Cut For Time: Hockey’s “Great Eight” Hublot, Richard Mille And Ferrari, And Montblanc’s New Creative Director

Montblanc CEO Nicolas Baretzki announced the appointment of Marco Tomasetta as Montblanc’s new creative director. A veteran of luxury designer brands, Tomasetta brings years of design experience to the brand. His background in fine leather goods includes stints at Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Chloé. With alma maters like these, he’s bound to bring a strong luxury design sense to Montblanc.
 

“[Marco Tomasetta] understands the importance of overarching brand themes across all Montblanc categories,” Baretzki said in a statement. “Even though our iconic emblem will remain at the heart of everything we do, we are committed to further breaking boundaries when designing products that appeal to both existing and new clients, meeting their shifting lifestyles and needs.” 

Alexander Ovechkin, captain of the Washington Nationals, has added another feather to his hockey helmet. The Russia-born Ovechkin, also known as The Great Eight (for his jersey number), is widely referred to as the greatest hockey player of his generation.

And on February 18th, Hublot unveiled a new watch dedicated to the legend: the limited edition Big Bang Unico Red Carbon Alex Ovechkin. Red was a natural color choice for Ovechkin’s timepiece. It’s the Capitals’ team color and the one of the colors on the Russian flag. In addition to its red Velcro strap, the watch’s red accents are made of micro-glass fibers that further strengthen the case’s composite material. 
 

“To work with my favorite watch brand and design a watch, as well as have it named after me, is a huge honor,” said Ovechkin. “When Hublot asked which model we should work on together, it one hundred percent had to be the Big Bang Unico. I love this watch. It’s bold, technical, innovative, daring, strong, and fits perfectly on my wrist.”
 

“We love working with Ovi! He’s a winner, both on and off the ice,” said Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot. “It’s been a huge pleasure creating this special watch with him. The carbon fiber, the red, the In-house UNICO mechanical movement, the fusion of materials – it’s the perfect expression of Hublot’s bold watchmaking philosophy and of our partnership. Thank you, Ovi!”
 

Its in-house UNICO chronograph movement has a power reserve of 78 hours. That’s long enough to get through a hockey game, even with tiebreakers. Although with Ovechkin on the ice, this probably doesn’t happen too often. Limited to 100 pieces, this watch is priced at $26,200.

Ferrari and Richard Mille, two of the most mechanically sophisticated, high-performance, ultra-luxury brands in the world, are joining forces. From Formula 1 to the Competizioni GT and the emerging Esports category, Mille will be there every step of the way. The Ferrari Driver Academy will also benefit from the brands’ connection. 
 

“This meeting of the minds is based on shared values,” Richard Mille said in a statement. “Both brands forge their inspiration in the white heat of technology, combining age-old know-how with state-of-the-art innovation and passion.”

The burning question for collectors is when Richard Mille will introduce watches celebrating the partnership. According to the watch brand, “The next few years will see the development of a specific range of watches through the close collaboration of our dedicated team and in Switzerland and Ferrari’s design department.”

Hopefully, the wait won’t be too long.

Chronoswiss has been a pioneer of skeletonized movements for more than 25 years. After all, Chronoswiss was one of the first brands that employed the pantograph technique for carving excess metal from its movements with exacting precision. 

And the new Opus Chronograph Flag builds on the brand’s expertise with a new galvanic black finish on its bridges. But why is it called the flag? 
 

The watch features accents in the colors red, white, and blue, which are widely used in national flags around the world. Twenty sovereign nations have red, white, and blue flags, including Australia, France, Nepal, the United Kingdom, Chile, Thailand, the Czech Republic, and, of course, the United States.
 

Some of the watch’s other features include new, shorter lugs for the wearer’s comfort and its distinctive onion crown. The 41mm timepiece is equipped with a self-winding movement and a power reserve of 46 hours.