BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot is well-renowned for working with various people to develop unique and interesting wristwatches. From sketch to music artists, restauranters to social responsibility projects, Hublot’s world of collaborations is lengthy and varied. Perhaps its most notable pairings come from when it works with athletes, particularly footballers (soccer players). Hublot’s repertoire of professional tennis players is a little less populated than the aforementioned sport, but they’ve just announced a new partnership and they’ve got one of the biggest names in the game.
Serbian-born Novak Djokovic (whom I share a birthday with, we’re pen pals and everything), according to his Wikipedia page he is the only man in the history of tennis to reign as champion at the four biggest events of the year, those being the Australian Open, the French Open, the US Open and the Wimbledon Championships, among many many other feats. It seems fitting, then, for Hublot to partner with someone whose professional history is steeped in success.
At first glance, I thought this watch was made of sapphire crystal which is a material Hublot is adept at making and colouring. However, this watch’s case is probably its most intriguing feature. The case measures 42mm x 14.5mm with 100m of water resistance and the entire watch weighs 49.5 grams, less than a tennis ball, which weighs 56 grams. We’re still not at the most intriguing part yet, which is that the case is made of, but it’s made from recycling the Lacoste shirts (15 light blue and 17 dark blue) and 25 HEAD tennis racquets that Djokovic wore and used during his 2023 season. Hublot says that they cut the shirts with a specific pattern (presumably after washing them), crushed the racquets and combined them using epoxy resin with quartz powder into a watch case. It’s extremely unique and shows Hublot’s ability to make a watch out of seemingly anything (I have some ideas if you’re interested, Hublot).
The case’s material isn’t the only place Hublot has been able to change things around in the name of lightness. The sapphire crystal is gone and has been replaced by tempered Corning Gorilla Glass which weighs up to half as much. Also, the movement’s plates, which are usually made of brass and therefore lumpen and weighty, are instead made of aluminium, which reduced the movement’s overall mass by nearly one-third.
The self-winding HUB1280 calibre sits inside this watch and has a 4Hz beat rate with a 72-hour power reserve. As is traditional for watches in the Big Bang Unico range, the movement is visible through the front and back allowing you to see the flyback chronograph movement in action. I like the subtle touches which make this watch seem even more bespoke than most. Things like the tennis ball yellow chronograph pusher and Djokovic’s logo on the movement’s rotor and the dial make it a bit more than just a different-coloured version of every other watch in the lineup.
Hublot also provides a range of straps with the watch. The watch is at its lightest with the lightweight elastic strap attached, but it also comes with a fabric strap with velcro and an aluminium buckle, a white rubber strap with a titanium clasp and a Lacoste strap. These can be easily swapped out thanks to Hublot’s One Click strap-changing system.
Limited to just 100 examples worldwide, Hublot’s Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic watch ref 441.QKB.5120.NR.DJO24 retails for $52,700 (pre-tax) or €54,900. It also comes with an interesting-looking box made of responsibly sourced oak and a Lacoste shirt that Djokovic signed.
