The world of luxury watches is no stranger to picking up popular figures as brand “ambassadors”. In keeping alive this now long-standing tradition in watch marketing, Hublot has picked up a powerful new representative—Nicky Jam. Being a Reggaeton god in popular music, his tunes have reached across the borders of nations all around the globe. As the brand’s first Latin music ambassador, he’s on quite a roster of celebrity endorsers. Nicky joins other musicians Depeche Mode and pianist Lang Lang. Hublot has also aligned itself with sport stars Floyd Mayweather, Eli Manning, and Olympian Usain Bolt. On top of this, Nicky has other Latin based Hublot allies including fútbol legend Pelé and cigar makers Arturo Fuente.
Born Nick Rivera Caminero—Nicky Jam’s career started out humbly. Long before he was repping international luxury watch brands, performing the World Cup with stars Era Istrefi and Will Smith, and appearing in Hollywood films like XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, he and his family were living low-income in Puerto Rico. It was here that Nicky was working illegally as a bagger, after his family had moved there from Boston, MA in the early 90s. While working, he would freestyle lyrics. This caught the attention of a visiting music producer. His career began in this rugged space—and has since evolved into the powerhouse that it is today. With his increased prominence in the entertainment industry after his 2015 hit “El Perdon”, it’s no surprise that he landed his new horological deal. Due to this recent deal with Hublot, the brand itself has made Nicky a custom wristwatch series. His watches are stunning pieces, worthy of an international pop star.
Big Bang Meca-10
Hublot revealed the Nicky Jam wristwatch line in Miami around the end of 2018. At the premiere, Nicky rocked one of three Hublot “Meca-10” watches—the King Gold. This vibrant wristwatch features an alloy made from gold, copper, and platinum, which gives it a unique shade of the precious metal. Alongside this custom gold alloy, the King Gold’s design displays yellow sapphire, orange sapphire, and tsavorites on the bezel and dial. This color pallette mirrors his music video for the track “X (Equis)”.
Each piece in the Nicky Jam series derives its name from the 10 day power reserve featured in their mechanical works. On their own, the Mecha-10 timepieces from Hublot are beautiful luxury pieces. Combined with the star power and aesthetic influences of Nicky Jam’s music, these Nicky watches make for some colorful and unique style—especially with the skeleton dial display of Hublot’s mechanical movements. Right up there with the King Gold Nicky wore at the Miami premier, there’s the “Ceramic” and the “High Jewelry”. Though these two wristwatches don’t have the same Latin-esque flair, they are still standout luxury watches.
The Ceramic Mecha-10 features a black ceramic case—housing King Gold composite gold on the dial. Furthermore, standing alongside the King Gold and Ceramic, the High Jewelry has a more mirrored case covered in stones—with flashes of the King Gold alloy between the white of 307 diamonds. All three of these luxurious pieces have two options when it comes to their strap, as well. If anyone decides to add one of Nicky’s signature watches to their collection, they can get it with either a black Alacantra band—or a red, yellow, and green dyed alligator band (which mirrors Nicky’s “X (Equis)” video).
Jamming Out
Nicky Jam’s career will likely continue to have success after success—bearing in mind his massive influence on the ever-popular Reggaeton genre. His hits and entertainment industry flair have garnered an incredible amount of international attention. His Mecha-10 deal with Hublot was a smart move on the part of the Hublot brand, and reinforces Nicky Jam’s name as a significant social influencer. This reality is pretty impressive, considering that Nicky got his stage name from a homeless man on the streets of Puerto Rico. After fighting his way up the charts with the likes of Daddy Yankee and other influential Reggaeton/pop artists—for nearly 30 years—it’s pleasant to know that such a hard working artist is getting his just recognition around the world. This humble horological author looks forward to any new career moves from this chart topping sensation. It’s fun to admire the quality of the watches he’s aligned himself with as well—perhaps there will be more great pieces from Hublot as their partnership continues.
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