The 2022 World Cup is a couple weeks away. But Hublot has already kicked things off with a soccer stadium of its own. The Swiss luxury watchmaker just released a new 90,000-seat virtual venue in the metaverse: the “Hublot Loves Football Metaverse Stadium.”
To make the virtual stadium a reality, Hublot teamed up with partners. For the stadium design, it worked with multi-discipline architecture firm MEIS (which worked on Crypto.com Arena and the Everton FC and Roma stadiums). MEIS modeled the stadium after Hublot’s recently launched Big Bang e watch. And Web3 platform Spatial launched the stadium into the metaverse.
The watch-inspired virtual stadium features sports, art, and digital spaces for both football and watch fans. It’s also equipped with a concourse and media wall. Visitors from around the world can explore the space in 360 degrees on mobile, desktop, or VR headset on Spatial.io.
As part of its greater “Hublot Loves Football” campaign, Hublot will also have dedicated exhibitions at Hublot Boutiques in luxury shopping malls. Visitors to these pop-ups will be able to access the stadium through VR experiences on-location.
This isn’t Hublot’s first forway into Web3. In 2018, it released a limited-edition watch for Bitcoin’s 10th anniversary. The watch, Big Bang Meca-10 P2P, was only available to buy in Bitcoin.
Watchmakers Crafting Web3 Strategies
Hublot isn’t the only luxury watchmaker involved in Web3. At RaritySniper, we’ve written many articles on watch companies launching initiatives related to the metaverse, NFTs, and crypto. Here are three of the top stories:
First, Rolex filed Web3 trademarks. The trademarks are related to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), cryptocurrency, and the metaverse. They were filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on October 31st, 2022.
Next, in July 2022, Franck Muller launched Mystery Box NFTs. The 15,000 mysterious NFTs cost $100 each and gave collectors the opportunity to win IRL prizes: a tour of the Muller factory, luxury watches, etc. The collection dropped on the Binance NFT marketplace.
Lastly, TAG Heuer revealed an NFT display feature for its smartwatch. With the software update, connected Calibre E4 smartwatch owners were able to display and authenticate NFTs directly on their timepiece. The feature was initially limited to Ethereum NFTs stored on a MetaMask or Ledger Live wallet.
Luxury watchmakers like these are known for their precise timing, excellent craftsmanship, and purposeful innovation. Throughout 2022, they’ve displayed these skills time and time again with their calculated entry into the Web3 space. Let’s watch what they engineer next.