The suspicion has always clung to 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic that he is somehow not of this world, that the relentless perfection of his return of serve and his ability to gazelle around the court like a teenager at 36 must mean he is some sort of tennis cyborg sent from the future with a mission to make us forget the name Roger Federer.
We now know this is not the case, thanks to the player's most recent wrist fit worn at this week's Laureus Awards. Made up of 330 diamonds it is, put simply, not the choice of sporting machine but an all-out party animal. Novak, we had no idea.
Even for a man used to giving royal dignitaries high blood pressure, a Hublot Spirit of Big Bang All Black Pavé is a hell of a showstopper. Diamonds aside, the skeletonised dial (hello HUB4700 self-winding skeleton chronograph movement) and titanium case are noteworthy in their own right. The dial suggests Djokovic likes to see how the inner workings of his watch tick – just as he does when trying to mind game an opponent. And for someone used to having his wrists as light and free as possible, it makes sense he rates the titanium case over a heavier steel or gold number.
In that respect, parallels can be drawn with his ol’ mate Rafael Nadal, who is a lightweight when it comes to watches too. The Spaniard’s Richard Mille RM 27-04 from the same event is one of the lightest tourbillons ever made. But while Nadal’s watch manages to feel quite discreet, Dkojovic’s Hublot is demanding outright attention.
“Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but they’re a GOAT move here by Nole,” says Time and Tide Watches’ Andrew McUtchen, himself a loud and proud Hublot fan. “Factory set diamonds on a watch are reserved for performers and athletes at the peak of their powers – when the accolades racked up are in inverse proportion to the fucks given.
“Whenever I see SOBB written, I think of ‘son of a bitch’,” adds McUtchen, “and these words come to mind looking at Novak’s pavé diamond set black Spirit of Big Bang – in an awestruck, totally appreciative way.”
In truth, Novak Djokovic has been on this trajectory for some time now. In a press conference earlier this year, the Serb admitted he was trying to enjoy himself a bit more off-court as his career draws to a close. “Something that I’m really trying to evolve with this Novak character is a bit more of a personality – trying to have people relate to him,” he said parodying himself in a spoof ATP video that went viral in March. Messing around with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Usain Bolt on the red carpet – while wearing a statement watch for the ages – seems a decent place to start.
