Novak Djokovic and Hublot's Very First Collaborative Watch Is Finally Here
StyleThe tennis ace teams up with one of the industry's greatest disruptors to create the new lightweight Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic made out of his rackets.By Mike ChristensenNovember 20, 2024Alex TeuscherSave this storySaveSave this storySaveNovak Djokovic is the last man standing. Not only will he forever have more grand slam titles than tennis legends Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, he’s also outlasted them all on the court. Now he has set his sights on nabbing another record, this time from Nadal. It’s not his number of French Open grand slams because that’s unattainable—rather it's horology related. Djokovic fancies challenging the Spaniard in the lightweight watches stakes.Today, Djokovic takes his relationship with Hublot, the watch brand he signed with in 2021, to the next level. That’s right, the 37-year-old tennis star and the so-called jokers of the watch world have created a special 42mm Big Bang Unico in honor of Djokovic that’s super lightweight and part-made out of the Serbian’s tennis rackets, among other things.Alex Teuscher“This limited-edition watch was a long time in the making,” Djokovic writes to me via email. “I could not wait to have this special piece on my wrist, let alone meet a few of those who will also be lucky enough to get it.”For Djokovic, having a watch that’s light enough to be a part of his gear on and off the court has always been a dream of his. And at 49.5 grams, this watch achieves that. “Hublot, masters of creating innovative materials, created a unique composite by recycling my HEAD racquets and Lacoste polos from my 2023 grand slam winning season to create it,” he adds, neither confirming nor denying whether the kit in question was washed or not.Launched in Paris Wednesday evening by Hublot’s new CEO Julien Tornare at a special event, both sides of the net hope it will be the first of many projects to collaborate on.Alex TeuscherAlex TeuscherAlex Teuscher“It's a very cool approach to up-cycle his rackets and outfits. The watch is super light and there are a lot of talking points,” Tornare tells me the week before the launch. “Over the last few weeks [since joining Hublot], I've been thinking about new ideas that I want to share with Novak and see how we can build the future together. He's the greatest player of all time from a results point of view so we have to think about how we can celebrate his career achievements.”For Djovokic, he’s game to see how the partnership can evolve, but is also wary of Tornare’s reputation on the tennis court. “Julien and I are yet to cross tennis paths but I’ve heard I will have quite a challenge in him,” he jokes.Delving deeper into the design and craftsmanship necessary to create a watch that actually functions when playing tennis, like Nadal and his RM 27-05, it needs to be as lightweight as it is robust. Admittedly less expensive than most Richard Mille watches (Djokovic's costs $52,700), this Hublot has a long way to go to come close to Richard Mille’s record of 11 grams light. Boasting 72 hours of power reserve, for this Unico movement Hublot’s R&D team subbed out brass for aluminum (reducing the weight by 27 percent) and mixed the same material into the Epoxy resin case to ensure it’s lighter than a tennis ball and stronger overall. Both the second pusher and bezel screws resemble tennis balls—the former even sharing that particular shade of yellow. Djokovic's logo is visible on the movement's oscillating weight and the watch comes with four straps, our favorite being the blue elastic one.Alex TeuscherAlex TeuscherAlex Teuscher“If you play tennis, you know that the main constraint is weight and feeling annoyed by having something on your wrist,” says Tornare. “And on the brand side, it's how resistant and resilient the watch is because of all the shocks. Imagine when those guys are hitting the ball, the movement, any watch in the world is not made for that kind of shock. So we have to comply with both sides. Will [Novak wear it], or will he not? I don't know yet. It's more about honoring and celebrating his achievement.”Alex TeuscherMost PopularGQ Recommends15 Pairs of Weird and Unusual Jeans for Weird and Unusual MenBy Louis CheslawGQ RecommendsThe Best Jewelry Under $150 Is an Ice-Cold StealBy Michael NolledoSales (Style)Banana Republic's Latest Sale Is Comfort Food for Your ClosetBy Reed NelsonWhile Tornare was not on board the Hublot ship for the inception of this Novak Djokovic limited edition (there are only 100 pieces), it’s in keeping with where he plans to take the brand. “Hublot is a brand that I always kept an eye on, because I always thought it's a very interesting and different animal within the watch industry,” Tornare tells me. “My new touch if you want is continuing to elevate the brand in terms of pure watchmaking, movements, complications, and the level of finishing. Because, just like this Novak piece, I strongly believe this is the heart of what you buy when you buy a watch. It has to be
Novak Djokovic is the last man standing. Not only will he forever have more grand slam titles than tennis legends Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, he’s also outlasted them all on the court. Now he has set his sights on nabbing another record, this time from Nadal. It’s not his number of French Open grand slams because that’s unattainable—rather it's horology related. Djokovic fancies challenging the Spaniard in the lightweight watches stakes.
Today, Djokovic takes his relationship with Hublot, the watch brand he signed with in 2021, to the next level. That’s right, the 37-year-old tennis star and the so-called jokers of the watch world have created a special 42mm Big Bang Unico in honor of Djokovic that’s super lightweight and part-made out of the Serbian’s tennis rackets, among other things.
“This limited-edition watch was a long time in the making,” Djokovic writes to me via email. “I could not wait to have this special piece on my wrist, let alone meet a few of those who will also be lucky enough to get it.”
For Djokovic, having a watch that’s light enough to be a part of his gear on and off the court has always been a dream of his. And at 49.5 grams, this watch achieves that. “Hublot, masters of creating innovative materials, created a unique composite by recycling my HEAD racquets and Lacoste polos from my 2023 grand slam winning season to create it,” he adds, neither confirming nor denying whether the kit in question was washed or not.
Launched in Paris Wednesday evening by Hublot’s new CEO Julien Tornare at a special event, both sides of the net hope it will be the first of many projects to collaborate on.
“It's a very cool approach to up-cycle his rackets and outfits. The watch is super light and there are a lot of talking points,” Tornare tells me the week before the launch. “Over the last few weeks [since joining Hublot], I've been thinking about new ideas that I want to share with Novak and see how we can build the future together. He's the greatest player of all time from a results point of view so we have to think about how we can celebrate his career achievements.”
For Djovokic, he’s game to see how the partnership can evolve, but is also wary of Tornare’s reputation on the tennis court. “Julien and I are yet to cross tennis paths but I’ve heard I will have quite a challenge in him,” he jokes.
Delving deeper into the design and craftsmanship necessary to create a watch that actually functions when playing tennis, like Nadal and his RM 27-05, it needs to be as lightweight as it is robust. Admittedly less expensive than most Richard Mille watches (Djokovic's costs $52,700), this Hublot has a long way to go to come close to Richard Mille’s record of 11 grams light. Boasting 72 hours of power reserve, for this Unico movement Hublot’s R&D team subbed out brass for aluminum (reducing the weight by 27 percent) and mixed the same material into the Epoxy resin case to ensure it’s lighter than a tennis ball and stronger overall. Both the second pusher and bezel screws resemble tennis balls—the former even sharing that particular shade of yellow. Djokovic's logo is visible on the movement's oscillating weight and the watch comes with four straps, our favorite being the blue elastic one.
“If you play tennis, you know that the main constraint is weight and feeling annoyed by having something on your wrist,” says Tornare. “And on the brand side, it's how resistant and resilient the watch is because of all the shocks. Imagine when those guys are hitting the ball, the movement, any watch in the world is not made for that kind of shock. So we have to comply with both sides. Will [Novak wear it], or will he not? I don't know yet. It's more about honoring and celebrating his achievement.”
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While Tornare was not on board the Hublot ship for the inception of this Novak Djokovic limited edition (there are only 100 pieces), it’s in keeping with where he plans to take the brand. “Hublot is a brand that I always kept an eye on, because I always thought it's a very interesting and different animal within the watch industry,” Tornare tells me. “My new touch if you want is continuing to elevate the brand in terms of pure watchmaking, movements, complications, and the level of finishing. Because, just like this Novak piece, I strongly believe this is the heart of what you buy when you buy a watch. It has to be strong and impactful and play around the craziness of the brand and the innovation of the brand. I don't want to repeat anything we've done, but re-inspire them, re-inspire the brand thanks to this kind of thing.”
And from Djokovic’s perspective, he may not know what the future holds—in tennis or in his newfound hobby of co-designing watches, but when he does eventually decide to call time on his tennis career, he’s open to all opportunities.
“When we were in the Hublot factory in Nyon, I was quite curious to try to work on watch mechanics and see for myself firsthand why it takes such a long time to make a watch,” Djokovic tells me. “I was very confident I would have good hand-eye coordination given that I’m an athlete and all… but some of the pieces are so tiny I couldn’t even see them. I was sweating big time just trying to screw and unscrew the watch case, so it is safe to say that the world won’t remember me for my skills as a watchmaker.”
This story originally appeared on British GQ.
