Watch Paparazzi

Football manager Jose Mourinho spotted wearing Hublot

José Mourinho has long treated the wrist as an extension of his public persona — deliberate, authoritative, impossible to ignore. During his second stint at Chelsea FC, cameras caught the Portuguese manager on the touchline sporting the Hublot Big Bang Unico Bi-Retrograde Chrono in King Gold, reference 413.OM.1128.RX, a piece that sits firmly in the upper tier of Hublot's technical catalogue and demands a second look from anyone who knows what they're seeing.

The 413.OM.1128.RX measures 45mm in Hublot's proprietary King Gold — an 18-karat rose gold alloy developed in partnership with metallurgists, incorporating platinum to significantly improve scratch resistance, a longstanding criticism of standard red gold in sports watches. The case is paired with a structured rubber strap integrated through the signature H-shaped screws, giving the watch its unmistakable industrial aesthetic. The skeletonised dial exposes the HUB1240 UNICO calibre beneath, a movement Hublot developed entirely in-house after acquiring movement manufacturer BNB Concept.

The HUB1240 is the technical centerpiece. Rather than conventional totaliser subdials, it deploys a bi-retrograde chronograph complication: two retrograde hands sweep their respective scales — one for minutes elapsed, one for a secondary function — then snap back instantaneously to zero at the end of their arc. This retrograde architecture requires a precisely tensioned spring-and-cam reset mechanism, adding meaningful complexity over a standard column-wheel chronograph. The movement runs at 28,800 vph, offers 72 hours of power reserve, and is visible through the open-worked dial and caseback.

Among collectors, the Big Bang Unico Bi-Retrograde occupies an interesting position. Hublot's broader catalogue can polarise opinion, but pieces housing genuinely proprietary in-house movements with legitimate complications earn more respect in serious circles. The King Gold reference in particular benefits from the material's durability credentials and the relative scarcity of the bi-retrograde configuration compared to standard Unico chronograph references.

Mourinho's relationship with Hublot reflects a broader pattern: the brand has cultivated deep ties with elite football through UEFA and club partnerships, making it a natural fixture on the wrists of top-tier managers and players. The 413.OM.1128.RX retails around $38,000 USD, with grey market examples typically trading at a moderate discount depending on condition and documentation.