5th September 2017 –
September 5, Kyoto (Japan) – Swiss luxury watch brand Hublot held a charity event with legendary Usain Bolt to celebrate the opening of Hublot Boutique Kyoto.
A career which has not only made him a legendary athlete but also one of the greatest sportsmen of all time!. 8 Olympic medals and 11 World Championship titles! Usain Bolt is the only athlete to have defended his gold medal over three consecutive Olympics, even going as far as beating three records in one Olympiad! He holds the world records for the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4 x 100 metres. The Champion, and Hublot ambassador, travelled all the way to Kyoto in order to celebrate the opening of a new milestone for the Swiss luxury Watch Brand in Japan.
“I am very proud to open our boutique in one of the prestigious cities in Japan: Kyoto, and am delighted to have our dear friend, Usain here with us to celebrate. Hublot has always pursued to be innovative by pushing the boundaries of conventional design and watch making. This is possible only because we have a solid foundation of long tradition and rich history. At Hublot we always look to the future, and this is why tradition and Innovation create new history. Enjoy this new big bang in Kyoto!”
Ricardo Guadalupe（Hublot CEO）
“I am very honoured to be in Japan again and celebrate with Ricardo the opening of this new boutique.
Cheers to Hublot boutique Kyoto!”
Usain Bolt, Hublot Ambassador, 8 time Olympic Champion and 11 time World Champion.
Hublot opened its new boutique in Kyoto on August 26. Build in the traditional architectural style of Machiya, common in mid-Edo period (late 17th century -18th century). While maintaining tradition, the ancient capital Kyoto continues to give birth to new culture and values. Similarly, Hublot continues to evolve in the traditional watch industry under the brand’s innovative concept of “The Art of Fusion”. The fusion between Kyoto and Hublot has just begun in the beautiful Gion streets.
The grand opening event started with the Champion’s appearance with kids followed by Hublot’s announcement to donate 1.5 million JPY (about 13,100CHF) to Gion. And for charity run, Hublot agreed to add 500,000 JPY to the donation if total record of 5 children’s time beats Bolt’s 100m record with 9.58secs. Bolt gathered kids around and gave valuable advice to children on how to run faster. Maiko (apprentice geiko) and others watched, the children sprinted to cross the finish line. As a result, total time was 10.XX sec. It was close but regrettably was not able to break the legend’s record. However Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe has spontaneously changed the check’s amount to 2 million JPY, as he was impressed and wanted to praise the children for their efforts. The check was presented to Gion Minamigawa Chiku Machizukuri Kyogikai, a non-profit organization for maintaining historical scenery in Gion area and inheriting traditional Japanese culture to next generations.
Usain Bolt and Ricardo Guadalupe, next to Mr. Tatsuya Yoshimoto (President of Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Store), and Miwa Sakai (Hublot’s Asia Pacific Regional Director), performed Kagami-biraki (opening a sake barrel with wooden mallet; a Japanese traditional ceremony symbolizing opening and good fortune) with a specially-designed sake barrel.
