Footballer Pelé spotted wearing a Hublot

The image of Pelé wearing the Hublot Big Bang 541.CM.1171RX carries a weight that goes well beyond the watch itself. Photographed during one of his numerous public appearances as a Hublot brand ambassador, the sighting is now a document of an era — and of a partnership that genuinely shaped how luxury watchmakers approached football's global audience.

The Hublot Big Bang 541.CM.1171RX is built on a 44mm carbon fiber composite case, a material choice that was still genuinely progressive when this generation of Big Bang references was being produced. The case pairs with a skeleton-influenced black dial and a rubber strap integrated via Hublot's signature porthole-lug architecture. Inside sits the HUB4100 automatic calibre, a self-winding movement with a column wheel chronograph mechanism, approximately 42 hours of power reserve, and a 28,800 vph beat rate — solid, serviceable specifications wrapped in a visually assertive package.

The Big Bang line, launched in 2005, was Jean-Claude Biver's most consequential product decision at Hublot. The reference 541 series in carbon became one of the collection's defining expressions, appreciated by collectors for its weight reduction relative to titanium variants and its aggressive matte texture. On the secondary market, carbon-case Big Bangs from this generation have held value steadily, occupying a respected if not rarefied position among serious sport-watch collectors.

Pelé's relationship with Hublot was substantive. He appeared in global campaigns, attended SIHH and Baselworld appearances on the brand's behalf, and wore their pieces consistently in public — not the behavior of a purely contractual ambassador. That authenticity lent the partnership credibility at a time when watch brands were aggressively courting football's commercial reach.

Pelé passed away on December 29, 2022. His death, like that of Diego Maradona two years prior, marked the end of a footballing generation that had made the sport a universal language. The 541.CM.1171RX he wore is now, inevitably, a piece of that legacy. On the grey market, carbon Big Bangs of this reference trade at a discount to retail, though provenance connected to Pelé would command a significant premium at auction.