The Super Bowl is fast approaching, and as a New Yorker it pains me that Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaners will be battling it out with Kansas City for the championship. While the Houston Texans did not make it all the way this year, I can imagine at least 15 people in the organisation who didn’t have a horrible end to the year. After signing a a four-year contract extension worth $156,000,000 USD, quarterback Deshaun Watson bought 15 of his teammates special Christmas gifts for a total of $204,000 USD. The beneficiaries – that included Watson’s offensive linemen, backup QB’s, and offensive coaching staff – all received Hublot Big Bang watches in steel with black ceramic bezel, each reportedly valued at $13,600 USD.Image: Tim Warner/Getty ImagesIt’s a lot of money for sure, but when you do the maths it is a drop in the ocean for him at 0.13% of the value of his contract extension. Based on the description and price of the watch, I believe it is fair to say Watson purchased 15 pieces of the Hublot Big Bang Steel Ceramic ref. 301.SM.1770.RX. The stainless-steel watch is 44mm in diameter, has a black ceramic bezel, and a carbon fibre dial with the date window between the fourth and fifth hour indices. The watch, a chronograph, is powered by the Hublot caliber HUB4100 and boasts 42 hours of power reserve. The Big Bang Steel Ceramic is 100 metres water-resistant and outfitted on an integrated black lined rubber strap – which means his teammates can have plenty of fun and wear time with the watch off the field.According to the Houston Chronicle, “Watson purchased them through the Hublot boutique in the Miami Design District through his friendship with Craig Robins, his business manager, Bryan Burney, and Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe.”Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot's chief executive Image: Daniel Auf der Mauer for The New York TimesWhen the Houston Chronicle asked Watson about his gift-giving spree he explained, “Everyone enjoyed it, so they got something on their wrist to kind of hang out with. I wanted to do a watch and I wanted to do a certain brand, but this was the perfect opportunity to connect with Hublot because I like the Hublot watches. Just to be able to take the guys to a whole different side of, I guess, not brand, but swag if you want to call it that. Just kind of give them something that's different that a lot of those guys haven't even heard of it. So, now they're looking it up and looking up the IGs. It's a pretty big deal.”I think it is fair to say Watson’s teammates are blitzing their Instagram feeds, rushing to learn all they can about their new timepieces.
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