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The 2014 Tudor Heritage Ranger with its camouflage fabric strap. There are three strap options for the Tudor Heritage Ranger: steel bracelet, bund strap and leather strap. Every watch comes with the camouflage fabric strap as an added bonus. Priced at CHF2,700 (around US$3,000 / SGD3,780 / MYR9,720) for both the bund strap and leather strap options and CHF2,800 (around US$3,150 / SGD3,920 / MYR10,100) for the watch with the steel bracelet. Photo: © Tudor

While it is deeply inspired by a historic model, the Oyster Prince Ranger of 1967, the brand states that the 2014 Heritage Ranger is “far from being a mere re-edition”.

From what we were told, the brand doesn’t create “replicas”; rather it is about appreciating the spirit of the old, re-interpreting it and completely reworking it.

The Tudor Heritage Ranger of 2014 is larger than the original of 1967 with its diameter of 41mm and the entire case is satin-finished.

The finish expresses “the functionality, technical prowess and robustness of an object that could have been standard equipment in the packs of sled-dog mushers” that were about to face the most extreme conditions, states the brand.

Tudor’s 2014 Heritage Ranger with a steel bracelet. Powered by the Calibre 2824, the 41mm diameter steel case is satin-finished and water-resistant to 150m (500ft). Photo: © TANG Portfolio. 2014 BaselWorld

Like the 1967 original, the lugs of the Heritage Ranger are drilled through for the strap bars. The dial with the Tudor rose symbol is matt black and is domed, similar to the brand’s watches of the 1950s and 1960s.

The original dial of the Oyster Prince Ranger of 1967 is domed and has hand-painted dials. The 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock hour indexes of the Heritage Ranger are likewise hand-painted with lots of SuperLuminova and now has a burgundy sweep seconds hand.

There are three available strap options: the steel bracelet, bund strap and leather strap. Every Tudor Heritage Ranger will also have what the brand terms “a camouflage fabric strap” with a buckle.

While the vast majority of camouflage straps are painted, those provided by Tudor for its Heritage Rangers are weaved from several different shades of green threading. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. 2014 BaselWorld

The camouflage strap for Tudor’s Heritage Ranger is not an ordinary strap. As a Tudor spokesperson highlights, “Around 95% of camouflage fabrics are painted with ‘fake’ colours,” but “… the cotton fibres used for Tudor’s fabric strap are coloured in different shades of green and weaved.”

Hublot’s Big Bang Unico Bi-Retrograde Chrono King Gold Carbon is the “Official Watch” of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and it is limited to 100 pieces. Also available in the Ceramic Carbon version which is limited to 200 pieces. Photo: © Hublot

The “Official Watch” of the 2014 FIFA World Cup is the Hublot Big Bang Unico Bi-Retrograde Chrono.

Available in two versions: the King Gold Carbon and the Ceramic Carbon, this watch was unveiled in mid-March 2014 in Tokyo, Japan.

What is noteworthy are the “firsts” scored with this watch. This is not only the first Big Bang Unico Bi-Retrograde Chrono; it is also the first Hublot watch with the bi-retrograde function.

More importantly, it is a watch designed for timing football matches because of its chronograph counter display and what is known as the match period display seen through an aperture at the 12 o’clock position.

Every football match officially lasts 90 minutes and this is played over two 45-minute halves. There is a 15-minute interval or half-time in between the first half and the second half.

The green push button at 2 o’clock allows one to select the time period from four available options: 1st half, ½ time, 2nd half and the end of the match. The time period chosen can be seen on the match period display.

Once activated the chronograph’s retrograde seconds hand (in green) and retrograde minute hand (in yellow) move from left to right in a circular arc covering 60 seconds for the seconds hand and 45 minutes for the minute hand.

Hublot’s Unico Bi-Retrograde Chrono even includes the display for 15 minutes of “added time”.

The Unico Bi-Retrograde Chrono may be more “complete” if there were blue accents on the watch; either a blue sub-dial at six o’clock or a blue pusher at four o’clock or maybe blue hour and minute hands. The reason: blue, yellow and green are colours of the Brazilian flag.

However, one must understand that this is the official watch of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and not a “Brazil” watch.

Hublot Big Bang Unico Bi-Retrograde Chrono Ceramic Carbon: the “Official Watch” of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Limited to 200 pieces. Photo: © Hublot

While hundreds of millions are expected to view the World Cup, in total, only 300 pieces of Hublot’s Official Watch of the 2014 World Cup, the Big Bang Unico Bi-Retrograde Chrono will be made.

For Hublot, the intention of the brand’s sponsorship and being the official timekeeper and official watch is not about selling thousands of watches; rather it is about building the brand.

“For us, the World Cup has a wide reach but a narrow target,” Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe tells us.

Now, for those who wish to place their bets on the winning football team, it seems that Brazil is the favourite.

Based on the PwC World Cup Index (published in a June 2014 report) and using “econometrics” where key variables include the number of players available in each country, the national interest in football, long-term footballing tradition and recent form among others, PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) is of the opinion that Brazil is the favourite this year.

Also in Brazil’s favour is its home advantage. The second, third and fourth-placed are Germany, Argentina and Spain, countries which also enjoy “good chances”.

England, PwC adds, is ranked eighth in their index and faces a “tough battle to progress from the group stages given the slightly superior strength of their rivals Italy (ranked seventh) and Uruguay (ranked sixth).”

Who will eventually emerge the winner? Time will soon tell.

It is just four hours before the first match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup begins as at the time of writing. We therefore wish all football fans an enjoyable and thrilling 2014 World Cup!

THE ART OF TIME

Tudor Heritage Ranger: Reliving the spirit of the past

Official Watch of the 2014 FIFA World Cup: Hublot Big Bang Unico Bi-Retrograde Chrono