Mariano Rivera and Hublot

Enter Sandman: A Chat With Yankees Legend Mariano Rivera About His New Hublot Limited Edition

Watchonista sits down with the 'Sandman' to talk about the new Hublot Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph Mariano Rivera. 

By Josh Shanks
Contributor

Last night in New York City, Hublot, and Mariano Rivera hosted an intimate dinner for friends of the brand. The occasion? The launch of the new Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph Mariano Rivera, a limited-edition timepiece made with design input from Rivera and T&R Jewelers from New Rochelle, NY.
 

The longtime Yankee closer and now Hall of Famer was on hand to toast to the new timepiece and meet the new owners of the watches, most of which were in attendance. The new limited edition of just 47 pieces also has the unique distinction of being completely SOLD OUT as of launch.
 

About Mariano Rivera

For even the most casual of baseball fans, Mariano Rivera (Mo) needs no introduction. The Panamanian relief pitcher played his entire 19 season career with the New York Yankees. Going on to win five World Series, participate in 13 All-Star games, and racked up a total of 652 saves. Mo is also the first ever player unanimously elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame.
 

As part of the Core Four, Mo played an important role in the Yankees dynasty that went on to win four world series in just five years. Comprised of Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera this group of Yankee legends cemented themselves as some of the best to ever wear the pinstripes.
 

As a Yankees fan, Mo's famous entrances to the mounds will be forever embedded in my brain, which is why it was so fitting that Hublot cranked Metallica's "Enter Sandman" when Rivera entered last night's event. Everyone started to experience the same chills as if Mo was about to close out another Yankees win.
 

The New Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph Mariano Rivera

The new Limited Edition timepiece was the brainchild of Rivera and his longtime New Rochelle based jeweler T&R. Rivera has been a long time client of the family-based business, and last year, T&R and Rivera convinced Hublot’s North American President Jean-François Sberro to produce this new timepiece. It was a labor of love which finally came to fruition at last night’s release party.
 

The new piece is based on Hublot’s Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph platform. Made in two editions, a 42-piece version in titanium (Mo's number as a Yankee), and a five-piece series produced in King gold. Each watch features a Yankees signature blue ceramic bezel and blue with white baseball glove-style stitching strap. Rivera's signature adorns the sapphire crystal caseback, and a unique diamond studded '42' can be found at 12 o'clock.
 

Each piece is powered by Hublot's HUB1155 automatic chronograph movement, which coincidentally features a 42-hour power reserve. Each watch will come in a special Mo themed display case, and each lucky owner will receive a signed baseball mitt. The new Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph Mariano Rivera is priced at $21,100 USD for the titanium version and $37,900 USD for King Gold. 
 

Interview with Mariano Rivera

Watchonista was lucky enough get some 1:1 time with The Sandman and we’re happy to bring you our discussion.
 

Josh Shanks: Hey Mo! A pleasure to meet you. I have to ask, what was your first nice watch? What’d you buy when you got that first nice paycheck from the Yankees.

Mariano Rivera: Oh man! Well, I've got some nice watches, but let's talk about Hublot!
 

JS: Ok, so how did your relationship with Hublot begin?

MR: The Yankees gave me a watch [a Hublot] when I got my 602nd save, which gave me the record. And since then, I fell in love with Hublot. And when I was talking to Tony from T&R Jewelers, he told me he might know a guy [Jean-François Sberro] which could put something together.
 

JS: So that’s how you got the limited edition started?

MR: Yea it was fantastic, I met Jean-François, he is a great guy, and right away he said, "we want to work on this!" And he did! We started working on it, and a few months later, we had some renderings and a few ideas of what we wanted to do. So we started tweaking things, and in the end, we got a beautiful watch.
 

JS: Timekeeping and rhythm probably went hand-in-hand during your playing career as well. How important is that?

MR: It's important in everything! You have to have time, rhythm, and momentum on your side. I think we have great momentum right now going into the Hall Of Fame month. We have to be creative and take advantage of everything we can.
 

JS: So, what are this year’s Yankees chances? (The team last won a World Series in 2009 during which Rivera played a huge role)

MR: For the amount of injuries that we've had, and we're still in first place is not bad at all. That says a lot. We have great chances. I always say, "It's up to us!" It's up to the Yankees, and up to the players to do a great job. They're showing us that they will do whatever it takes. The acquisition of [Edwin] Encarnacion is excellent. They're telling me, "Hey man. This is our year!"
 

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