Tag: 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.”

If you know Hublot, you know the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang. 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 – 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 Hublot 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 Hublot 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 Spirit of Big Bang 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.
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.