Footballer Theo Hernández spotted wearing a Hublot

Theo Hernández made headlines on the pitch at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, but the AC Milan defender was equally eye-catching off it. Ahead of France's run to their second consecutive World Cup final, Hernández was spotted wearing the Hublot Big Bang Unico Titanium Rainbow ref. 441.NX.1117.LR.0999 — a 45mm gem-set flyback chronograph that sits at the intersection of haute horlogerie and high jewellery.

The Big Bang Unico Titanium Rainbow is built around Hublot's manufacture calibre HUB1240, an in-house column-wheel flyback chronograph with a skeletonised architecture and a 72-hour power reserve. The movement is visible through the open-worked dial, where the technical layout competes for attention with the multicoloured stone setting. The case measures 45mm in grade 1 titanium — lightweight and corrosion-resistant — and is water-resistant to 100 metres. The rainbow effect is achieved through 176 precious stones pavé-set across the case flanks and lugs, while the bezel is set with 48 additional stones, each individually selected and graduated in colour to create the signature spectrum effect. It is painstaking, labour-intensive work.

The Rainbow concept first gained serious collector traction through Rolex's Daytona iterations, but Hublot's interpretation in the Big Bang family, introduced in the mid-2010s, carved out its own niche. The combination of a skeletonised flyback movement with full gem-setting is genuinely unusual; most rainbow pieces sacrifice mechanical complexity for visual impact. Ref. 441.NX.1117.LR.0999 does neither, which gives it a strong position among collectors who want spectacle and substance in the same package.

Hernández has been a Hublot ambassador, and the brand's official partnership with FIFA made the World Cup setting a natural stage for this kind of placement. As the scorer of France's opening goal in the semifinal, his profile during the tournament was at its peak — the watch was seen at exactly the right moment.

At a retail price of $69,500, the Big Bang Unico Titanium Rainbow ref. 441.NX.1117.LR.0999 occupies the upper tier of Hublot's catalogue. Grey-market values have remained firm given the gem-setting complexity and limited production runs, with pre-owned examples trading at or near retail depending on condition and provenance.