After 4 years, the time has finally come again and the Football World Cup is starting a new round. Since June 14, the 21st edition of the tournament has once again featured the coveted trophy. Whether Germany can actually defend its title remains questionable. This time the whole spectacle takes place in Russia, where the national team will do everything to win the 5th star. The decision on the venue was already heatedly discussed and criticised in advance. But let’s take a look at the really important things outside the political debates – which watch brands and special models are presented to us outside the field and what is in order this year when it comes to smart wrists? In the following we present the highlights that play a decisive role for the World Cup and test the trends of the season.
All Eyes on Putin: Russia’s president is a real watch fan
Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is of course also present at the international event of the year in Russia. But did you know that the controversial politician is a real watch lover? A few years ago he already triggered an extraordinary fashion wave when he wore his timepiece on his right arm instead of his left. He gave a clear statement: “Wear your jewellery individually as you like!” But the action was certainly not the result of a spontaneous mood. Since Putin has been in the public eye for a long time, he is certainly fully aware of the attention that is being paid to him. The 66-year-old always surprises his fans with such small style peculiarities and offers something new to the curious glances. At the same time, he skillfully focuses even more on his luxury accessories and thus reaps even more envy and admiration for his special pieces, as well as his extremely high assets, which they suggest. Putin is considered the leader of the Russian elite when it comes to luxury watches. The total value of his personal collection is now estimated at over half a million euros. In view of its official annual salary of “only” 150,000 euros, this is a not to be neglected sum, which has already led to the astonishment of some opponents. How rich the Russian president actually is, however, is unknown. However, its total assets are estimated at between USD 40 and 70 billion. In 2012 a 33-page report on his alleged riches was produced, including a list of his eleven(!) luxury watches. With Putin’s financial situation, however, it is hardly surprising that his watch collection has now reached a considerable size, including a turbograph by A. Lange & Söhne, a Blancpain Aqua Lung Grande Date and a Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar. These each have a value of between 25,000 and 80,000 euros. Well, jealous?
If you look at the collections of other politicians, however, Putin’s seems relatively classic, and for some watch lovers even boring. But nobody would complain about a gift model to suit his taste – Putin is known for making his faithful friends happy with an elegant watch model. With its preference for classic, high-quality timepieces that never go out of fashion, this is guaranteed to go down well with the recipient. Vladimir Putin remains on the safe side when it comes to watch selection and thus scores with style certainty, but knows how to stage his classics – you should also check it out for the coming season in order to arrive with your look!
Hummels wears TAG HEUER
Central defender Mats Hummels has been TAG Heuer’s brand ambassador for several years. It comes as no surprise that the Swiss luxury brand has chosen the footballer – the company is the first official timekeeper and the first official watch of the Premier League, as well as the US national team and Major League Soccer. And that fits, because precision, robustness and finesse are extremely important in this popular ball sport. Things that TAG Heuer also places great value on in its timepieces. Some models of the brand are also visually inspired by football, for example the Connected Modular. No wonder Mats likes to be seen with a TAG Heuer on his arm, because this luxurious accessory skilfully reflects his great passion for the sport.
The innovation of the year: Swiss luxury Smart Watch on the advance
IWC Schaffhausen had secured the wrists of Jogi Löw and the rest of the trainer’s bench for the 2016 European Championship to present their latest models to the world. Not a bad decision, because the range through the sports event is huge.
This is what Hublot, the Swiss company with a long tradition, thought this year and became the official sponsor of the World Cup. The product developers were inspired to create a very special watch for the competition: The Smartwatch “Big Bang Referee 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia”, which is limited to only 2,018 pieces. With a price of around 5,200 US dollars, it is not a bargain, but for a model from Hublot it is quite cheap and always worth its money. This watch has a lot to offer!
Instead of the dial, the Big Bang Referee offers an AMOLED display with a resolution of 400 x 400 pixels for ideal reading. The watch comes with the Wear OS operating system from Google and the particularly powerful Intel’s Atom Z34XX processor. It was not without reason that TAG Heuer used this processor in a Smartwatch in 2017, as the chip series was originally developed for smartphones and tablets. Bluetooth 4.1 and a WLAN chip are also integrated. The battery should also last a whole day on average use. This Smartwatch is a real powerhouse!
But the official 2018 World Cup watch has even more to offer. Hublot has provided the Big Bang Referee software with flag designs to match the event. The bracelets can also be purchased in the matching national colours in order to wrap the Smartwatch in the perfect World Cup design, depending on the individual favourite team. In addition, the clock offers some cool extra features, including a countdown to the competition and Tor messages. Hublot has also equipped all referees of the World Cup with a very special version of the Big Bang Referee: this is connected to the systems for goal recognition in the stadiums and notifies the “impartial” in good time of every goal scored. According to Hublot, the feature was put through its paces during last year’s Confederations Cup. The Big Bang Referee can only be purchased in Hublot stores, the official sales launch of the sensational WM-Smartwatch was already scheduled for May 1.
This post is also available in: German