Hublot fêted the opening of its New York City flagship location on 57th and Fith Avenue in Manhattan last month with the launch of two exclusive timepieces, in the presence of its brand Ambassadors Usain Bolt and living legend Pelé.
The new boutique, at the center of New York's premier luxury shopping district is designed by architect Peter Marino and is Hublot's largest retail location in the United States.
The design of the retail space is an extension of the brand's DNA of luxury and innovation combined with its Art of Fusion concept of unexpected combinations.
The dramatic new façade, lit with LEDs and faceted with powder coated black aluminum panels rise 21 metres above Fifth Avenue and is the brand's tallest in the world.
The boutique's décor reflects Hublot's use of unique materials, which maintains a prominent role in the brand's watchmaking design.
The 139 square metre interior, the brand's largest in the US, conveys a contemporary style, with black lava stone and wood floors, graphite-colored leather furnishings, glass and polished stainless steel fixtures, and high-tech innovations including "shadow-less" LCD vitrine windows, sophisticated yet unobtrusive lighting, a wall of monitors, and a "book" with virtual turning "pages", each showing a part of Hublot's history, in the main window on Fifth Avenue.
On the occasion, the Swiss manufacture unveiled its newest timepiece in honor of Usain Bolt, the Big Bang UNICO Usain Bolt, designed in collaboration with the Jamaican athlete.
The launch of the new watches is timely as Bolt heads to the Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro this summer.
The reigning Olympic champion in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, is the first man at the modern Olympic Games to win six gold medals in sprinting, and is an eleven-time World champion.
Widely regarded as the fastest person ever time, he was the first to achieve the "double double" of winning 100 m and 200 m titles at consecutive Olympics (2008 and 2012), and topped this through the first "double triple" with the wins in the 4×100m relays.
The timepiece is interpreted in both a bold yellow gold version and a ceramic version edition, and features a masculine and sporty design with gold and green hues, a nod to Usain Bolt's signature colors, and a strap embossed with the Jamaican flag to pay tribute to Usain’s home country.
The brand's in-house UNICO movement with flyback chronographic can accurately time any race, but this version alone has Usain’s signature "lightning bolt" as its second hand.
Each piece will be offered on a limited edition basis.
