Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Lukas Podolski spotted wearing Hublot

Lukas Podolski, the former Germany international and World Cup winner who was cutting his post-European career with Galatasaray in Istanbul, was spotted on the wrist with one of the more striking limited editions to emerge from Hublot's long-running Ferrari partnership — the Big Bang Ferrari White Ceramic, reference 401.HQ.0121.VR.

The watch is built around a 45mm case machined entirely from white ceramic, a material Hublot has refined extensively since the original Big Bang debuted in 2005. White ceramic is notoriously difficult to produce without surface defects and commands a manufacturing premium over the brand's more common black microblasted cases. The reference 401.HQ.0121.VR features a white dial with red Ferrari Scuderia detailing, a skeleton-style layout that exposes the movement architecture, and is water-resistant to 100 metres. Power comes from the HUB4700 automatic calibre — a self-winding movement offering approximately 42 hours of power reserve, built on a base ébauche but finished and cased entirely in-house at Hublot's Nyon manufacture.

The Hublot–Ferrari partnership launched formally in 2011, and the Big Bang Ferrari range became one of the collaboration's centrepieces. The white ceramic variant, limited to 500 examples globally, occupies a specific niche within the series: it is rarer than the standard steel or black ceramic references yet more wearable day-to-day than the ultra-aggressive carbon fibre versions. Collector opinion on Hublot Ferrari pieces has historically been mixed — enthusiasts tend to appreciate the engineering and exclusivity while purists remain unmoved by the branding — but the 500-piece ceiling keeps secondary-market supply genuinely tight.

Podolski's taste in watches has leaned consistently toward bold, high-visibility pieces, and the Big Bang Ferrari White Ceramic slots naturally into that aesthetic. The red-and-white colourway also mirrors the Turkish flag, giving the choice an almost deliberate visual nod to his then-club's home nation.

At a UK list price of £24,400 at time of release, the Hublot Big Bang Ferrari Ref. 401.HQ.0121.VR sat at the upper end of the standard Big Bang pricing ladder. On the grey market, completed examples have traded in a range broadly consistent with modest depreciation from retail, though pristine boxed-and-papered examples of the white ceramic variant attract a premium given the colourway's susceptibility to cosmetic wear over time.