Jungkook of K-pop boy band BTS joins Hublot as new global face

SEOUL – Swiss watchmaker Hublot has a new star ticking in its corner: Jungkook of K-pop boy band BTS.

The 28-year-old South Korean singer has been unveiled as the brand’s latest global brand ambassador in Seoul, sending

into overdrive on Feb 12.

The reveal capped off a two-day guessing game.

On Feb 10, Hublot posted a moody Instagram reel of a lone figure stepping into the light, offering only his silhouette and the date 12.02.26.

K-pop fans needed little else. Within minutes, timelines were flooded with zoomed-in screenshots, side-by-side comparisons and confident declarations that the “mystery man” was Jungkook.

They were right. At a Feb 12 event at Strx House – a club in Gangnam – Hublot confirmed the BTS vocalist as its new global face, describing the partnership as a meeting of “two originals”: a rule-breaking maison that helped reshape modern watchmaking, and an artiste who has helped redefine the sound and style of a generation.

Jungkook now sits alongside Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt, Serbian tennis great Novak Djokovic and Chinese virtuoso pianist Lang Lang on Hublot’s top-tier ambassador bench.

Mr Julien Tornare, chief executive of Hublot, tells The Straits Times the deal took nearly 18 months to stitch up.

“Why Jungkook? Because he is a master of so many different talents – dancing, singing, performing. He has a fusion of so many skills, just like what we have at Hublot,” he says.

For Jungkook, the tie-up also feels like a full-circle moment. He previously performed his 2022 hit Dreamers at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where Hublot served as official timekeeper, and has spoken about how “time and music felt connected” during that performance.

Flaunting the Big Bang Original Unico on his wrist, he says his reunion with the brand brings that connection “full circle”.

Already dubbed the “Golden Maknae” (youngest member with all-round talent) of BTS and a magnet for high-end fashion and lifestyle brands, his move into Hublot territory underlines both his drawing power and the Swiss brand’s push to stay front-of-mind with younger, pop-savvy consumers.

Jungkook of K-pop boy band BTS joins Hublot as new global face.

PHOTO: HUBLOT

The announcement also lands at a feverish moment for BTS fans. With all seven members having completed their mandatory military service, the group are about to enter a full-scale reunion era packed with new music and major live moments.

This includes BTS The Comeback Live: Arirang, a

in central Seoul on March 21, which will be

– the platform’s first large-scale Korean music live stream.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to pack the historic plaza, with millions more watching from home on the streamer.

That show is only the opening act. BTS are set to roll out

, with nearly 80 dates planned across Asia, the United States and Europe.

In Asia, stops include Tokyo, Bangkok and Singapore, where the group will play four nights on Dec 17, 19, 20 and 22 – their longest run in the region outside South Korea and Japan.