The Football World Cup - Kick-off for the top watch brands

After 4 years, the time has finally come again and the football World Cup is starting a new round. Since June 14, the 21st edition of the tournament has once again seen the fight for the coveted trophy. It remains to be seen whether Germany can actually defend its title. This time The whole spectacle will take place in Russia, where the national team will do everything in its power to win the 5th star. The decision about the venue was already hotly debated and criticized in advance. But let's focus on the really important things away from the political debates - which watch brands and special models will we be presented off the field and what is in this year when it comes to beautiful wrists? In the following, we present the highlights that play a decisive role for the World Cup and take a look at the trends of the season on the Tooth.

All Eyes on Putin: Russia's President is a real watch fan

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is of course also taking part in the international event of the year in Russia. But did you know that the controversial politician is a real watch lover? A few years ago he triggered an extraordinary fashion wave when he wore his timepiece on his right arm instead of his left. In doing so, he made a clear statement: "Wear your jewelry individually as you like!" But the action certainly did not come about on a spontaneous whim. Since Putin has been in the public eye for a long time, he is certainly fully aware of the attention he receives. With such small style peculiarities, the 66-year-old always surprises his fans and offers curious glances something new. At the same time, he skillfully puts his luxury accessories even more in the spotlight and thus reaps even more envy and admiration for his special pieces, as well as his extremely high wealth, which they suggest. Putin is considered the leader of the Russian elite when it comes to luxury watches . The total value of his personal collection is now estimated at over half a million euros. Considering his official annual salary of "only" 150,000 euros, this is a not insignificant sum, which has already caused some opposition members to be astonished. How rich the Russian president really is is unknown. His total assets are, however, estimated at between 40 and 70 billion US dollars. In 2012, a 33-page report was drawn up on his alleged wealth, including a list of the eleven(!) luxury watches he already owned at the time. Given Putin's financial situation, it is hardly surprising that his watch collection has now reached a considerable size and includes a Turbograph by A. Lange & Söhne , a Blancpain Aqua Lung Grande Date and a Patek PhilippePerpetual Calendar . These are each worth between 25,000 and 80,000 euros. Jealous?

If you look at the collections of other politicians, Putin's seems relatively classic, and for some watch lovers, even boring. But no one would complain about a model that suits his taste as a gift - Putin is known for delighting his loyal friends with an elegant watch model. With his preference for classic, high-quality timepieces that never go out of fashion, this is guaranteed to always go down well with the recipient. Vladimir Putin therefore plays it safe when it comes to choosing watches and scores points with his sense of style, but knows how to put his classics in the spotlight.

Hummels wears Heuer this year

Central defender Mats Hummels has been a brand ambassador for TAG Heuer for a few years now. It's no surprise that the Swiss luxury brand is relying on the footballer - the company is the first official timekeeper and the first official watch of the Premier League, as well as the US national team and Major League Soccer. And that's fitting, because in this popular ball sport, precision, robustness and finesse are extremely important. Things that TAG Heuer also attaches great importance to in its timepieces. Some of the brand's models are also visually inspired by football, for example the Connected Modular . It's no wonder, then, that Mats likes to be seen with a TAG Heuer on his arm, because the luxurious accessory skilfully reflects his great passion for the sport.

The Innovation of the Year: Swiss Luxury Smartwatch on the Rise

For the 2016 European Championships , IWC Schaffhausen secured the wrists of Jogi Löw and the rest of the coaching staff in order to present their latest models to the world. Not a bad decision, as the reach of the sporting event is huge.

This is what the traditional Swiss company Hublot thought this year and became the official sponsor of the World Cup. The product developers were inspired to create a very special watch for the competition: the "Big Bang Referee 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" smartwatch, which is limited to just 2,018 pieces. With a price of around 5,200 US dollars, it's not exactly a bargain, but for a Hublot model it's quite affordable and well worth the money. This watch has a lot to offer!

Instead of a dial, the Big Bang Referee has an AMOLED display with a resolution of 400 x 400 pixels for ideal reading. The watch comes with Google's Wear OS operating system and the particularly powerful Intel Atom Z34XX processor. It's not without reason that TAG Heuer used this exact processor in a smartwatch back in 2017, as the chip series was originally developed for smartphones and tablets. Bluetooth 4.1 and a WiFi chip are also integrated. The battery should also last a whole day with average use. This smartwatch is a real powerhouse!

But the official watch of the 2018 World Cup has even more to offer. To match the event, Hublot has given the Big Bang Referee software flag designs. The straps can also be purchased in the appropriate country colors to give the smartwatch the perfect World Cup design, and can be customized to suit the favorite team. The watch also offers some cool extra functions, including a countdown to the competition and goal notifications. Incidentally, Hublot has equipped all of the World Cup referees with a very special version of the Big Bang Referee: this is connected to the goal detection systems in the stadiums and notifies the "referees" in good time about every goal scored. According to Hublot, the feature was already put through its paces during the Confederations Cup last year. The Big Bang Referee can only be purchased in Hublot stores, and the official sales launch of the sensational World Cup smartwatch was already scheduled for May 1st.

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