Category: Hublot Watch

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Hublot Square Big Bang

Swiss Hublot had one of the most inspired collections of new watches at the major Watches & Wonders Geneva 2022 trade show. Always surprising us with colors, shapes, materials, and technologies, Hublot is one of our favorite brands to meet with when it comes to new luxury watch products. Among the more talked about new Hublot watches for 2022 is the “Square Bang.” Originally debuted on aBlogtoWatch here, today I go hands-on with the full assortment of new Hublot Square Bang UNICO watches.

The first thing I can say about these square-cased Big Bang watches is that they don’t actually look too much like a Cartier Santos when you see them in the flesh. When the aBlogtoWatch team first saw images, we thought, “Cool, Hublot Square Bang UNICO watches designed a Santos Bang.” Indeed, there are some design similarities between the two popular timepiece collections, from the shape of the bezel to lugs. But the Big Bang part of the personality entirely overshadows the Santos part of the personality when you view these watches in person. I think the message Hublot was going for was an expression that the Big Bang is more than just a case shape. Rather, the Big Bang is a brand DNA concept that can be rendered in a round, tonneau, or square case, which are all things Hublot has done. In square form, the Big Bang is simply another flavor of the same delicacy that is the Big Bang collection, which started back in 2004. Hublot and brands like it have a duty to assert the timelessness of their most popular models. Offering these “icons” in various colors, materials, styles, and shapes is a solid and time-honored way to assert the important of their particular products.

That’s exactly the point of the Hublot Square Bang UNICO watches, and it’s actually really satisfying on the wrist. The 42mm-wide case is 14.5mm-thick, which sounds rather big until you put it on. Hublot has big watches but also puts in big effort into ergonomics. I really can’t remember the last time I wore a large Hublot and thought to myself that it was anything but really comfortable to wear given how the strap and lugs are designed. Hublot, of course, includes all the features that you’d expect from a modern Big Bang, including the easy strap release system and the modular case concept that comes in a variety of forms. Accordingly, the debut collection of Hublot Square Bang watches includes versions that have a mixture of case materials, including titanium, black ceramic, and 18k King (red) gold. Also very important is that the Square Bang is water resistant to 100 meters, which is a feat that is somewhat challenging with square-cased watches.

What Hublot was likely hoping for in the design of the Hublot Square Bang UNICO watches is the emotional reaction of, “Has the Big Bang always been square?” This is one sign of a good watch design — when you see something novel that looks as though it has always been there. There is no guttural reaction of sheer novelty from the watch. Rather, you put on the Square Bang and it feels like something that has been part of the collection all along, just in a different form. In fact, the Square Bang is so much like the Big Bang, but I want Hublot to branch off in a new direction when it comes to dial design as the Square Bang continues to develop. The case is excellent — now I want to see a dial design language that is something Hublot could never really do with a round design. I feel that this is a good idea to experiment with as the Square and round Big Bang are otherwise actually pretty similar in poise and emotion (which is exactly what Hublot was going for this round).

We will see exactly what happens since product sales performance is going to be the biggest measure of how much Hublot wants to continue extending the Square Bang collection. If the Square Bang is a success, then more variations will no doubt come. If not, then Hublot will say that this was just an experimental limited edition (all of the first five versions are produced as a limited edition) and then release interesting and sometimes quirky Square Bang watches as it does with the Spirit of Big Bang models (the name of Hublot’s tonneau-shaped Big Bang models).

Hublot Square Bang UNICO watches are much harder to get right than round watches. For that reason, the watch market has far fewer square (versus round) popular timepieces. Hublot has never really made a mark with a square-shaped watch, and the Square Bang does that well. So, in some regards, this is Hublot simply flexing its design skills and ability to compete with other brands in this space. Consumers win because there are those people who just really like square watches. I have a few (such as the Santos) and can easily say that the boldness of wearing an angular watch case is real. Perhaps not for everyday, but it is a fun and visually interesting alternative to round watches. Hublot’s strategy may very well be to offer Big Bang fans a new way to enjoy something they already like but in a manner that offers more than just new colors or materials.

Inside the Hublot Square Bang UNICO watches is Hublot’s round-shaped in-house UNICO family of automatic chronograph movements. The 354-part mechanisms operate at 4Hz with 72 hours of power reserve and feature the time, date, and, in this instance, 60-minute column-wheel-controlled chronograph. You can view the movement through the rear of the case, and the dial is a typical open-work of viewing the movement while hour markers and indexes are placed on the periphery. As I said above, I think this is where Hublot could do the most with a new square case in terms of making it look distinctive from the standard Big Bang. My hope is that if the Square Bang watch has a long future, Hublot will experiment with on-brand ways of offering a square dial design that is distinct from the rest of the collection.

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Kylian Mbappé Wearing A Hublot Big Bang

With many of us keeping an eye on the semifinal round of both the Euros and Copa America, we’re also checking out the wrists of the players and coaches of the remaining squads. One of the big questions Hublot Big Bang coming into today’s Euro semi-final between France and Spain was whether French superstar Kylian Mbappé would suit up, as he is still recovering from a broken nose suffered in an earlier Euro match against Austria. And as things kick off in Munich, Mbappé is indeed on the pitch.

Before the match, the French striker was spotted wearing what appears to be a Hublot Big Bang Steel with a diamond-clad bezel. While Mbappé is indeed a Hublot ambassador and has been for some time, it is no less interesting to see the watch front and center as the eyes of the soccer-loving world are on who many consider to be the best player Hublot Big Bang in the world.

You can bet we’ll be monitoring the other semifinal matches today and tomorrow – and especially on what the managers of France, Spain, England, the Netherlands, Argentina, Canada, Uruguay, and Colombia are wearing.

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HUBLOT Spirit of Big Bang

With last month’s unveiling of the hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu at Milan’s Salone del Mobile, Hublot has added a new facet to its seven-year partnership with Maxime Plescia-Buchi, the renown typographer, tattooist, artist, and founder of Sang Bleu, his London-based design studio and brand consultancy.

For his third collaboration with Hublot, Plescia-Buchi turned his attention to the barrel-shaped Spirit of Big Bang, which launched in 2014. In keeping with the design codes of the Big Bang Sang Bleu I & II, he applied his characteristic angular, geometric aesthetic to redefine the watch’s architecture into a radical presence on the wrist.

The 42mm case has been stretched with elongated beveled angles and lines that alternate and overlap from case to bezel, evoking Plescia-Buchi’s stylistic, graphic tattoos. The clear sapphire dial reveals the HUB4700 automatic skeleton chronograph movement through disc hands, visually echoing the geometric signature of the previous Sang Bleu Hublots.
“I have been able to question and review each component, from the case to the crystal, the bracelet to the clasp, considering each shape and proportion through a holistic reflection,” Plescia-Buchi said in a news release. “The aim is to incorporate the DNA of the Big Bang Sang Bleu II into the hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu. The result is a similar geometric aesthetic with a new interpretation of shapes and volumes. This creation is guided by perfectly proportioned shapes that interact and overlap to create a unique, distinctive design while enhancing the ergonomics for the wearer.”
To that end, he views the way the case conforms to the wrist as an extension of the body. Despite its large proportions and prominent profile, the case is designed to comfortably fit a wide range of wrist sizes for both men and women. To ensure optimal ergonomics, the case back and the sapphire crystal are arched at several points to closely hug the wrist’s contours.

The new hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu is available in a number of iterations, each with its own extravagant presence. Limited to 200 pieces, the All Black ceramic version (US$30,400) takes on a veritable Darth Vader personality, while the sleek titanium version (US$28,300), also limited to 200 pieces, plays up the techy vibe. The flashy King Gold version (US$50,400) tops out at 100 pieces. And for the more-is-more crowd, 180 diamonds totaling about 2.4 carats turn up the wattage of the titanium (US$48,300) and King Gold (US$70,400) models.

“Without losing what makes our barrel watch so distinctive, he gives it a new identity, a spatial redesign and a more architectural dimension,” Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot, said in the news release. “In our hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu watches and in our collaborations, one philosophy underscores the vision of everything we do: to adapt to the container while always focusing on the quality of the content.”

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Hublot launches Classic Fusion Chronograph Premier League watch

As the official timekeeper of the Premier League since 2020, Hublot loves football and has always been an ardent supporter of the world’s most popular football league. So it couldn’t miss the opportunity to release a new limited edition watch to celebrate the return of the most competitive and compelling football competition: the Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Premier League.

The launch of the Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Premier League demonstrates Hublot’s commitment to the beautiful game, the largest partnership ever by a watch brand and an association with football that has gone from strength to strength since it started in 2006.

With a limited run of just 100 individually numbered pieces, the Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Premier League is Hublot’s vibrant testimony to all the League’s fans and its greatest champions.

This is the first mechanical chronograph ever created by Hublot for the Premier League. Following in the footsteps of the Big Bang e which was created for the Premier League in 2020, the Classic Fusion Chronograph Premier League also sports the distinctive intense purple colour adorning the strap and dial which displays the two iconic Classic Fusion counters.

At 3 o’clock, the counter indicating the seconds is struck by the iconic crowned lion, the proud emblem of the Premier League. The crowned lion can also be found on the rear glass, and above the individual number belonging to each of the 100 lucky owners.

This is a piece for collectors for whom passion, tradition, performance and excellence go hand in hand.

“We were the first to give the Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Premier League its own smart watch, and now we’re the first to give it its very first Swiss Made mechanical chronograph!” said Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe. “It’s strongly symbolic, combining the talent of a team and the precision of a chronograph: mechanical excellence, total cohesion, and perfect timing.”

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HUBLOT MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System

I have to admit something: A current guilty pleasure of mine is early Hublot MDM Geneve watches. When Carlo Crocco’s new brand burst onto the Swiss watchmaking scene in 1980, it did something a little crazy, combining gold cases with integrated rubber straps and quartz movements. All this is in a slim, elegant, 36mm watch that resembled a hublot (porthole in French). That original ethos is carried forward, kind of, in the modern Classic Fusion lineup.

Hublot’s MP (Masterpiece) collection is the polar opposite of this, and today Hublot has introduced the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium. It’s a mouthful of a name for a mouthful of a watch.
I have to admit something else: I don’t really like the new MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium; or at least, I don’t really get it; chances are you don’t either. But I love that Hublot doesn’t really give a shit about either of our opinions. I love that what those MDM Geneve watches were to 1980 this new MP-10 might be to 2024. While so many other brands are so concerned with criticism that they’re paralyzed with indecision and releasing watches that look mostly the same to please some theoretical focus group, Hublot isn’t.

“Hublot kind of makes you think: ‘If you’re gonna be a bear, be a grizzly,’” Sarah Miller wrote when exploring the weird world of Hublot last year. And the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System is a damn grizzly bear.
The story of this particular grizzly starts with the new caliber: 592 components, 2 linear weights, an inclined tourbillon, and a circular power reserve indicator. The MP-10 doesn’t have a dial; all of the indications are read straight off the caliber itself. There are four constantly rotating rollers that display the hours, minutes, seconds, and power reserve (look ma, no hands!).

The winding system is also new. On either side of the central architecture with those rollers sit two oscillating, white gold weights that wind the movement bi-directionally. All this in a big ole shiny, microblasted titanium case that measures 54 x 41 x 22mm, or basically the equivalent of taking four JLC Reverso Small Seconds and stacking them together like legos on your wrist.

The MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium costs CHF 250,000 and is limited to 50 pieces, so the chances of you or me ever seeing one are about the same as either of us escaping a grizzly attack.
You’ve gotta give it to Hublot. They always find a way to out-Hublot themselves, and they’ve done it again. A watch with no dial? Where do you tell the time directly via some rollers in the middle of the caliber? I mean who else is even thinking about how to do that? I don’t see that coming up in most other Swiss watch brand boardrooms, or at least it’s not brought up by people who care about remaining gainfully employed.

Hublot might be the one Swiss watch brand that truly doesn’t care. That asks “why not?” instead of “why?” So yeah, the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium is kind of ugly. I’ll stick with my cute little MDM Geneve Hublots from the ’80s, but remember, somewhere in the recesses of my mind, that those gold-and-rubber watches were about as avant-garde 40 years ago as the MP-10 is today.

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HUBLOT Spirit of Big Bang Full Pavé

If you know Hublot, you know the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Full Pavé. The large, octagonal sports watch has come to define the brand. But Hublot is more than a one trick pony, as demonstrated by the unusual and appealing Spirit of Big Bang.

The Spirit, first introduced in 2014 is an evolution of the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Full Pavé – one that sits alongside the regular collection, possessing all the familiar elements of the traditional Big Bang, but in an entirely new form. Hublot excel in their casework, and nowhere is this more evident than on the large and complicated Spirit of Big Bang. The 51mm by 45mm case is crafted from King Gold – Hublot’s proprietary red gold, which contains a dash of platinum to ensure the colour remains true over the years. But even before that, the first thing you notice about the Spirit is the tonneau case shape. Named for the barrels they resemble, tonneau watches are far less common than crowd-pleasing round cases, they wear very large and have tonnes of wrist-presence – perfect for Hublot. Design-wise the essence of the Big Bang is clearly present, with the ‘H’ shaped screws, sandwiched case construction using high tech materials and cut-away elements. Combining all this with the elongated tonneau creates an entirely new watch, the curving lines presenting a softer, more elegant version of the Big Bang. As with the case, the dial of the Spirit is classic Big Bang. The sapphire dial exposes the movement architecture, giving it a stripped-back, industrial aesthetic that’s in stark contrast with the luxurious brushed gold case. Thankfully this dial doesn’t compromise on legibility, with the broad gold-plated hands and indices easily visible day or night, thanks to the liberal application of luminous material. The only exception to this is the date; it can take a moment or two to find the red-bordered date aperture on the exposed and skeletonised date wheel. Touches of red on the chapter ring, subdials and tip of the chronograph hand add detail and even more depth to the already multi-layered dial. You might expect this watch to be powered by one of Hublot’s Unico movements, but it’s not. Instead you get the HUB 4700, which is actually a skeletonised El Primero (Zenith and Hublot are both owned by LVMH), the storied automatic chronograph movement first released in 1969. Using the reworked and rebranded El Primero in the Spirit of Big Bang is a nice easter egg, offering a piece of horological history inside the futuristic shell of the big Hublot. The Spirit has a thick rubber strap, covered with alligator and very much in keeping with the brand’s philosophy of fusion. The strap balances the heavy Hublot well, and indeed anything slimmer would leave the watch feeling top heavy. As it is, the tapering band continues the curve of the case, creating a cohesive, comfortable whole.
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Full Pavé Gold watches dominate the wrist, and not just visually. A heavy gold watch can be unbalanced and ungainly to wear. The Spirit of Big Bang suffers from none of these complaints, the curved case hugs the wrist. Well-balanced and secure, it’s a real joy to wear. It’s also an unmissable watch that makes a bold statement with a whole lot of solid gold real estate.

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HUBLOT Big Bang Integrated Tourbillon Full Purple Sapphire

During Dubai Watch Week I sat down with Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe and finally got to see a timepiece I have been excited about since it was announced on aBlogtoWatch earlier in 2021. This is the Hublot Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Full Sapphire, and it’s an amazing modern luxury timepiece with all the high-end trimmings today’s watch enthusiast can get excited about. I even got to ask Mr. Guadalupe some interesting things about their use of sapphire crystal and its potential as watch case material for lower-priced timepieces. For now, while you don’t need to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for entry, sapphire-cased watches aren’t cheap given the complexity and time required to machine the parts which are milled from pieces of synthetically grown sapphire crystal. And this Hublot is the first sapphire crystal watch I’ve ever worn that includes a full matching sapphire bracelet.
“How durable is it compared to ceramic, or even metal?” I ask Mr. Guadalupe. He has overseen a host of novel material rollouts from the brand including everything from fancy carbons to their own special blend of gold and ceramic. If anyone knows how modern luxury watch materials fare in the real world – it is the managers at Hublot. Ricardo admitted that if you drop a sapphire crystal watch on a hard surface it can indeed crack. This is a fixable scenario though not a particularly inexpensive one. Recall that Hublot innovated in the area of modular case design for high-end watches. Parts are meant to be interchangeable, so a cracked or damaged component can be replaced. Sapphire is actually harder than ceramic and both are known for exceptional scratch resistance. That means the materials are extremely dense, which is also why they crack rather than having surface deformations like a metal might if they experience a sharp prod or shock.
So what does that mean for overall durability? It means that provided you don’t subject the watch to too much shock or bang it around, the material will look sparkling new… pretty much forever. That’s sort of the ultimate response to “why don’t you just make it in plastic?” This is actually the most common thing I’ve heard people say about why they don’t feel sapphire crystal cases are as exciting as I do. To these people the material could “pass” as plastic and thus doesn’t have the showy appeal of say gold or another precious material. However, such thinking is a bit superficial. It is true that from afar a Hublot Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Full Sapphire case might look like plastic but the similarities end there. Sapphire and plastic certainly don’t feel the same, and they don’t age the same either. Compare a clear plastic or clear sapphire case months or years down the line and they won’t look the same any longer. The plastic will likely be yellowed in color and probably rather scratched up. The sapphire crystal on other other hand will look pristine. And on a bracelet it looks even cooler.

I’m not going to try and convince anyone who doesn’t like a transparent luxury timepiece that it is cool if they just aren’t into it. I happen to think the concept is amazing and love the extension of the skeletonized movement and dial to the entire wearing experience overall. Indeed it means that what you see inside of the watch needs to be pleasant to look at which, thankfully, it is here with Hublot’s in-house made automatic tourbillon movement. The hard crystal case makes for a beautiful frame for the mechanism inside and the Hublot Big Bang Integral as a case fits comfortably and attractively on the wrist.
aBlogtoWatch debuted the Hublot Big Bang Integral here and the model is a revision of the Big Bang case designed to have an integrated bracelet (as opposed to a strap). Hublot has produced the Big Bang integral in a series of materials so far with “full sapphire” being the latest exotic flavor. The case here for this reference 455.JX.0120.JX model is 43mm wide and combines mostly precision-cut sapphire crystal with some bits of titanium for the parts not possible to be produced from sapphire crystal. Those include things like screws, the crown, and bits inside of the strap’s deployant system. For the most part this is an entirely sapphire crystal case and it is water resistant to 30 meters.
That is one area where I think there is going to be a lot of innovation in sapphire crystal cases – water resistance. My guess is that due to the fragile nature of sapphire crystal, a watchmakers can’t screw the parts together with too much tension. Metal can handle huge tension because it can bend, but sapphire crystal cannot. 30 meters is fine for daily wear, and to be honest it is probably wise not to consider a sapphire crystal cased timepiece a “sport watch” just yet. The wearing experience is worth it to baby these watches just a little bit.
Inside the watch is a still pretty new movement from Hublot known as the caliber HUB6035. This skeletonized movement features the time with a tourbillon regulation system as well as a micro-rotor automatic winding system. Hublot designed the movement for aesthetics and did a great job of “hiding” the automatic rotor over the mainspring barrel which is located just under the 12 o’clock hour indicator. The automatic rotor is also where the “Hublot” branding is on the dial so it is sort of fun to see it spinning around while you wear the timepiece on your wrist. The Hublot-made caliber HUB6035 operates at 3Hz with 72 hours of power reserve and it is produced from 243 parts.

Legibility on the dial is also very good. Few brands next to Hublot have the sheer experience with skeletonized dials and how to make them both cool-looking and readable. Hublot has been doing this for as long as I can recall and achieve prominent hands and hour markers, subdued coloring, and proper surface finishing. The result is an imminently legible dial but one that offers a full skeletonized/transparent experience for the eyes to delight in. Additional pieces of sapphire crystal are further used in the dial and for parts of the movement bridges to further enhance the “see through effect” that Hublot is aiming for.
What’s next for sapphire crystal watches? Colors. Synthetic sapphire is actually easier to color with various shades than ceramic. Hublot and some of its contemporaries have already started to play with various sapphire crystal colors. In fact, a unique version of this watch with an orange-tinted sapphire crystal was produced for the Only Watch 2021 charity watch auction. While various sapphire crystal colors will populate the market soon, I think the purist choice is totally clear sapphire crystal. Not only does it offer the least varnished approach to enjoying the transparency experience, but it also is the most stylistically versatile. “Clear” goes with anything, but you can’t always pull off a yellow, green, orange, blue, etc… watch with what you are wearing.

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Hublot Big Bang Integral

It is hard to overlook the current trend for sports watches with integrated bracelets… They are simply all over the place and in all price segments. Hublot, one of the main participants in the robust luxury sports watch, has been aware of this and already had such an option in its Classic Fusion watch. But, surprisingly, the Big Bang, the sportier, bolder version (a competitor to the RO Offshore) has never been offered on a bracelet… until now. Meet the new Hublot Big Bang Integral collection.
While the Classic Fusion could be seen as an alternative to the thin and relatively restrained watches in the luxury sports watch category, the other main collection of Hublot, the Big Bang, is a more robust, even more contrasted version with a larger case, more combinations of materials, more angles, more skeletonization… More of everything, if you like. And while integrated metallic bracelets are everywhere these days, Hublot Big Bang Integral has been surprisingly quiet in this field. At least in the Big Bang collection, since bracelets have been offered on the Fusion for some years.
To answer the current demand for integrated sports watches, Hublot presents the Hublot Big Bang Integral collection… Integral as in “integrated” and “integrally made of one material”. 15 years (yes, already) after its creation, the Hublot Big Bang Integral features its first integrated metal bracelet, with the first link fused with the case.

However, on the contrary of exchanging a rubber for a leather strap, adding a metallic bracelet meant more work than expected and the case needed to be partially redesigned, particularly on the lug side with the central module going down to meet the bracelet’s first link. The rest of the case results familiar, with its round bezel with 6 H-shaped screws resting on a tonneau-shaped sandwich structure. The case measures 42mm, has angles and bevels all around, and a combination of deep brushed flat surfaces and highly polished accents.
The bracelet, the main novelty of this watch, takes the design of the case and adapts it with the same combination of finishings and large bevels all around the links. Don’t expect either the case or the bracelet to be ultra-thin, it is a deliberately robust and highly masculine design with bold proportions. Still, the finishing appears impressive – we’ll confirm in a hands-on article soon.

Three versions of the Hublot Big Bang Integral are unveiled. The first is a classic titanium model, with black contrasting elements. The second is made of King Gold (Hublot’s proprietary alloy) with a black dial and contrasting elements. The third one, and the most visually striking, is a full black ceramic version – including the bracelet.
Powering the Hublot Big Bang Integral is the brand’s manufacture chronograph movement, the UNICO, an automatic and integrated architecture calibre. Here it is presented in a modern skeletonized version with two registers and the column-wheel classically visible at 6 o’clock, dial side. The movement runs at 4Hz and provides 72h of energy.

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The Hublot Square Bang Unico

The Hublot Square Big Bang was the brainchild of savvy marketer Jean-Claude Biver. Launched in 2005, its burly case, extroverted personality and fusion of different materials have consolidated the Big Bang as the brand’s flagship model. Last year, the Big Bang welcomed a sibling known as the Square Bang Unico, with, as you have intuited, a square case. During Watches & Wonders 2023, Hublot unveils three new editions of the Square Bang Unico in black and white ceramic cases and an impressive transparent sapphire crystal case.
Judging by the popularity of the Hublot Square Big Bang, taking the genetic traits of the Big Bang and reallocating them inside a square-shaped case seems to have worked. All the manifest personality quirks of the Big Bang are featured on the Square Bang: the six H-shaped titanium screws in the bezel, the modular sandwich construction of the case with its lateral protective bumpers, rubber-clad chrono pushers and crown, and the mandatory ‘fusion’ of high-tech materials. Although the press pictures don’t reveal this detail, it would seem that the pushers of the sapphire case do have a protective rubber coating, but the crown does not.
The new Hublot Square Big Bang trilogy has slightly smaller dimensions than the 2022 models, and the water-resistance has been decreased from 100m to 50m. With its 41mm diameter and thickness of 12mm (compared to the 42mm x 14.5mm of 2022 models), the ergonomic case is now reworked in three flavours – black ceramic, white ceramic and sapphire crystal. The ceramic cases feature contemporary microblasted surfaces combined with polished bevels, while the contours of the sapphire crystal case are polished.
The openworked dial offers a partial view of the mechanics, including the column wheel in an aperture at 6 o’clock and an entirely exposed date wheel. With a running seconds ring at 9 o’clock and a sapphire disc at 3 o’clock for the 60-min chronograph register (tinted in the two ceramic models), the date window magically materialises beneath the chrono register at the 15-minute position. The indices are applied to a peripheral flange and, like all the hands – except for the central chronograph seconds – are treated with Super-LumiNova. The central chronograph seconds has a Hublot logo-shaped counterweight and a skeletonised oblong tip.

The curved ergonomic caseback reveals Hublot’s HUB1280 Unico manufacture automatic flyback chronograph calibre with a column wheel. With a frequency of 4Hz/28,800vph, the 354-part movement delivers a robust 72-hour power reserve.
The new Hublot Square Big Bang models are fitted with structured rubber straps and a titanium deployant clasp. Hublot’s simple One Click interchangeable system makes it possible to personalise the watch.

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Hublot Big Bang Unico King Gold Rainbow

One of our shared goals here is to help bring watch enthusiasts closer to a diverse range of watches. Why? Simply because I am yet to meet a fellow watch-lover who’d be lessened by a broader, more vibrant appreciation of timepieces. Forming that bond through a detailed and honest analysis is sometimes an easy thing to do; and other times, it’s nigh-on impossible. From a quick glance at theHublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold, I trust you can tell which end of the spectrum we are experiencing today.
First things first. If you dislike or deeply disapprove of bejeweled watches, the Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold will not change your mind — in truth, chances are that it will just fuel your displeasure in them. Strangely, both Ariel and I have a very open-minded approach when it comes to bedazzled watches, so when discussing such a timepiece, we need not convince ourselves about its raison d’être. The Unico Rainbow King Gold is a tough one to crack even for us, and I’ll share why in a moment.
Rainbow-themed ultra-high-end watches are all the rage these days. Just look at that neat image assembled by Bloomberg to get a vague idea of where things stand these days. Rolex has been making the Rolex Daytona Rainbow for ages, but it was not until 2018’s Rainbow Daytona, and its immediately tripled resale value, that really urged brands to take note — and develop an appetite for this long-ignored market segment. Notably, rainbows also make for one of the safest ways of making an eye-catching and ultra-luxurious watch — as was discovered by Rolex back then and is being rediscovered by others, today.
In typical Hublot fashion, though, the Nyon-based manufacture went all out on the rainbow theme and applied it to the bezel, the flange ring (!), and the indices, as well as the entire top section of the lug structure. What I think about truly outlandish, jewelry-style luxury watches I have shared in this hands-on with the infamous Richard Mille Bonbon collection — if you are here, reading this for whatever reason, I suggest you take a look at that train of thought, as well.
A core component of Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold is the fusion of materials. As recently as just a few months ago, I was checking the specs of an Hublot model (don’t recall which one) and I was still surprised by the inclusion of a random modern material in some obscure spot on the exterior. They have made 18k-gold scratch resistant (I tested it here), made all kinds of crazy translucent cases, paired rubber straps with luxurious 18k gold cases (the norm today, definitely not the norm when they begun), and the list of Hublot’s more or less logical combinations of materials just goes on and on. This one though? It’s a gold watch with some colorful stones in it. This definitely counts as a “fusion of materials” for conservative brands like Rolex, surely, but a walk in the park by Hublot standards.
I am a fan of a lot that Hublot has done under the leadership of Jean-Claude Biver — with their marketing and ultra-high-end exercises, as well as some of the relatively more attainable models. The Hublot that I like, however, wants to be, looks to be, and is made to be a Hublot, not something else. For this reason, I don’t quite like the whiff of “me-too” that lingers around this baguette-rainbow madness or the Spirit of Big Bang, for that matter.

That’s my only gripe with this new piece; but that does not answer what we should make of the Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold Watch, so here’s why I like it — and why I propose this watch as something that should be celebrated.
As I slide this weird Big Bang around my wrist with its color-transitioned, purple-green-blue-red strap, the gazillions of facets on the gazillions of colorful stones create a laughable lightshow even under the dullest, normally terribly unflattering spotlights in the ceiling. It is so ridiculously over-the-top that there is no way anyone in their right mind would ever want to make a case for this as a serious piece of watchmaking.
It’s a serious watch that put on a masquerade — like a serious actor that puts on a clown’s make-up and clothes to cheer people up. The Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold Watch is a joke, it’s a laugh. It’s as though the watch (and with it, all of Hublot) were looking at you with its curious Swiss face, asking, “Do you want colors? How about lots of colors?” BANG! “We hope you’re happy now!” I look at this watch and this is what I can hear in my head — I’ll seek assistance, don’t worry — but not with a negative or aggressive tone, but rather an over-the-top-playful tone.
I mean, placing brilliant-cut stones next to baguette-cut stones is a real challenge to pull off right. It’s like wearing polka dots with stripes. It can be done, but it’s very, very hard, and there’s a very, very high chance that you’ll look ridiculous when you try to mimic those who can do it. Although the photos exaggerate the effect when compared to how this watch appeared to my eyes in reality, even when holding it in one’s hand, there is a strong and immediately apparent dissonance between the sizing and overall effect of these two stones.
Hublot has a small, but capable gem-setting department in its manufacture near Geneva, and they have done some truly impressive things before. On this occasion, I have some issues with their work, but said reservations are just of a stylistic kind, not qualitative. Just so you know the level of complexity they can handle, the Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold features 176 colored stones on its case, 48 on its bezel, and 212 on its dial. Altogether, there are 436 stones, rubies, pink sapphires, amethysts, blue sapphires, blue topazes, tsavorites, yellow sapphires and orange sapphires, and that’s Jacob & Co. territory.

All those stones make for a lot of eye candy also — and also a lot of ways for things to go wrong. The bezel, with its baguette-cut sapphires, looks proportionate to the case and the watch as a whole, and that’s great. The lugs and the dial components, however, look exceedingly weird, as though these small stones originally belonged to a Michael Kors fashion watch, not a six-figure-priced piece — even though the quality of the settings and the cuts do, of course, belong to the luxury segment. All that noted, criticizing this watch for the disproportionate stones and resulting overall look is like a makeup artist walking up to a clown and criticizing the nuances of his makeup. It’s clearly missing the point, and that’s something I don’t want to do. So, here’s what I will say in closing, instead.
Would I wear the Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold Watch? Hell yeah, I would. It’s a gold watch with tons of baguette-cut sapphires (they are my weakness, my kryptonite) and brilliant-cut colorful stones on them. I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t a sucker for these things. If given the choice, would I take this over a base Lange 1? No. Have I lost my mind? Therefore, I think no, I haven’t. But if I could wear this for weeks or months, I totally would, because I know this unafraid, likeable, laughable watch would cheer me up. And I think it would cheer most of my fellow watch-lovers up, too. Even though we will never have a chance to prove this, I very much believe that, if given the chance to wear this exact watch for a week or so, nine out of 10 watch enthusiasts would grow really rather fond of it. They, too, would still take the Lange 1 — but they wouldn’t be as repulsed by this rainbow-themed watch, as they may be now.