When I met Ricardo Guadalupe, the CEO of Hublot, in Geneva this January, I found out about the ‘Match of Friendship’ — the football game they were organising in Basel (in March) with legends like Argentinian Diego Maradona, Manchester United coach José Mourinho, former French striker David Trezeguet, and retired sprinter Usain Bolt. But the high-profile event was also the launchpad for the Swiss watchmaker’s association with the FIFA World Cup. It not only kicked off its campaign as FIFA’s official timekeeper, but also unveiled its official watch, the Big Bang Referee 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.
Hublot’s first smartwatch, the 2,018-piece limited edition timepiece came out of a request to “conceive the perfect watch to accompany referees on the pitches”. But with 32 different dials — inspired by the flags of the participating countries — and two neutral options, it is a great one for fans, too. When I tried it on, I admit I felt transported to Russia, sitting in a stadium, cheering for my favourite team, Spain.
Counting goals
The timepiece retains all the design aesthetics of Hublot’s iconic Big Bang line — the distinctive case design, the use of light-weighted titanium, and the six H-shaped screws on the bezel. The real difference is in the size: this one comes in a larger 49 mm case, as it is the first from Hublot’s stable in the “connected” space. Running on Wear OS, it announces matches 15 minutes before kick-off, as well as yellow and red cards, player changes and goals. During matches, the Big Bang Referee vibrates, displaying the word “goal” whenever one is scored, and shows match statistics, including the score, number of cards, goal-scorers, player substitutions and match time.
Available in analogue and digital, its patented interchangeable ‘one click’ strap allows you to easily change between two options — a cuff strap in sponge, sporting the 2018 FIFA World Cup emblem, and the Hublot black-lined, natural rubber strap. The brand is also offering fans a third option, in the colours of their country.
Field check
FIFA World Cup 2018 is the first competition in which referees are supported by video assistance. Their watches will be connected to goal-line technology, an electronic video assistance system for refereeing which follows the trajectories of the ball and determines if it crossed the goal line or not. On the pitch, Hublot will continue to assist, by sequencing time, changes and extra time through its Big Bang-shaped referee boards — a Hublot property since the football World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
The watch can connect to any phone with Android (4.4 and above) and iOS (9 and above). At approximately ₹3,67,500, it is in stores now.
The writer is president and publisher of the Chitralekha Group and president, The Horologists.