Football Fever: Hublot Launches New King Power FC Bayern Munich

Written by
Mark Bernardo
Hublot's Jean-Claude Biver with FC Bayern Munich jerseyThere is probably no greater soccer fan than Hublot chairman Jean-Claude Biver, and the brand has reflected it: in 2011 it introduced the King Power Red Devil Manchester United, a limited-edition collaboration with England’s world-famous Manchester United team. This year, Hublot takes its horological talents to Germany, producing another limited model for one of Man U’s European rivals, FC Bayern Munich.

FC Bayern Munich (the “FC” is for “football club”) is the most successful sports team in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 championship cups. It has partnered with Hublot not only to produce the watch — which is now on display in the heart of the legendary FC Bayern München sports club in Bavaria, the team’s home base — but to establish the brand as its official timekeeper.

The watch, called King Power FC Bayern Munich, was unveiled at the club in a ceremony attended by Biver and a number of FC Bayern luminaries such as Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, an executive board member of FC Bayern München AG; FC Bayern players, including Ribéry, Boateng, van Buyten, Luiz Gustavo, Can and the newly acquired Shaqiri and Pizarro; and selected representatives from the German and Swiss press.

Hublot's Jean-Claude Biver with FC Bayern Munich jersey

Hublot's Biver with FC Bayern Munich players

The King Power FC Bayern Munich, which is limited to 200 numbered pieces, has a 48-mm case in vertical satin-brushed titanium; the bezel is overmolded with black rubber and has six “H”-shaped titanium screws coated with black PVD. Like its predecessor, the Red Devil, it is an automatic chronograph with a distinctive 45-minute counter developed especially for timing a soccer match.

The sapphire crystal has a blue transferred minute scale and is treated on both sides with nonreflective coating. The case’s bezel lugs and lateral inserts are in black composite resin and the crown is in brushed titanium with a black rubber insert. The chronograph push-pieces are in black PVD titanium overmolded with black and red rubber.
The well-known blue-and-red color scheme of FC Bayern Munich is prevalent on the crystal dial, and the club’s transferred logo is at 3 ‘clock. The ruthenium-coated indices are  treated with white Super-LumiNova, and the brushed black nickel-coated hands have red Super-LumiNova. The date is in a window at 4 o’clock.
Hublot’s skeletonized Caliber HUB4245, visible through the dial, beats at a frequency of 28,800 vph (4 Hz) and has a power reserve of 42 hours. The titanium caseback has a sapphire window and the case is water-resistant to 100 meters. The watch is attached to a black rubber strap with a red stripe, which has a clasp made of micro-blasted black-PVD titanium. The U.S. retail price for the King Power FC Bayern Munich is $22,900. (Click on watch photos to enlarge the images.)

Hublot King Power FC Bayern Munich front

Hublot King Power FC Bayern Munich profile

The King Power FC Bayern Munich joins Hublot’s growing roster of watches inspired by sports and athletes, including models developed with NBA star Dwyane Wade and his team, the Miami Heat, Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt, and the British Formula 1 Grand Prix.

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