Tee time

despite its introduction by PGA star and Hublot brand ambassador Dustin Johnson, the company’s new golf watch is not aimed at the professional ranks, according to product and purchasing director Raphaël Nussbaumer. “This is a useful and relevant product,” he says, “but most professionals are so concerned with their performance, they don’t really want to play with a watch on their wrists.” Instead, the Hublot Big Bang Unico Golf ($31,500; 800.536.0636, hublot.com) is geared toward recreational golfers who will appreciate its ability to keep score as well as its good looks on the fairway and in the clubhouse.

Hublot has equipped a version of its in-house Unico movement with a dial-side golf-scoring mechanism that operates a little like the chronograph mechanism it replaces. Pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock totalize the number of shots per hole and advance the hole number as the game progresses. When the game is finished, a button at 8 o’clock resets all the counters. Because the golf mechanism is not mechanically linked to the base movement, the company installed extra-strong componentry to ensure a higher level of reliability.

Keeping the weight down was also key. Hublot managed to keep the watch to 95 grams (about 3.35 oz.), using carbon fiber in the upper case and another black composite material in the middle case band. The lightness encourages players to wear the watch on the course, as does the outer coating of Texalium—Hublot’s blend of carbon fiber and aluminum— which complements the technical construction of modern golf equipment. —JAMES D. MALCOLMSON