By Kien Lee
Inspired by Novak Djokovic, the player with the most accomplishments in the sport of tennis, Hublot designed a watch that captures the Hublot Ambassador’s agility on the court and highlights Hublot’s approach to sustainable innovation.
Together, they present an extraordinary watch inspired by the strength and determination that led Djokovic to become the greatest tennis player of all time. Driven by Hublot’s commitment to innovation and unique mastery of materials, the Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic is made of Djokovic’s HEAD racquets and Lacoste polos. Novak Djokovic’s racquets and shirts are metamorphosed into an exceptional watch that takes on a second life as a unique talisman.
Beyond holding the record with the most number of Grand Slam wins at 24, Djokovic has also made history as only the 5th player to complete the Golden Slam, winning all four major titles and an Olympic gold medal in singles.
For this new timepiece, Hublot was challenged itself to create an incredibly light watch with a sustainable component. The result is a composite made up of 25 HEAD racquets as well as 17 dark blue and 15 light blue Lacoste polos used by Djokovic during his 2023 season, the year in which the world witnessed Djokovic make history and break records with 24 Grand Slams singles titles. These materials have been developed and used to make the watch as light as possible without losing any strength or resilience.
The composite that makes up the case and bezel of the watch is made of Epoxy resin reinforced with quartz powder and glass veil that has been fused with the recycled racquets and shirts. The resulting material is speckled with fragments of light & dark blue textiles and black carbon to create a singular camo aesthetic.
To ensure a feather-light feeling on the wrist, Hublot had to find a way to reduce the weight of the watch. Instead of using traditional sapphire crystal, the Swiss luxury watchmaker has chosen tempered Gorilla glass, a material used in high-end electronics and two times lighter than sapphire.
At the heart of the watch lies the Unico manufacture chronograph movement. Synonymous with the bold and always different character of the brand, the movement was a natural choice for this special piece. Nonetheless, the standard Unico movement in brass had to be reinvented to reduce the weight of the watch. To do so, Hublot chose aluminum, prized for its lightness, and anodized in light blue or grey to echo the camo color scheme of the case. With these measures, Hublot’s engineers were able to reduce the weight of the movement by 27%, shedding almost a third of its weight. Aluminum has also been used for some case components such as side pieces (3H-9H), sub-bezel, bezel lugs, pushers, crown and case-back.
The Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic comes with four straps for four different styles. The first bracelet is a “Lacoste” tennis wristband that attaches to the watch head with the One Click System, making the watch the perfect tennis companion. The second style is a blue elastic strap, which gives a total combined weight of 49.5 grams, and makes this timepiece even lighter than a tennis ball.
The third style features a light blue Velcro strap with a polished blue aluminum sports buckle. The last style is a white rubber strap with titanium deployant buckle.
Fans of the tennis player and collectors alike will appreciate the details that have been added to the watch, such as a yellow second pusher or the slightly domed and curved bezel screws reminiscent of a tennis ball. The Novak Djokovic logo is visible on the second hand and on the oscillating weight.
The Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic, limited to 100 pieces, is housed in Hublot’s sustainably sourced, high quality wooden watch box. Created entirely from oak, including its hinges, it is carved from mostly massive, traceable wood, whose sourcing and manufacture both promote short supply chains. The watch box features a unique design created exclusively for this limited-edition.
Owners of the watch will also receive a Lacoste sport wristband and a Lacoste polo signed by Hublot Ambassador and all-time record-holder of 24 Grand Slam single titles, Novak Djokovic.
The new Hublot Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic is available now online at Hublot.com and in our Boutiques.