Not one to let a great sponsorship opportunity pass by, Swiss watch manufacturer Hublot has jumped on board as official timekeeper and partner of the event. Of course, this is a savvy business move which will have the major benefit of Hublot's name being plastered on TV screens all over the world, but perhaps nowhere more prevalent than in India.

"Cricket is huge in India," said Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot's chief executive. "There is potential to grow heavily in India and with Indians, who buy all over the world. We've had double-digit growth in India since we got involved in cricket." It was actually reported that over 600 million Indian TV viewers [1] tuned in to watch the 2015 Cricket World Cup. For comparison, a mere 98.2 million viewers watched the 2019 Super Bowl in the USA. Clearly then, India is the big target for Hublot to aim for during and after the World Cup, as the brand is even working on adding boutiques in both Mumbai and New Delhi.

In addition to the partnership with the ICC, Hublot released a limited edition Classic Fusion Chronograph to commemorate the World Cup. The strap and dial colour selections are said to be inspired by the event's logo (it even looks a bit like the seam of a cricket ball), the hands are shaped like cricket bats, and the 12:00 marker resembles three stumps. English cricket legend Kevin Pietersen has joined Hublot as a brand ambassador to help promote the sport and the watch.

Hublot is certainly no stranger to big partnerships with sports stars and other brand names. Ferrari often works with Hublot to design eccentric watches, with the LaFerrari MP-05 perhaps the weirdest and wackiest model from the collaboration so far. Occasionally these models pop up on a second-hand site [2] for sale, but for the most part, these are valuable collector's items that aren't so easy to find. The likes of Usain Bolt, Dwyane Wade, Kylian Mbappé, Bar Refaeli, and even Depeche Mode are likewise brand ambassadors for Hublot.