Introducing: The Hublot Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic Made Of His Old Rackets And Tennis Shirts
The Hublot Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic is made of sponsors. They’re not unexpected sponsors since the world’s number-one tennis player gets his rackets from Head and his sporting attire from Lacoste. However, what is unusual and surprising is that Hublot has used the equipment and clothes provided in the 2023 season to create a watch case. The blue composite material used to make the lightweight, open-worked case of the Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic is a mix of (potentially sweaty) shirts, and redundant rackets play an important part, at least for telling the story.
Novak Djokovic is a 24-time Grand Slam singles champion and the world’s undisputed number-one tennis player. He might not be as cuddly as Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer, but the Hublot family, of which he has been a member since 2021, loves him dearly. What better way to show affection than through a watch? So, here’s the Hublot Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic. I’m guessing that doing laundry is not a chore the Hublot family members love. That’s probably why they went to great lengths to create a case made of worn tennis shirts. Instead of washing 17 dark blue and 15 light blue Lacoste shirts, Hublot mixed them with some beaten-up rackets and other materials to create a watch dedicated to its beloved Serbian tennis champion.
The Hublot Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic — made possible by Head rackets and Lacoste shirts
Like many top athletes, Novak Djokovic has several “families,” and they all love presenting him as their favorite kid. The Serbian player has been a part of the Head and Lacoste families, for instance, for a while, and Hublot “adopted” him in 2021. He has been doing Hublot proud since then. Regarding numbers, Djokovic is the greatest tennis player of all time. And he’s still passionate about the game, which will probably lead to more glory.
Winning his 25th Grand Slam title is for the future. The Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic is for the present. What a tennis player needs when playing is a lightweight watch. Hublot had a challenge on its hands but chose to make it even more complicated by introducing a sustainable component the brand wanted to include. This has happened before. In May of last year, Hublot introduced the Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin, a 42mm chronograph in a limited run of 200 pieces. The lightweight green alloy used for the case, bezel, pushers, and crown contains 28% aluminum from recycled Nespresso cups. Furthermore, the watch comes in a box made of traceable oak and with two straps made from recycled materials, including a small percentage of coffee grounds.
The Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic is partly made of old shirts he wore and rackets he used. That raises a rather silly question: how much of the player’s DNA is inside the watch’s case?
Bio- and Djokovic-sourced materials
The composite 42mm case and bezel of the Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic consists of bio-sourced epoxy resin infused with recycled rackets and shirts. The resulting material is speckled with fragments of blue, white, and gray textiles to create a camouflage effect. Weight reduction is important, so Hublot chose tempered Gorilla Glass over traditional sapphire glass that’s twice as heavy. The automatic Unico movement inside the watch also went on a diet. Brass made way for anodized aluminum in light blue and gray to echo the camo color scheme of the case, leading to a weight loss of 27%. The pushers that operate the chronograph caliber are also aluminum, and so are some parts of the case.
This sporty watch will come with four straps. The first is equally sporty and similar to an elastic sweatband. This one connects to the case with Hublot’s One Click System. The second option is a Velcro strap in light blue, which comes with a polished blue aluminum sports buckle. A white rubber strap with a titanium deployant clasp is third, and a Lacoste strap (the details of which are unclear at the moment) will be fourth.
Game, set, and match, Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic
In the tie-breaker of the article, we’ll focus on the tennis references found in the watch. So, there’s the elastic sweatband for a strap, for instance. Outfitted with that particular strap, the watch weighs 49.5 grams. That’s a bit lighter than a tennis ball, which weighs between 56 and 59 grams. The top pusher of the chronograph has the color of a tennis ball. Finally, the slightly domed and curved bezel screws mimic a tennis ball. When you turn the watch over, you will see that the oscillating weight shows a cut-out of the Novak Djokovic logo.
The Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic is a limited edition of 100 pieces, and it comes in a sustainably sourced oak presentation box. But there’s more. Buyers will also receive a Lacoste wristband and a T-shirt signed by Novak Djokovic. The price is €54,900 / US$52,700, and you can find more info on the watch on the official Hublot website. Let me know your thoughts about how the case is made and the watch’s look. I’m also curious to know if you would consider a watch that has all the looks and specs you want but is also visually linked to a certain celebrity you don’t have a special interest in.
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