A WATCHMAKING SENSATION REINGINEERED
Hublot presents the Big Bang MECA-10 42mm
Always at the forefront of creativity and innovation, Hublot stunned the world of watchmaking when it first unveiled the Big Bang MECA-10 in 2016, a playful watch with a movement construction like no other. Now, nearly a decade later, Hublot brings back the MECA-10 with an optimized calibre in a more compact 42mm case in King Gold, Titanium and Frosted Carbon.
Hublot has reinvented creativity in a modern interpretation of the mechanical watch movement. Void of a conventional dial, the MECA-10 makes visible and aestheticizes something that is normally hidden. Inspired by Meccano-type construction systems, the MECA-10 is a masterclass in micromechanical engineering and a creatively intriguing spin on how we perceive mechanics and the motion of time itself. Like a construction that’s fashioned layer by layer, brick by brick, the Big Bang MECA-10 offers something to discover in every element from every angle, where the interconnection between them creates a dynamic choreography.
The original Big Bang MECA-10 broke all the rules upon its release 2016 with its unique form, consisting of a ring-shaped base plate onto which the bridges are attached. The result was one of visual intrigue and structural integrity. Now, Hublot revisits this unique take on the manual-winding skeleton movement with a refined, open and coherent display, while maintaining its distinctive construction that’s elevated with refined finishing and decoration. For the engineers and watchmakers at Hublot, the challenge was to preserve all that makes the MECA-10 so original, while reducing its dimensions to fit the 42mm Big Bang case without compromising its performance.
True to its name, the Big Bang MECA-10 features an impressive power reserve of 10 days. What truly make it stand out however is its power reserve indicator. Delivered by two mainspring barrels, the energy level of the movement can be read by means of a digital display that shows the power reserve as the number of days of autonomy remaining. These indications are driven by a “crémaillère” rack system rarely seen in mechanical watches, consisting of a linear gear engaging a circular gear, moving in a straight line.
The balance wheel, positioned on the dial side of the movement, is entirely visible. Beyond providing ceaseless animation to the display, it also highlights Hublot’s unique and patented fine adjusted mechanism. The regulating organ features a lubricant-free and paramagnetic silicon escape wheel. For precise time-setting, the new Big Bang MECA-10 features a hacking seconds mechanism.
BIG BANG TOURBILLON AUTOMATIC GREEN SAXEM
Green, the colour of hope, vitality and prosperity. For Hublot, it’s also a colour of innovation and looking towards the future.
A pioneer when it comes to groundbreaking material innovations, Hublot and its manufacture’s Metallurgy & Materials laboratory have mastered the intricacies of transparent materials such as sapphire crystal. Always seeking new creative avenues, Hublot became the first and only watch brand to use SAXEM, a material that’s related to sapphire while offering more luminous and chromatic possibilities. Now, the manufacture presents the Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Green SAXEM, combining an intense emerald-green transparent case with its self-winding tourbillon movement in a limited edition of just 18 pieces.
After having mastered the techniques of crafting its watches – both cases and movement components – in sapphire crystal and it the numerous colours it can take on, there are limits to the hues and colour intensities it can adopt. To produce an emerald-like green transparent material, Hublot and its teams of researchers and metallurgists had to look elsewhere. The answer came far from the world of watchmaking in the form of SAXEM (Sapphire Aluminium oXide and rare Earth Mineral), a material that was originally conceived for satellite technology. While it does boast many of the same properties to sapphire such as hardness and transpareny, it’s different on a molecular level. While both are made of aluminum oxide, SAXEM is combined with rare earth elements. Its also structurally different, as sapphire is trigonal (three-sided) while SAXEM is cubic (four-sided). This subtle but significant distinction allows for SAXEM to take on intense colours and shine brilliantly, like a precious gemstone.
Within the vibrant and crystalline green SAXEM case beats Hublot’s MHUB6035 automatic tourbillon manufacture calibre, entirely developed and manufactured in-house. Built with a contemporary architecture, its 22-karat gold micro-rotor is positioned on the dial side of the movement. The winding is smooth and efficient with ceramic ball bearings, allowing the movement to reach a minimum chronometric power reserve of 72 hours. With an emphasis on openness and motion, the kinetics of the micro-rotor at 12 o’clock is complemented by the 60-second tourbillon carriage at 6 o’clock. The openness of the construction is accentuated by three functional sapphire elements for the barrel bridge, automatic winding gears bridge and tourbillon barrette. Specially for the Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Green SAXEM, the dial is tinted darker.
The movement itself, visible through the open dial, is finished in black tones, providing more contrast to the SAXEM case and matching the crown. For added legibility, the Big Bang’s signature alternating Arabic numerals and baton markers feature a bright green paint with Super-LumiNova, as do the hands. A mix of sandblasted and hand-decorated elements with polished bevelling sunray-brushing elevates this modernistic and unique take on watchmaking into a true haute horlogerie creation. As the perfect finishing touch matching the case, the Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Green SAXEM comes on a transparent green rubber strap and black folding clasp.
HUBLOT UNVEILS ITS FIRST TRIO OF VIBRANT HUES, IN THE SPIRIT OF BIG BANG COLLECTION
Upon its launch in 2014, the Spirit of Big Bang took Hublot fans and watch-lovers by surprise, as it was the very first Hublot since the establishment of the brand decades earlier to feature a case that wasn’t round. And yet, the Spirit of Big Bang is inherently and unmistakably a Hublot. The barrel shape remains a porthole, a window into the future of watchmaking far beyond conventions.
For the first time in the collection, the cases and bezels are crafted in coloured ceramics that were previously only available in the round Big Bang shape: Sand Beige, Dark Green and Sky Blue, each limited to 200 pieces. Colourful, hypoallergenic, light, scratch-resistant and gender-neutral in their appeal, these three new models are a testament to Hublot’s unrivalled prowess when it comes to cutting-edge materials and developing ceramic for watches in unprecedented tones.
Visible through the open dials, the Spirit of Big Bang Chronograph models are powered by the Hublot automatic skeleton chronograph calibre HUB4700, which ia s modernized descendant of the historic and highly prized El Primero, considered the first Swiss high-frequency integrated chronograph calibre ever made. Visible from both the open dial and sapphire display back, the movement hosts several technical innovations and advancements compared to the original from 1969, including a low-friction silicon escape wheel.
Matching each of the three coloured ceramic cases in this new trio of Spirit of Big Bang Chronograph watches, the dials feature hour markers, chronograph counters and hands in a matching tone. The rubber straps, made of black rubber with a coloured central inlay, are also perfectly coordinated with the coloured ceramic cases.
SPIRIT OF BIG BANG YEAR OF THE SNAKE
Hublot continues it’s tradition of celebrating the zodiac animals of the Chinese lunisolar calendar in creative and surprising ways with the Spirit of Big Bang Year of the Snake.
A symbol associated with wisdom, charm and transformation, the snake holds a special place in the Chinese zodiac system. Since 2016, Hublot has celebrated each Chinese new year with an artfully rendered special edition of the Spirit of Big Bang. Reinterpreting these symbolic animals in contemporary and unexpected ways, Hublot has crafted an ornate rendition of the snake that extends from the dial to the case and even the strap in the Spirit of Big Bang Year of the Snake, a limited edition of 88 pieces.
The Spirit of Big Bang’s signature open dial revealing the inner working of the chronograph movement is inhabited by a golden snake. Striking and three-dimensional, the gold-plated snake is crafted with lifelike details that have been engraved with astounding precision thanks to the latest advancements in laser technologies. Carefully positioned as if slithering around the chronograph’s three counters, the serpent immediately catches the eye and intrigues.
The black barrel-shaped ceramic case features Hublot’s patented One-Click strap changing mechanism, and is topped by a screwed ceramic bezel that is engraved to reveal a pattern of snake scales. This pattern extends to the black rubber strap, which has a uniquely velvet finish with a slight shimmer, even though it is entirely made of a single piece of rubber with an innovative embossing technique.
The Spirit of Big Bang Year of the Snake is powered by the Hublot automatic skeleton chronograph calibre HUB4700, which ia s modernized descendant of the historic and highly prized El Primero, considered the first Swiss high-frequency integrated chronograph calibre ever made. Visible from both the open dial and sapphire display back, the movement hosts a number of technical innovations and advancements compared to the original from 1969, including a low-friction silicon escape wheel.
