with luminous coatings. The upper section of the face includes a retrograde scale for the stop watch feature. It clearly marks the end of a 45-minute interval, but also allows the wearer to keep track of eventual overtimes or stoppage time during each of the halves.
The Bi-Retrograde part of the name refers to the fact that the mentioned retrograde scale is the path for two hands, used for minutes and seconds. The hands have different lengths and colors and correspond to different parts of the scale to make the piece more readable (the minutes one is, furthermore, made with a yellow tip to make it even easier to differentiate among them). There is also an aperture on the upper section of the dial which shows which half of the match is currently being played.
The innovative functions of the watch are enabled with its HUB1261 self-winding mechanical movement which is made in the watchmaker’s workshops. The column wheel chronograph runs at the frequency of 4 Hz and has a power storage of 72 hours which is an entire day more than common automatic movements.
This sporty timekeeper is placed inside a round housing which features the diameter of 45 mm. It is made of black ceramic which was treated with polished and satin finishes. Moreover, the structure includes a fixed bezel, secured with six screws. The bezel is made of carbon fiber and it features a checkered appearance. It surrounds a sapphire crystal with a glare-proof treatment. The rear side of the housing is made of satin –finished ceramic and it is dominated with a large sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inner side. This side of the case features the logo of Juventus and it includes inscriptions that mark the specific place of the watch in the restricted series.
Other elements in the structure are a crown made of black satin-polished titanium which is secured with rubber inlays in the same shade, as well as two pushers in the same material, but with alternating black and white rubber sections. The watch is waterproof to 100 meters.
The distinctive Big Bang Unico housing is joined to the attachment with the means of lugs made of white composite resin. As for the wristlet itself, it is a mixture of black alligator with stitching in white color on the top and white rubber on the underside to make it more comfortable. It fastens with a folding clasp made of black titanium.
The watch with the reference number 413.CQ.112.LR.JUV15 is made in the restricted issue which consists of 100 pieces, intended to Juventus fans with a passion for watches.
By the way, the team that the watch is dedicated to and which colors it boasts is one of the best known and most successful ones in the sport. Since its foundation at the final years of the 19th century, it has become the Italian club with most titles won, as well as with the largest fan base in the Apennine Peninsula. The Old Lady holds 33 national titles, 10 national cups and two trophies of the UEFA Champions League. Interestingly, the Hublot’s collaboration with Juventus is one of five in the sport, since Hublot made its entrance in the world of soccer a decade ago. The Swiss brand is also the official sponsor of four other soccer giants from other countries: Bayern Munich from Germany, Paris Saint-Germain from France, Ajax from Netherlands and Chelsea from England.
