Hublot and the living legends of sportOfficial timekeeper: King Power Juventus Turin
Last August, during their tour of China and victory against Napoli in the final of the Supercoppa Italiana in Beijing National Stadium, Juventus Turin announced their choice of Hublot as Official Timekeeper and Official Watch, to support them from the start of the following season.
Today, in tribute to the current Champion of Italy, the famous Vecchia Signora – the "old lady", as the club is affectionately known by the Italians – which is having a magnificent 2012-2013 season, Hublot is finally presenting the watch in the club's colours, so eagerly anticipated by fans of this team with such a glorious record of success.
The piece is a King Power model made from carbon fibre, as requested by the club management. A limited edition of 200 numbered watches, these boast a case 48 mm in diameter, and are powerful but ultra-light and extremely impact-resistant thanks to the carbon fibre components, manufactured entirely in-house by Hublot. The watch is equipped with the HUB4245 chronograph movement, which has the particular feature of two central chrono hands. This makes for better readability - quicker and more efficient. The wearer can keep track of both hands at a glance; the first indicates the seconds, and the other hand, specially developed for football, indicates the time elapsed out of the 45 minutes in each half.
With black and white of course predominating, the sapphire dial showcases the movement, here in an Aero Bang version, which has also undergone further skeleton working, opening up the piece to reveal even more of the working parts of the watch and its fine mechanics. The topside retains only the material necessary for it to function. This is coated with black ruthenium for a beautiful overall effect of homogeneity, and clearer reading. The minute track, a time counter at 9 o'clock, a date window at 4 o'clock and the exclusive Juventus emblem at 3 o'clock complete the dial, all playing with the iconic black and white combination. In a final reference to the legendary club, and perfectly complementing the piece, the white leather strap stitched onto black rubber, with a black leather strip in the centre, is also directly inspired by the team's graphic codes.
In Italy, Juventus F.C. is a monument in its own right, with an imposing history. Founded in 1897, the club is the 3rd oldest in the country. In addition to having the most supporters, Juve has historically won the most national titles, and is one of the most successful and recognised teams worldwide. According to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics, a body recognised by FIFA, Juventus was the best Italian club and second best European club in the 20th Century.
Thanks to this partnership, Hublot is continuing to reinforce its presence in the world of top-class football. The first luxury brand to become involved in football in 2006, Hublot has since then worked in close collaboration with FIFA as Official Timekeeper and Official Watch of the FIFA World Cup™, with UEFA as Official Watch of the European Championships, as well as with a list of prestigious clubs: Manchester United from England, Bayern Munich from Germany and Ajax Amsterdam from Holland, to name but a few.