This year’s LVMH Watch Week – the first significant watch exhibition of the calendar year – was held in Singapore for the first time between January 10 and 12. As it does every year, the fourth edition debuted exceptional timepieces from the LVMH Group’s four watchmaking brands.
Here, we look at the models presented by Hublot. And, as it does every year, the watchmaker continues to be bold, with an impressive number of new releases; from monotones to the vibrantly colourful, from the opaque to the transparent.
Big Bang Integrated King Gold Rainbow & Time Only
Building on the success of last year’s best-seller, Hublot has unveiled two new variants of its King Gold Rainbow. Both pieces are fully paved – from the case to the bezel and the bracelet – with a variety of glittering gemstones arranged in a gradation of rainbow colours. There are 942 gemstones in total for the Big Bang Integrated and 924 for the Time Only.
The case and bracelet of both models are cut from King Gold, Hublot’s exclusive alloy containing platinum. It offers a distinctly warmer colour than traditional 18K 5N gold. It also lends itself perfectly to the alternating flat satin-finished surfaces and polished chamfers. Both have the same intense black dials that contrast vividly with rest of the watch.
The Time Only model has a more compact 40-mm case, and is powered by the MHUB1710 Unico self-winding movement. The second model has a larger 42-mm case, and is powered by the MHUB1280 Unico self-winding chronograph flyback movement.
Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Yellow Neon Saxem
The latest addition to Hublot’s collection of translucent watches, debuts a new material – a polished and micro-blasted yellow neon crystal called Saxem. Short for “Sapphire Aluminium oXide and rare Earth Mineral,” Saxem is an alloy of aluminium oxide, the basic component of sapphire, with rare earth elements like thulium, holmium and chromium. Used in such extreme applications as lasers and satellites, this crystal is ultra-resistant and endowed with a brilliance that is greater than that of sapphire.
This watch’s 44mm case and dial are in sapphire crystal. The strap is in matching yellow rubber Straps. Visible through the transparent construction is the in-house HUB6035 Automatic Tourbillon Movement. Distinguished by its automatic winding system with ball bearings, a micro-rotor on the dial side, and three sapphire bridges, the movement offers up to three days of power reserve.
Big Bang Unico Sorai
Hublot has been supporting SORAI – Save Our Rhinos Africa India – since 2019. An organisation founded by Hublot ambassador and former international cricket star Kevin Pietersen to help keep rhinos threatened with extinction safe from poachers. The colours chosen for the third SORAI model are those of sunset, recalling the heightened danger faced by rhinos from that period of the day and onwards. Part of the proceeds from the sale of the 100 watches will be donated to the NGO.
The 44 mm case is sculpted from polished and micro-blasted rhino-grey ceramic specially developed for this watch, and features an open-worked dial with the colours of sunset. The Unico self-winding movement within has 72 hours of power reserve. The patented One Click interchangeable strap system allows the watch to be worn with a grey fabric and Velcro version or a black, purple and orange camouflage design.
Classic Fusion Original
Hublot brings back the watch that started it all back in 1980. Both refined and sporty, the combination of a gold case fastened with a simple rubber strap, unthinkable at the time, is now an icon of the watchmaking industry. Echoes of Carlo Crocco’s original design are recognizable in the rubber strap, the polished black lacquered dial, the facetted hands, and the circular case design.
However, the logo is more contemporary. Also, the current “Original” is available in a choice of yellow gold, titanium and ceramic cases, as well as in 42, 38 and 33mm sizes. The sapphire case back reveal the mechanical parts of the MHUB1110 Self-winding movement within the 38 and 42mm cases, and the Quartz mechanism within the 33mm.
Big Bang One Click Sapphire Diamonds
Hublot has added its signature sapphire case construction to the One-Click collection, targeted primevally at women. The polished 39mm sapphire case, with a thickness of 12.55mm, has a polished stainless steel bezel set with 42 diamonds. As standard, it comes with an interchangeable black rubber strap, which complements the black visible parts of the automatic MHUB1710 calibre. This strap is obviously interchangeable with the seemingly endless selection of straps. The self-winding movement has a power reserve of 510 hours.
Classic Fusion Gold Crystal Ceramic
The 24K gold crystal, one of Hublot’s truly precious materials, is also a recurring one. The shimmering metallic crystal, which is extremely rare in nature, is the star of the show. It beautifully contrasts with the clean black surface of the watch. The dial is polished black, the 42mm case and bezel both are in satin-finished black ceramic, and the six signature H-shaped titanium screws are black-plated. The strap is either black rubber or alligator.
The whole watch surface, therefore, forms a blank canvas on which the shiny yellow flakes of gold find expression. Hublot’s HUB1110 self-winding movement, with a power reserve of 42-hour, moves the central hour, minute and second hands beneath the sapphire crystal treated with anti-reflective coating.
Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon Purple Sapphire & Carbon Sky Blue
Hubloo’s collection of Tonneau watches gets two new additions, both in 42mm. The bolder of the two – and following in the footsteps of the collection’s Tourbillon Orange Sapphire – is the polished purple sapphire case and bezel. The dial, case-cover and case-back are all colourless sapphire, thus rendering the whole watch transparent. The strap is in matching translucent purple rubber straps. This model is limited to just 50 pieces.
The second model – a successor to the Carbon White and Carbon Green Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon models – features a carbon fibre case and bezel infused with sky blue micro-glass fibres. The vivid yet tranquil colour also finds expression on the skeletal dial, where it forms a backdrop to the counters, in an otherwise grey setting. A matching sky-blue rubber strap has black edges to complement the watch. Both watches are powered by the HUB6020 manual-winding skeleton tourbillon movement which has a power reserve of 115 Hours.
Cheval Blanc Randheli – Big Bang Unico & Big Bang One Click
This year marks the ninth year of collaboration between Hublot and the idyllic Maldivian hotel Cheval Blanc Randheli. To commemorate the occasion, Hublot has introduced limited editions of the Big Bang Unico and the Big Bang One Click watches, each in twenty-five numbered pieces.
The two timepieces incorporate the hotel’s signature shades of taupe – a greyish-brown colour – and yellow. The Big Bang Unico dial is dressed in a matt taupe while the Big Bang One Click features a sunray taupe dial set with 11 white diamonds. Both have a polished yellow ceramic bezel. The standard strap is brown alligator, but it also comes with an additional white line rubber strap. Both are powered by the HUB1280 Unico self-winding chronograph movement. These commemorative special-edition watches are only available at the Cheval Blanc Randheli Concept Store.
