Hublot has just recently announced their latest creation, a limited edition timepiece made in honour of Alexander Ovechkin, also known as “The Great Eight”, an iconic Russian ice hockey superstar. Alexander Ovechkin has been a friend of the luxury Swiss brand and sees himself now team up with them to create this latest timepiece; the Hublot Big Bang Unico Red Carbon.
Alexander Ovechkin is arguably one of the greatest ice hockey players of all time. He scored his 700th career goal in a game on February 22, 2020, against the New Jersey Devils in Newark, NJ. Netting 700 career goals is a feat that only seven other players have accomplished in the whole history of the National Hockey League (NHL). His scoring ability is so impressive that no other player currently playing in the NHL comes close to his scoring record. Surpassing the 700-mark cemented his place among the all time greats and has made Alexander Ovechkin a global sporting icon. He earned the nickname “The Great Eight” thanks to his jersey number.
Hublot is passionate about partnering up with athletes that have reached the top of their game and in doing so can inspire the younger generations, on and off the field. In regards to this latest creation, Alexander Ovechkin states that “To work with my favourite watch brand and design a watch, as well as have it named after me is a huge honour. When Hublot asked which model we should work on together, it one hundred per cent had to be the Big Bang Unico. I love this watch. It’s bold, technical, innovative, daring, strong and fits perfectly on my wrist. I am so happy to share this story of the watch with hockey and Hublot fans around the world”.
Design:
The Big Bang Unico Red Carbon certainly has a unique appearance. The 45mm case is made from lightweight carbon fibre, which is fused with bright red inserts. The red accents on the casing consist of micro-glass fibres which come in the form of “Non-Woven Fabric” (NWF). This is used to strengthen the composite material from which the case is made. This high-tech, high-performance material was chosen to be used on this watch to represent Alexander Ovechkin’s hockey equipment and his own mentality in resilience and longevity.
The dial on this timepiece is skeletonised (as with Big bang Unico’s) and features a matte black main plate, which serves to act as a contrasting effect for the hour markers, hands, and sub-counters. The hour markers themselves are black plated appliques with red luminescent. Red is obviously a significant colour on this timepiece, as it represents both the Russian national flag and also the colour of the jersey Alexander wears as the captain of the Washington Capitals. Another key feature is the number 8 hour marker on the dial, which has been turned into Alexander’s “The Great Eight” logo, as a way of celebrating his jersey number.
Movement:
The movement used in the Big Bang Unico Red Carbon is the brand’s own MHUB1242 UNICO Manufacture Self-winding chronograph flyback movement with column wheel. Producing a frequency of 4hz (28, 800 VpH), the MHUB1242 movement can produce a power reserve of approximately 72 hours. The timepiece does come with an open case back in which you can see this movement. The carbon fiber with red fiberglass case back comes engraved with “Limited Edition 100NUM” and a printed signature of Alex Ovechkin.
Limited to 100 pieces, this unique timepiece will come with a limited edition custom hockey puck personally signed by Ovi, as a special tribute to the 100 lucky fans. Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot CEO is quite fond of this latest creation, as he states that “Ovi is a legend of the hockey and we are thrilled to welcome him as a Hublot Friend of the Brand in 2018. We love working with Ovi! He’s a winner, both on and off the ice. It’s been a huge pleasure creating this special watch with him. The carbon fibre, the red, the in-house UNICO mechanical movement, the fusion of materials – it’s the perfect expression of Hublot’s bold watchmaking philosophy and of our partnership. Thank you, Ovi!”
