Another sponsorship coup for JC Biver?

Hey — is that Marcos Heguy (called out below) accepting a Hublot watch?!?!  Or is it just TEAM BANQUE BARING BROTHERS STURDZA SA graciously accepting a prize for winning the 2010 Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad — a Hublot Big Bang Polo De Paris.  I saw this pic and I had to laugh and say “what Piaget will have to say about this?”  After all, they did make a Heguy, one of the very best polo players in the world, his very own Polo FortyFive!  LOL!

I say this all lightheartedly — I don’t think Piaget has anything to worry about….or do they?

click here for more official event photos

The Hublot Big Bang Lightning Bolt is under development…

But I digress!

Superstar sprinter Usain Bolt (whom we spotted wearing a Hublot late last year –  before it became ‘official’) recently took part in a charity event organized by the Swiss brand at its Nyon headquarters.  Bolt pitted himself against 10 child athletes and in good fun he lost the race to all 10 of them.  The result of this was a $100,000 donation by Hublot to the Usain Bolt Foundation, which was set up by the runner to support a number of projects in Jamaica focusing on education, health and development and will contribute in particular to actions carried out by “United Way of Jamaica”.

It was also noted that during his visit to Nyon, Bolt would “take part in a workshop session to develop the watch that is soon to be created in his name.”  In other words — look for the Hublot Big Bang Bolt to be coming soon!!!

It’s a Gold Classic Fusion….

When I first wrote about the “Huge Bang!” back in April, there were no watches to show, only Hublot-branded substitution boards.  But now the Official Timekeeper for the next two FIFA World Cups has unveiled the Official Watch for the same.  The Hublot FIFA World Cup watch is a beautifully executed 45mm version of the Hublot Classic Fusion.   Note the FIFA World Cup Trophy on the dial.  The thing is, though, there will only be 100 pieces, so I think it is safe to say that this is the first but certainly not the last we have seen from Hublot for FIFA.

You can read the official press release — and see more photos including a close-up of the dial — by clicking here.

King Power for King Speed…

This morning from Shanghai, China, Hublot announced that the world’s fastest man is now an “official” Ambassador to the brand…not that this should be any surprise to readers of this blog!  We were quick out of the starting blocks on this story late last year when we spotted Jamaican super star sprinter Usain Bolt wearing a Hublot and striking his famous pose  — check it out at:  Hublot On a Lightning Bolt, November 12, 2009.

photo: Hublot.

For Hublot, he is not only an outstanding sportsman, but also a man with a naturally sunny disposition, who shares his gifts with humility.  Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of Hublot, is very proud that Usain Bolt wears a Hublot timepiece:

“It is hugely symbolic for a watchmaker to see his watch worn by the fastest man in the world! the concept of time is sacred, for him and for us… We measure time, Usain always seems to outrun it!”.

Usain Bolt had this to say:

“I am delighted to be an ambassador for Hublot and join some great ambassadors such as Manchester United, Diego Maradona and Ayrton Senna’s family and Institute. I look forward to working together in the future and I hope my times continue to get faster with Hublot.”

photo: Pressesports.

We liked this pairing before it was even a deal.  Congrats Hublot!

We recap our favorite wrist shots…

Readers of this blog know that we here at First In Watches like to keep an eye on “who’s wearing what” — particularly when it is discovered by an “in the wild” spotting of a wrist shot.  Come to think of it, we’ve spotted and called quite a few candid wrist shots over the past year, and so we thought we’d take a moment to reflect.  Enjoy!

For starters, we spotted Bill Clinton wearing a Panerai to his meeting with North Korea’s dictator:

and then there was France’s Nicolas Sarkozy wearing a very stately Girard-Perregaux:

Moving on from world leaders, we founder ourselves wondering what YouTube founder Chad Hurley was wearing (in fact we still don’t know!):

And then there are society’s seedier characters, from which we have set our spying eyes upon everything from disgraced Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff’s forfeited watch collection:

to plea-dealing lawyer Scott Rothstein’s gaudy wrist wear:

and — yes — we’ve even been lured in to writing about “Narco Bling” aka the watches of Mexican drug lords:

Alas, our passion for the elusive wrist shot is rarely satiated.  And so our relentless pursuit of precious metals housing precious movements often leads us to search the wrists of athletes — out of their uniforms and into casual mode, elite athletes are no match for our horologically trained eyes which have transformed many an innocuous photo into a story about a wrist shot.

For example, we outran Jamaican super-sprinter Usain Bolt striking to catch him in his trademark pose with a Hublot Big Bang Ceramic:

And when it comes to the hoops game, it was an easy drive down the lane for this slam dunk shot of Shaq with this Audemars Piguet:

Likewise, Kobe Bryant was quick to flash the peace sign giving us a clean steal and a clear look at his Nubeo:

and the same for the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade — spotted in a watch only an NBA player could wear, a Haimov:

Check that — Dwayne Wade has most recently been spotted wearing Hublot!  Nice trade, D-Wade!

So what will Team Perpetuelle spot next?  Stay tuned!

We hope you enjoyed this special edition of “Wrist Shot Rewind”!

Up close and personal with Hublot’s JC Biver…

I would like to call attention to an excellent interview that was conducted by Łukasz Doskocz who is the Founder/Editor of Chronos24.pl, one of the leading watch portals in Poland.   Lukasz is also one of my “watch blogger friends”, and I thank him for sharing his  interview with Perpetuelle.  At Baselworld 2010, Lukasz had the opportunity to sit down with none other than Hublot CEO Jean-Claude Biver.  The interview is very casual and offers a great “up close and personal” look at the man with the Midas Touch.

Unscripted, casual interviews are often the best and most revealing, in my experience, and this one is no exception.   Biver’s passion for watches truly is contagious!  The interview is in English (with Polish subtitles)…enjoy!

Partnership renewed, FMF Big Bang refreshed…

The Hublot Big Bang for the Mexican Football Federation (“FMF”) has just been given a nice refresh by the new, Official Watchmaker of FIFA.  The original edition (pictured below) was launched in 2007 when Hublot first announced its partnership with the Federation.  I say wow, what a difference a few years can make!  Bolder use of the official Mexican colors, an openworked dial (ie “Aero Bang”) with red and green accents, and most notably the green gummy alligator strap with red contrast stitching, make this watch a real eye catcher.

44.5mm ceramic case and bezel, limited edition 250 units

The 2007 version:

Incidentally, Hublot’s gummy alligator straps are pretty cool — basically rubber on the inside, alligator on the outside!  While these might seem like odd bedfellows, of course they work quite well with Hublot’s “fusion” concept.  I can say from experience that the gummy alligator straps have a great feel to them.  Personally I’d prefer this watch on a more toned-down black strap!

FMF logo on the sapphire crystal caseback, black PVD clasp

It was “on the pitch” at Estadio Azteca (the fifth largest football stadium in the world seats 105,000), Hublot CEO Jean-Claude Biver presented the very first models of the limited edition series of 250 to the heads of the Mexican Football Federation and to Javier Aguirre, the trainer who will lead the national team in the forthcoming 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

To see more of Hublot’s football partnerships you can check my recent post Huge Bang!  Hublot becomes Official Watchmaker of FIFA.

April 19, 2010 Editor’s Note: The watch initially shown in conjunction with the Hublot/F1 partnership announced March 13, 2010 was only a prototype (my original article, since updated, is HERE).  The actual production model will be as you now see below.  This watch was officially unveiled as the Hublot F1 King Power Announced at the recent 2010 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix. 

Zirconium and ceramic bezel — “brake caliper” style… 

Hublot has confirmed to me that Hublot CEO Jean-Claude Biver officially unveiled a new F1 King Power watch at the 2010 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix.  The watch, pictured below, looks awesome!  Hublot has masterfully crafted the bezel out of zirconium and ceramic in a design in resemblance of a high tech break assembly.  The unique strap consists of super-comfortable rubber on the inside and a special Nomex outer layer, which hard-core F1 fans will recognize as the material being used extensively in the racing suits of Formula One drivers.  Finally, as for the color scheme of the watch -  black, red and silver – well, it looks phenomenal!   More discussion and background, below the photo. 

Now while the Official F1 Website press release calls this the first Official F1 watch, readers of this blog might recall that in my March 13 article announcing that Hublot had become the new “Official Watchmaker of F1″ I showed you a new Hublot F1 King which is obviously different (and less cool) than the one you see here.  So while I’m not quite sure about the slight discrepancy, I did note at the time that a “range of new Hublot F1 King Power watches [was] to come” and so in my view this watch announced today in China is the first (or second, depending on how you look at it) in a number of new Hublot F1 watches to come.  Exciting! 

A Big Huge Bang!

Without question this is a watershed deal for Jean-Claude Biver and Hublot that will cement the brand’s visibility and prospect’s for success for many years to come. Today, Hublot joined FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) to announce that the brand would be the “Official Watchmaker” for the coming FIFA World Cups to be held in South Africa in June and Brazil in 2014.  This new venture is also undoubtedly the crowning achievement of Hublot’s sports legacy as it allies itself with the most popular sports event in the world — World Cup football.

Hublot already has a long and illustrious history in the footballing world.  I have covered much of it extensively including its sponsorship of the Swiss team in 2006, an official partner of Euro 2008, the “Official Timekeeper” for Manchester United (which brought us the Red Devil Bang I and II, and the 30 foot tall Hublot clock which stands proud outside Old Trafford), and most recently a partnership with legend Diego Maradona (a great watch, the Big Bang Maradona). And now it is football’s supreme authority — FIFA.

Hublot’s CEO, Jean-Claude Biver had this to say:

We already have an in-depth understanding of the footballing world, as Hublot was the first luxury brand to become involved in this field. It is a great honour and an immense pleasure to become the “Official Watchmaker” for the next two FIFA World Cups(TM), and to be a part of the largest televised event in the world.

Joseph S. Blatter, FIFA President was of course also ebullient about the partnership:

I am delighted that Hublot will be with us for the coming FIFA World Cups(TM). I have a lot of respect for Hublot and their ability to innovate and to stand apart, driven by Jean-Claude Biver’s own dynamism and passion!  Hublot’s image is a mark of Swiss quality and accuracy.

Yes there will be watches! The Watchmaker’s role on the pitch as “Official Timekeeper” means that HUBLOT will be visible on the referee’s boards when they show substitutions or stoppage time. This will start at the forthcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup. In addition, as the “Official Watchmaker”, Hublot will create an exclusive limited edition series for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, and special collections of watches linked to the FIFA World Cup from 2011.

My congratulations to everyone at Hublot and FIFA on achieving this phenomenal partnership.

Hublot to Sponsor Financial Times iPad App…

Apple’s new and much heralded iPad officially launches this coming weekend (April 3).  And yes, I have a couple horlogical twists to this story.  The first is that unlike others who pre-ordered their iPad and blamed Breguet for making them do it, I decided not to be an early adopter of this new device.  According to the Financial Times, Apple has allowed only a few publishers – including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal – to work with the device and there will be just a handful of dedicated media applications for the device at its US launch this weekend. 

The Financial Times will also be one of the initial media offerings available on the new iPad.  Its iPad “app” is planned for release in Europe and the US in late April and will have the same subscription requirements as FT.com, one of the few websites to charge for news.  What caught my attention – and is my second “horlogical twist” to the article here – is that the FT iPad app will be sponsored at launch by Hublot!  Yes, Hublot “the watchmaker” (as the FT blandly describes the brand in what is at a minimum a nominee for understament of the year) will be subsidizing a two-month free access period to the FT app.  

What will their ads look like on the iPad?  Please do tell, John Biggs! 

In summary, it looks like via its sponsorship of the Financial Times, Hublot can lay claim to being the first watch brand to show itself on the Apple iPad.  Congrats to Jean-Claude Biver and team for yet again being on the cutting-edge of technology!