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Fever pitch!
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Fever pitch!

Wednesday, 08 June 2016
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Mathilde Binetruy
Freelance journalist

“And yet, it moves.”

Galilée

From the 1998 World Cup, her first big event, to SIHH and Baselworld today, she reports from where the action is.

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4 min read

From June 10th to July 10th, the planet will live and breathe football as Euro 2016 brings together dyed-in-the-wool supporters and new fans won over by the spirit of the game, especially now football has shaken off its downmarket image and is considered a culture in its own right. And who are watchmakers to disagree?

A crowd of supporters cheering a couple of happy kids… or so it seemed as Pelé and Maradona kicked off in Paris, on the eve of Euro 2016, for a friendly organised by Hublot. It’s certainly a sight to behold: a ref and two teams of football legends, all friends of the brand and coached by Pelé and Maradona in person. As Euro 2016 gets under way, the event captured the sporting sympathies of two categories of the population: the ones who’ve been kicking a ball since they were knee-high to a goalpost, and the ones who’ve just understood that Zlatan and Zidane are both “something beginning with Z”.

Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot CEO, and King Pelé, ambassador for the brand.
Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot CEO, and King Pelé, ambassador for the brand.

Being a soccer fan is no longer a guilty pleasure. In fact a fair share of the population has stopped looking down its nose at football. Rather, the beautiful game has become something of a curiosity, to be enjoyed in any number of different ways: patriotism, admiration for certain players, watching the match with mates down the pub… And now watchmakers have jumped on the bandwagon. Ever the pioneer, Hublot has had a finger in the football pie for over a decade. The decision by Jean-Claude Biver, then CEO of the brand, to put money into a mass sport has proved a profitable one. First partner to the Swiss team, the brand went on to become official timekeeper for the European Championship (Euro 2008). It then invaded the pitch, or rather the fourth referee’s boards, before going into extra time as official timekeeper for FIFA. What seemed like a gamble ten years ago is paying dividends. One by one, others have followed suit: TAG Heuer is putting its bets on Cristiano Ronaldo, Maurice Lacroix sponsors FC Barcelona, Breitling has had tie-ins with David Beckham, IWC is friends with Zinedine Zidane…

Breitling Transocean Chronograph Unitime
Breitling chose David Beckham as the face of its Transocean Chronograph Unitime.

Increasingly, football is proving its power for creating social bonds, as fashion’s interest in footie shows. Olivier Rousteing, creative director for Balmain and a PSG supporter since age 14, has reinterpreted football’s iconic style in an on-trend collection for everyday wear. Marketing has had its say too, transforming clubs into full-fledged brands and players into superstars. Football has come a long way since the days of knitted scarves and rattles.

Hublot Big Bang Unico Chronograph Retrograde UEFA Euro 2016.
Hublot Big Bang Unico Chronograph Retrograde UEFA Euro 2016.
Football for one and all

A competition such as Euro 2016 is therefore a fabulous advertising opportunity. Players’ faces on Coke bottles, stickers on sale at the local newsagent’s, football stadiums on French fry cones… brands large and small are rolling out their communication, and watchmaking is no exception as Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot which has released a special Big Bang Unico Retrograde Chronograph Euro, confirms: “Football appeals to the emotions, so it appeals to everyone.” Watchmakers’ skill lies in their ability to embody this shared passion.

Hublot Big Bang Unico Bi-Retrograde Paris Saint-Germain
PSG unveils the Hublot Big Bang Unico Bi-Retrograde Paris Saint-Germain.

One way to do this is to get footballing icons on your side. By picking Pelé and Maradona, Hublot embraces the legend of football to target those for whom the game has been a part of their life since childhood. People in the 40-70 age group associate football with charismatic personalities, the true soccer heroes. TAG Heuer, meanwhile, opts for the millennial image of Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, a social media superstar who in February became the first athlete to notch up more than 200 million followers. Personal messages and updates on his private life are most in demand, although the player knows how to use his enormous fanbase to promote his partners, and nets €230,000 for every promotional tweet. He appeals to today’s 15-25 year-olds who are tomorrow’s potential customers. The second most-followed athlete in the world, Lionel Messi boasts 122 million followers. A figure that should please Audemars Piguet: Messi wears one of the Royal Oak watches issued for the collection’s 40th anniversary.

Leo Messi and his Royal Oak Chronograph by Audemars Piguet.
Leo Messi and his Royal Oak Chronograph by Audemars Piguet.

Sometimes, players do the job for free. Watches, like cars, have become status symbols, and soccer stars have the means to buy these mechanical marvels, which they then show off to their friends. Favourite brands include Hublot, whose marketing strategy has clearly paid off, Audemars Piguet, Rolex, Richard Mille and TAG Heuer. This is probably where watchmaking’s greatest conquest lies, in a match every brand wants to win and where market share is scored on neutral turf, in the changing rooms.

Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Chronograph FC Barcelona.
Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Chronograph FC Barcelona.
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