Hublot reveals the smartwatch all FIFA World Cup referees will use in Qatar

Back once again for official timekeeping duties at the FIFA World Cup, Hublot has announced the limited edition smartwatch that all referees will wear during games in Qatar.

As we saw for the World Cup in Russia in 2018, as well as last year's UEFA European Championship and the Premier League, the luxury watch brand has delivered a new version of the Big Bang E watch for the tournament.

It'll be on the wrists of the 129 referees and officials for each of the tournament's 64 games, kicking off with Qatar v Ecuador on 20 November.

While referees will mostly be using the smartwatch to keep the time for each game, it's also designed to deliver lineups and player profiles 15 minutes before each game, as well as highlighting key moments in a timeline through something called 'Match Mode'. That's a feature that's unique to the watch.

The watch is limited to 1,000 pieces, with the 44mm black ceramic case paired with a burgundy strap - a combination that's based on the Qatari flag, Hublot says.

However, customers shelling out $5,800 / £5,000 for the third-gen Big Bang E can also pick from one of the other 32 straps of the participating nation, which are pictured above.

For life outside the tournament, it's also pretty well equipped with smarts, too, becoming one of the few current devices running Wear OS 3.

It does house a relatively old Qualcomm Snapdragon 4100 processor, though, which is an interesting move - even if it's also something that very few people looking to shell out this much on a smartwatch will really notice.

It's available now from Hublot.