Polo helmets, jerseys, and mallets, oh my! October 5, 2024 saw the return of the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic to Los Angeles at Will Rogers State Park, and it had everything you could wish for on a Saturday afternoon: sunshine, sport, champagne, and of course, watches. Hublot has served as the Official Timekeeper and scoreboard sponsor of the equestrian event for the better part of a decade, and the newly released Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic is the latest limited-edition watch from the brand to commemorate that status.
It’s hard for the modern Angeleno to imagine, but Los Angeles was once dotted with polo fields during the golden age of Hollywood in the 1920s and ’30s. Around 25 such fields existed within county limits, where luminaries of the entertainment industry like Spencer Tracy, Walt Disney, and Clark Gable would test their prowess at “the game of kings,” with polo matches drawing attendees by the thousands. Will Rogers built a polo field on his ranch property in Pacific Palisades during that time, which was later donated to the state of California upon his death. Today, Will Rogers State Park is the last public grass polo field remaining in Los Angeles County and is one of two locations in the U.S. where the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic has been held annually since 2010 (the other location being Liberty State Park in New York).
Hublot loves a good partnership, and it’s only natural that one should exist with its LVMH sister brand, Veuve Clicquot. The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic is the sixth collaboration watch between Hublot and the famed Champagne maison. It follows in the steps of its forebears with a dark gray aesthetic, punctuated by a splash of iconic Veuve Clicquot Yellow. And the color is properly iconic: This specific shade has been used by Veuve Clicquot since 1876 and is both trademarked and has its own Pantone number (137 C for the color scientists at home), though it skews more orange than a traditional yellow.
The tonneau-shaped silhouette of the core collection Spirit of Big Bang is rendered here in a matte black frosted carbon, with flecks of white appearing as painterly brushstrokes throughout the case. The only exceptions are the mid-case flanks, which curiously remain a solid black. The watch measures 42mm wide and wears quite comfortably due to the gentle curving of the oblong case as well as the minimal overall weight as to be expected from a forged carbon construction.
Inside the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic sits the Hublot Cal. HUB4700 automatic chronograph movement, which is essentially a Zenith El Primero movement modified to accommodate the skeletonized elements of the dial. The caliber operates at the classic El Primero frequency of 5Hz, or 36,000bph, with 50 hours of power reserve. The anthracite dial is openworked, with polished applied hour markers and a color-matched handset — the vibrant yellow-orange chronograph seconds hand notwithstanding, of course. Unfortunately, while that single punch of color is the most easily readable part of the watch, the main hour and minute hands tend to get lost among the other dial elements. The easiest solution would have been for the entire handset to be done in Veuve Clicquot Yellow as Hublot did for last year’s Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic watch. Not only does the contrast of the yellow-orange hue against a dark background improve legibility ten-fold, but it’s also wildly fun. Thankfully, the vivid accents continue on through to the two available black rubber strap options: one with orange alligator and black stitching, and the other with black alligator and orange stitching. Both are fitted with a black ceramic and titanium deployant clasp to complete the look.
The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic is limited to 30 pieces, and each watch is individually numbered and engraved to denote its special edition status. The Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic logo is also printed on the sapphire crystal of the caseback, just in case there was any confusion as to the watch’s affiliation when opening up the unmistakably branded Veuve Clicquot presentation box.
It’s still a breezy, convivial atmosphere at Will Rogers State Park as the sun slowly trots toward the horizon and the friendly exhibition polo match comes to a close. Even though the visitors bested the home team by a score of 9-7, it’s all smiles as a giant bottle of Veuve is brought out, popped, and inevitably sprayed around to wrap up the day’s events. It’s a fun, fitting cap to this annual ode to polo, and exactly the energy that the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic is meant to celebrate.
The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic is available as a US-exclusive limited edition of 30 pieces, and pricing is $33,600 USD. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.
