Hublot Big Bang Reloaded UEFA Champions League Ref. 421.NL.5129.VR.UCL26
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Hublot Kicks Off the Champions League Season With a New Big Bang Reloaded

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  • Hublot kicks off the 2026/27 Champions League season with its eighth watch created through the UEFA partnership.
  • Champions League blue meets a 44mm titanium Big Bang, with blue ceramic, a skeleton dial, and a star-covered leather-and-rubber strap.
  • The HUB1280 Unico flyback chronograph delivers around 72 hours of power reserve from its 354-component movement.
  • Only 100 pieces will be made worldwide, each accompanied by a miniature replica of the UEFA Champions League trophy.
  • Priced at USD $25,200, this is Champions League memorabilia for serious watch collectors.

The UEFA Champions League is ready for another season, and Hublot is marking the occasion the way it knows best — with a new Big Bang. Unveiled in Nyon as the league-phase draw set the stage for the 2026/27 campaign, the Big Bang Reloaded UEFA Champions League Titanium Ceramic celebrates Hublot’s eleven seasons as Official Watch of the competition, bringing together the Swiss watchmaker’s latest Big Bang design with the unmistakable blue and star-filled identity of European football’s biggest club tournament.

Hublot has built the new edition around a 44mm satin-finished and polished titanium case, pairing it with blue ceramic, a matte blue skeleton dial and its in-house HUB1280 Unico flyback chronograph movement. Only 100 examples are being produced, making this the eighth dedicated timepiece to emerge from Hublot’s UEFA Champions League partnership since it began in 2015.

Hublot Big Bang Reloaded UEFA Champions League Ref. 421.NL.5129.VR.UCL26
Hublot Big Bang Reloaded UEFA Champions League | Image: Hublot

The Big Bang Reloaded Gets Its Champions League Colours

The Champions League influence is immediately obvious without completely taking over the watch. The 44mm case is made from satin-finished and polished titanium, giving it the familiar industrial look of the Big Bang while keeping things relatively lightweight on the wrist. Hublot then brings the competition into the design through a bezel that combines polished titanium with blue ceramic, using the unmistakable blue that has become part of the Champions League identity.

That blue continues across the matte skeleton dial, where much of the HUB1280 Unico movement remains visible underneath rather than being hidden behind Champions League branding. Hublot has kept some of the smaller details fairly restrained too, placing its logo on the seconds hand, while the back of the watch gets a more obvious football connection with a satin-finished blue ceramic caseback and sapphire crystal carrying the UEFA Champions League logo.

The strap is where Hublot has had a little more fun with the theme, combining blue rubber with white calf leather printed with stars, finished with blue stitching and a titanium deployant buckle. The stars are an obvious nod to the competition’s famous starball, but they don’t overwhelm the rest of the design. It’s recognizably a Champions League watch when you know what you’re looking at, while still leaving enough of the Big Bang’s familiar character underneath.

Inside, the HUB1280 Unico Manufacture calibre gives the watch serious mechanical substance beyond its football connection. The self-winding flyback chronograph uses a column wheel, has 354 components, and offers about 72 hours of power reserve, with much of that mechanical work visible through the skeletonized dial and sapphire caseback. With 100 metres of water resistance, this isn’t simply a Champions League commemorative piece — underneath all the blue ceramic and star-filled details, it’s still very much a fully fledged Big Bang.

Hublot Big Bang Reloaded UEFA Champions League Ref. 421.NL.5129.VR.UCL26
Hublot Big Bang Reloaded UEFA Champions League | Image: Hublot

Eleven Seasons of Hublot and Champions League Football

Hublot has been the Official Watch of the UEFA Champions League since 2015, covering everything from the qualifying rounds through to the moment the trophy is lifted. Eleven seasons later, the partnership has produced eight dedicated watches, with this latest edition arriving just as another campaign gets underway.

“A new UEFA Champions League season begins, bringing with it the enduring desire to tell the story of those nights when anything can change. This Big Bang Reloaded embodies eleven years of partnership with Europe’s most-watched football competition. The blue of its dial, the star on its strap… every detail is a reminder that, when it comes to football, time is never merely counted – it is lived. Hublot Loves Football!” — Julien Tornare, Hublot CEO.

A nice connection between mechanical watchmaking and football is buried beneath all the branding, too. Few sports make individual seconds feel quite as important as football, particularly when a Champions League knockout match reaches stoppage time and an entire season can turn on one final attack. That’s the idea Hublot has continued to play with throughout the partnership: these watches aren’t simply commemorating the competition, but the moments when suddenly every second matters.

The presentation also plays into the collector angle. Each watch comes in a special box with a miniature replica of the trophy awarded to the Champions League winner and a hologram, while Hublot backs the watch with its “5+5” warranty programme, which can provide up to ten years of coverage.

Hublot Big Bang Reloaded UEFA Champions League Ref. 421.NL.5129.VR.UCL26
Hublot Big Bang Reloaded UEFA Champions League | Image: Hublot

Only 100 Watches for a New Champions League Season

The Big Bang Reloaded UEFA Champions League Titanium Ceramic arrives as the 2026/27 competition kicks off, and Hublot is keeping it appropriately exclusive. Production is limited to 100 pieces worldwide, and the watch will be available from August 27 through Hublot boutiques and the brand’s website. Hublot’s international site currently lists the watch at USD $25,200, firmly placing it in serious collector territory.

For those 100 owners, though, this is more than another blue Big Bang. It marks the beginning of Hublot’s eleventh season alongside the Champions League, combining the competition’s colours and star motif with one of the brand’s signature mechanical chronographs. By the time one club finally lifts the trophy at the end of the season, these watches will have followed the competition from the opening draw right through to its biggest night.

Hublot Big Bang Reloaded UEFA Champions League Ref. 421.NL.5129.VR.UCL26
Hublot Big Bang Reloaded UEFA Champions League Ref. 421.NL.5129.VR.UCL26 | Image: Hublot

Hublot Big Bang Reloaded UEFA Champions Specifications

  • Brand: Hublot
  • Model: Big Bang Reloaded UEFA Champions League
  • Reference: 421.NL.5129.VR.UCL26
  • Diameter: 44 mm
  • Thickness: 14.5 mm
  • Material: Titanium Ceramic
  • Dial: Matte Blue Skeleton
  • Straps: Blue rubber and white calf with printed stars with blue stitching
  • Calibre: HUB1280 UNICO Manufacture Self-Winding Flyback Chronograph
  • Power Reserve: 72 Hours
  • Water Resistance: 10 Bar (100 metres, 330 feet)
  • Price: USD $25,200 (Limited Edition – 100 Pieces)
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Patek Philippe’s First Stainless-Steel Perpetual Chronograph is Headed to Auction

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  • A stainless-steel Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 will headline Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo this November in Geneva.
  • The watch is one of just four known steel Ref. 1518 examples, widely regarded as the rarest configuration of this landmark reference.
  • The same piece set the watch world alight in 2016 when it achieved over CHF 11 million, becoming the first wristwatch to cross the eight-figure barrier at auction.
  • It will return to the rostrum as part of the Decade One (2015–2025) anniversary sale, carrying an estimate above CHF 8 million.

A stainless-steel Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph set for auction is more than just another highlight—it’s a historic event. This November, Phillips and Bacs & Russo will present a watch so rare that Phillips Deputy Chairman Alexandre Ghotbi stated it “belongs in the same conversation as a Ferrari 250 GTO or a Rothko.” That comparison says a lot about its significance. The watch in question is the historic Patek Philippe Ref. 1518, first introduced in the early 1940s during World War II. It was the first wristwatch to combine a perpetual calendar with a chronograph, a breakthrough that forever altered the world of complicated watchmaking.

What makes this watch unique is its material. Out of approximately 218 Ref. 1518 watches produced, nearly all were in yellow gold. Only four are known to be in stainless steel, and this is one of them. For Patek Philippe collectors, steel versions of complex models are nearly legendary, making ownership extremely rare. This November’s auction is not just about selling a rare watch—it signifies an important milestone in watchmaking history.

Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 1518 | Image: Phillips Auctions

The stainless-steel Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 returning to auction is not venturing into unfamiliar territory. This very piece already made history in 2016 when Phillips hammered it down for CHF 11 million, roughly USD $11 million at the time. The USD $17.8 million sale of Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239 a year later was one of the headline-grabbing results that followed, marking a pivotal moment in the modern watch auction scene. For many collectors, it was a unique period when authentic “unicorn” pieces appeared.

The same steel 1518 is expected to sell for between CHF 8 million and CHF 16 million this November as it returns to the auction block. Although high-end auctions can be unpredictable, that range broadly covers various outcomes. Still, the watch has a strong foundation due to its excellent condition, near-mythical rarity, and proven track record. Bidding at this level is influenced by both figures and legacy, as well as confidence. Once the auction room settles, the question will be how far someone is willing to go to acquire one of the rarest Patek Philippes ever made.

Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 1518 | Image: Phillips Auctions

Few watches hold the same level of significance as this stainless-steel Patek Philippe Ref. 1518. It is not just rare; it’s the kind of piece collectors talk about for years. Its previous appearance at auction shifted the market’s tone, and now, as it returns to the stage, there is a real sense that something important is about to happen again. But we’ll see how it goes in the upcoming days.

“Just four stainless-steel Patek Philippe reference 1518s are publicly known today. Each one is extraordinary. This is the one that captured the world’s attention in 2016,” said Aurel Bacs, senior consultant, Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo.

“It redefined the market and ushered in a new era in watch collecting. For seasoned collectors and newcomers alike, its return to auction marks a moment of rare opportunity – making it the perfect watch to headline our 10th anniversary auction in Geneva this November.”

Of the four known steel examples, this particular watch is thought to be the first one produced, which only adds to its significance. It will headline the Decade One (2015–2025) sale organized by Phillips in collaboration with Bacs & Russo, and it is estimated to fetch around CHF 8,000,000, roughly USD $10.5 million. In a market where prices can rise quickly once bidding starts, that figure might just be the beginning of what could turn into another historic moment.

Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 1518 | Image: Phillips Auctions
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