Despite being replaced by the unlikely candidate of Bulova as official timepiece of Manchester United, it seems that Hublot is not about to give up on football as a marketing tool just yet, after being the first luxury watch brand to enter the sport in 2006.

Hublot has today announced a three-year deal as the first official timekeeper of French league champions Paris Saint-Germain, which will see the usual benefits such as clocks at strategic points around the stadium and a presence on the giant screens during matches. The players each receive a special Hublot Big Bang as well, of course.

The Paris Saint-Germain players with their Big Bangs

With typical Hublotian hyperbole, the announcement refers to the club having “the most ambitious goals”, with Jean-Claude Biver, Hublot’s Chairman, going even further to suggest that “Paris has the makings to soon become Europe’s capital of football”.

Several other European cities may appear better placed to claim and indeed retain this title. Casting the hype aside and sticking with the football analogies, at the end of the day it’s a game of two halves and the team with the most goals – ambitious or otherwise – wins.