Hublot brand ambassador and all-around nice guy Usain Bolt just got his first limited edition watch. Usain Bolt is the fastest recorded runner and is often affectionately referred to as the “fastest man in the world”. Actually he is not from Africa but rather Jamaica. A little while ago (before this watch was released) I got a chance to interview him. I actually asked him some questions about what a limited edition Hublot watch for him might look like. Let’s see if his answers match up to the result.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRu4hr-Z4tA]
Inherently there isn’t much new here because this is your standard King Power Chronograph watch. I discuss it because I think Usain is pretty cool and it is interesting to see many of the “reasons” for Hublot limited edition watches. What is different are the little touches that make it special for Mr. Bolt. What a damn good last name for a champion runner right? I’ve always thought that. According to Hublot, the strap is made from “exactly the same leather as the shoes he wore when he broke the world record in Beijing in 2008”. To be honest I am not sure what that means. Is it leather from the exact same pair of shoes… or the same kind of shoes? The piece is a limited edition of 250 watches – so I have a feeling that more than one pair of shoes was sacrificed in the making of this collection.
The watch case is 48mm wide in black ceramic. The gold tone is mixed with a dash of green in honor of the Jamaican flag, and are actually a product of using a 2N gold powder coating on the strap and flange ring. In the subsidiary seconds dial is a silhouette of Usain’s signature pose. The best part is that it looks good on his wrist, and if you are a tall Jamaican Olympic runner it might look good on your wrist as well. Again, Hublot will make 250 pieces of the limited edition King Power Usain Bolt watch.
Tech specs from Hublot:
KING POWER USAIN BOLT
Reference: 703.CI.1129.NR.USB12
Series 250 pieces numbered from 01/250 to 250/250
Case: “King Power” – Diameter 48 mm in micro-blasted black ceramic
Bezel: Black ceramic, 6 black PVD H-shaped relief titanium screws
Crystal: Sapphire with grey minute track transfer, Interior/exterior anti-reflective coating
Bezel Lugs: Black composite resin
Lateral inserts: Black composite resin
Case-back: Micro-blasted black ceramic, Silhouette of Usain Bolt on sapphire case-back
Crown: Black PVD titanium with black rubber insert
Push-pieces: Black PVD titanium with black rubber inserts
Screws: Black PVD titanium
Water resistance: 10 ATM or approximately 100 metres
Dial Matt: black, circular satin-finished flange with 2N gold coating, Satin-finished and black nickel-coated indexes with black SuperLuminova™, Transfer of Usain Bolt’s silhouette in meteor grey at 9 o’clock and 2N gold powder Hublot logo
Hands: Satin-finished and black nickel-coated with black SuperLuminova™
Movement: Calibre HUB4100
Mechanical: chronograph with automatic winding and central seconds hand. Small seconds at 9 o’clock
No. of components 252
Jewels: 27
Date: Date window at 4.30
Power reserve Approximately 42 hours
Strap: Adjustable in black rubber, Made from the same gold-coloured synthetic leather as Usain Bolt’s shoes.
Clasp: King Power folding buckle in black micro-blasted PVD titanium
Micro-blasted black ceramic decorative plate