Hublot Honors the "Great Eight" with Big Bang Unico Red Carbon Alex Ovechkin
Russian NHL superstar Alexander Ovechkin, winner of the 2018 Stanley Cup as captain of the Washington Capitals, joined Hublot's star-studded stable of athlete ambassadors in 2019. Like many who preceded him — notably "fastest man alive" Usain Bolt and late NBA legend Kobe Bryant — Ovechkin has collaborated with the Swiss watchmaker on a very special wristwatch with a number of personalized elements distinctive to the hockey player nicknamed "The Great Eight."
The Hublot Big Bang Unico Red Carbon Alex Ovechkin is distinguished foremost by its eye-catching 45-mm case and signature screwed bezel, made of lightweight carbon fiber, interlaced with red accents from "Non Woven Fabric" (NWF) micro-glass fibers, which add robustness to the composite case material from which the case is made. Both the NWF and the carbon fiber are fused with a resin-tinted adhesive, resulting in the crimson color details that reflect both the flag of Ovechkin's Russian homeland and the uniform of his NHL team. The toughness and resiliency of the composite material, Hublot says, represents Ovi's own longevity as an elite player in his league: drafted in 2004, the 35-year-old has played his entire career with the Capitals and scored his 700th goal in 2020, a historic feat very few players in the sport have ever achieved.
Notable details continue on the red-accented, skeletonized dial, including the "Great Eight" logo placed at the 8 o'clock position, highlighting Ovechkin's jersey number and the nickname derived from it; and the red-white-and-blue finish on the central chronograph hand, which references both the team colors of the Washington Capitals as well as the stripes of the Russian flag. Powering the watch, with its inner workings on display from both the front and back, is Hublot’s manufacture Caliber MHUB1242, a self-winding movement equipped with a column-wheel-controlled flyback chronograph function with a double clutch; a frequency of 28,800 vph; and a power reserve of 72 hours. Its 60-minute chronograph readout is on a subdial at 3 o'clock, which intersects a date window, while small seconds tick away on a subdial at 9 o'clock. The openworked date disk, another hallmark of the Unico caliber, borders the dial beneath the applied, black-plated hour appliqués with their red luminescent coating.
The sapphire window in the back of the 100-meter water-resistant case offers a glimpse into the movement behind a red-printed Alex Ovechkin signature. Limited to 100 pieces, the watch comes on a red fabric strap with a micro-blasted black ceramic buckle, and also includes an additional black rubber strap; the two bracelets can be easily switched via Hublot's "One Click" fastening system. As "icing on the cake" (Hublot's pun, not mine), each watch also comes with a custom hockey puck signed by Ovechkin. Available at retail now, the Big Bang Unico Red Carbon Alex Ovechkin retails for $26,200.
