In just 37 days from now, the world will witness probably the greatest event after the Olympics. Arguably, one of the world’s most popular sport, that is not only watched but played by millions, Football is a religion, a holy book for many. It becomes imperative for more and more brands to become associated with a sport that is able to gather huge footfalls and much more eyeballs at the same time. Hublot has always been the official timekeeper not only for Premier League but also for UEFA Champions League. In 2018, Hublot showcased its first connected smartwatch -  the Big Bang Referee 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. Now. Taking its association for the fourth edition, Hublot has made a grand announcement with the second instalment of its connected watch series – Big Bang E FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 (Ref. 450.CI.1100.RX.FWC22), a 1,000 piece, 44mm black ceramic smartwatch. This watch will be donned by 129 match referees to time the game on their wrists for all 64 games, which also includes the final that would be held on the 18th of December at Lusail stadium, Doha.

The Swiss luxury watchmaker has had a long and fruitful association with football - not only is it the official timekeeper of the World Cup, but also for the Premier League and UEFA Champions League. And this new smartwatch is geared to be one dedicated entirely to the sport. On the outer edge of the dial, the watch has a scale that is divided into five sections that indicate the first, second half of the match, additional time in each half and half time. In case a player scores a goal, there will be an event animation that would mention a player’s name, along with that a football symbol will appear on the minute mark. This would also be replicated in case of a red or a yellow card scenario.

The smartwatch will automatically switch into extra time mode in case the match goes beyond the speculated time and then into shootout mode in case of penalty shootout. The watch will then display a red or a green outline to mark the success or a failure of a goal. The referee can also replay any of the events by using the crown at 3 o’clock. If the watch has been inactive for 5 or more then 5 seconds, then it will switch to ‘low consumption mode’ to save battery. Before the tournament, the Big Bang E FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will go into the countdown mode and this will go on till the opening match on 20th November between Qatar and Ecuador and will also keep a track of the days left. Before 15 minutes of the first whistle, the watch will display player profiles and also the team line-ups. Another feature of the watch is that as the game begins, the watch will turn to ‘match mode’ and thus activate ‘timeline’. This will help fans capture the best moments during the game.