Celebrating the career of Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic, Hublot has gone to astonishing lengths to infuse the Big Bang Tourbillon Novak Djokovic GOAT Edition with clever and amusing tennis-related touches. From the case material to the shape of the tennis ball-inspired screw heads, few details were overlooked, making it a worthy tribute to the 24-time Grand Slam champion considered by many to be the greatest of all time.

Available in three different colours, each inspired by a different tennis surface, the Big Bang GOAT is not (yet) a limited edition, since production volume is tied directly to the number of wins Mr Djokovic racks up on each surface. Today that number stands at 101 across all three versions, but this will probably increase little by little until his retirement.

Initial thoughts

Many large luxury brands maintain a stable of superstar athletes as ambassadors, and most also produce limited edition watches in their names. This practice has been around long enough to seem commonplace, but few brands have taken to the task with the ambition and creativity evident in the Big Bang GOAT. While the watch will naturally appeal most to deep-pocketed fans of Novak Djokovic, the tennis theme is fairly subtle, at least on the front. In other words, it’s a good looking watch in its own right, and might also appeal to fans of Hublot with only a passing interest in tennis.

The 44 mm Big Bang case is a blend of advanced composites, some infused with the tennis star’s own polo shirts and tennis racquets, and annodised aluminium elements including the familiar wings on either side of the case and the buckle for the strap. Overall it’s a bold look befitting a watch like this from Hublot that sits near the top of the brand’s range.

The Big Bang GOAT is powered by a unique version of the HUB6035 that powers other automatic tourbillons in the Big Bang collection. Aesthetically, however, it departs significantly from other movements in Hublot’s arsenal, with a laser-engraved open-worked mainplate styled like the strings of a tennis racquet. In this respect the design of the movement is similar to that of the Richard Mille RM 27-04, made for the brand’s own tennis ambassador Rafael Nadal.

But unlike the movement in the RM 27-04, which is secured within the case with the aid of braided steel wire that is looped in and out of the bezel, the stylised mainplate of the HUB6035 is machined from a single block.

The simplified construction is a reasonable enough concession given the vast different in price between the two watches; the RM 27-04 debuted in 2020 with a retail price around US$1 million, which is an order of magnitude higher than the CHF100,000 that Hublot is charging for the Big Bang GOAT.

The shirt off his back

The 44 mm composite case of the Big Bang GOAT is available in three different colours, with production pegged to the illustrious career of the Serbian star. The blue edition is naturally the most numerous, since throughout his career Mr Djokovic has been dominant on hard courts with 72 wins. His 21 clay court victories will make the orange variant a little more unusual, and his 8 wins on grass make the green livery the rarest of the trio.

Regardless of colour, the marbled appearance of the bezel and case cladding is due to the unique composite material made using upcycled Lacoste polo shirts from Mr Djokovic, along with a dozen of his Head racquets. Evidently each polo shirt contains enough material to colour a handful of cases, so in total the project consumed 12 blue shirts, 4 in orange, and 2 in green.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because Hublot used the same proprietary material once before for another Djokovic limited edition. The shirts and racquets are processed together with quartz powder and carbon fibre in an epoxy resin, making the pattern of each component distinct from the next. The bezel and cladding are bolted to a case ring made from Titaplast, which is billed as the world’s strongest polymer, capable of being machined to fine tolerances. It also takes well to colour, which makes it a versatile material for a brand like Hublot.

The case components are all quite light, including the Gorilla Glass crystals front and back, so the entire watch weights just 56 g. While that’s nearly double the weight of the RM 27-04, it’s still lighter than a regulation tennis ball.

A high-strung movement

The HUB6035 movement has been used previously in watches like the Big Bang Samuel Ross, but the racquet-like design differentiates the version used in the Big Bang GOAT. What at first glance appears to be a lattice of interwoven strings 0.55 mm in diameter is actually a single plate cleverly open-worked to resemble a tennis racquet. The open design reveals the full going train as well as the mainspring barrel, coloured and styled like a tennis ball.

Each apparent string is laser-engraved to replicate the braided look of real racquet strings, and coloured with a PVD coating thin enough to reveal the delicate texture. It’s an impressively realistic look, complete with uneven spacing between strings, that underscores the advanced state of manufacturing in the Swiss watch industry. Though arguably less impressive than the strung construction of the RM 27-04, the HUB6035 captures much of the look for a tenth the price.

The movement is wound automatically thanks to a 22k rose gold micro-rotor, attractively open-worked to reveal the Hublot wordmark. The rotor itself is rhodium plated to blend in with the contemporary design, but the precious material is a discreet nod to Mr Djokovic’s gold medal from the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Interestingly, what at first appears to be a flying tourbillon at six o’clock is actually a standard tourbillon, supported by an upper bridge made of sapphire crystal.

Compared to the work that has evidently gone into the rest of the case and movement, the annodised aluminium tourbillon cage contains a relatively pedestrian oscillator adjusted by means of an Etachron-style regulator. In fairness, that’s not a significant mark against a design-oriented watch like this and most buyers probably won’t mind.

Key facts and price

Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Novak Djokovic GOAT Edition
Ref. 429.QKB.0120.NR.DJO26 (blue)
Ref. 429.QKO.0120.NR.DJO26 (orange)
Ref. 429.QKG.0120.NR.DJO26 (green)

Diameter: 44 mm
Height: 14.4 mm
Material: Composite
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: HUB6035
Functions: Hours, minutes, flying tourbillon
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 21,600 beats per second (3 Hz)
Power reserve: 72 hours

Strap: Leather strap with aluminium buckle, with additional white rubber strap included

Limited edition: 101 pieces at launch (72 in blue, 21 in orange, 8 in green) with an additional piece added for each new title.
Availability: Now at Hublot boutiques and retailers
Price: CHF100,000 excluding taxes

For more, visit hublot.com.