Haute horlogerie brand Hublot unveiled its 2020 Novelties at LVMH Watch Week, which took place in Dubai in January. The marque’s new offerings include the Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10 and the Spirit of Big Bang Rainbow
Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10
Hublot has reworked its famous Meca-10 factory calibre with a 10-day power reserve to combine it with the “barrel” design of its emblematic Spirit of Big Bang 45 mm collection. This cutting-edge encounter has given rise to the Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10, available in three versions – titanium, black ceramic, and the exclusive King Gold alloy – with the famous rubber strap that Hublot was the first brand to combine with the gleam of gold.
By seeking to marry the round factory HUB1201 Meca-10 calibre (a movement that has already had a great success in many Big Bang models) with the “barrel” design of the Spirit of Big Bang, Hublot was not about to settle for making just a few minor adjustments. In the spirit of the great art of watchmaking, where a “barrel” frame must hold a calibre with the same shape, the engineers were tasked with revising the whole construction of the movement so that it would fit in the new space available as efficiently as possible from a technical aspect – and as harmoniously as possible on an aesthetic level.
The new HUB1233 calibre retains the basic principles of the manual-winding skeleton Meca-10 factory movement, with its parallel twin barrel and exceptional 10-day power reserve displayed in an unusual way. At 12 o’clock, there are two racks sliding on a line between 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock with an innovative new rack and pinion, whilst the opening at 3 o’clock shows the number of days left on the power reserve. Another technical and aesthetic feature is also reflected in the round movement: the usual plate is replaced by bridges with a fixed length on either side of a ring that serves as a base for the movement – a highly original architecture that brings to mind the perforated “joists” of a construction set.
Clever skeletonising of the components draws the eye to the heart of the mechanism, with a fascinating effect of depth, whether you look from the side of the dial or through the transparent back cover. The technical appearance of the whole is lifted by the contrast between parts made from crude steel with satin or polished finishes and parts with blackened finishes. The central display of the hours and minutes is completed by a small second hand at 9 o’clock, next to the balance and the hairspring that keeps time with total precision.
With its six H-screws crossing through the bezel, the lugs on either side of the dial, its highly-readable hands that are enhanced with a luminous coating, its imposing crown that facilitates winding and its bezel strap attachments, the Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10 has all the features of the original famous Big Bang, Hublot’s flagship model, in a “barrel” shape. The construction of the case also declares its identity loud and proud, with an innovative “sandwich” principle that makes it possible to vary and blend an infinite number of materials.
Spirit of Big Bang Rainbow
A celestial or divine manifestation that called for reverence or hope depending on the civilisation, this bridge between the earth and the sky was deconstructed by Isaac Newton in his theory on light and colours. These days, however, the rainbow remains a symbol of peace, joy and optimism. Like a modern alchemist, Hublot has rendered this fleeting optical phenomenon immutable by designing the Spirit of Big Bang Rainbow, two 39-mm and 42-mm timepieces, thus enshrouding the beginning of 2020 with good omens. Like a rainbow of gemstones, they make this colour spectrum sparkle, prolonging its hitherto ephemeral appearance.
After the Big Bang, it’s now the Spirit of Big Bang’s turn to take on the colours of the Rainbow. The soft shade of the cases in King Gold takes on the colours of the rainbow with a shimmering paving of round and baguette-cut gemstones. On the 42-mm Spirit of Big Bang Rainbow, the hour hand clasps the chronograph skeleton movement like the claws of a precious setting, while sapphires, rubies, topazes, tsavorites and amethysts entirely cover the dial of the 39-mm model with sparkling reflections.
The seven famous colours indefinitely extend their power by also covering the alligator straps. These two newcomers reignite the success of the Spirit of Big Bang collection whose design is directly inspired by the Big Bang with a barrel shape. This is a unique case construction that enables an infinite number of combinations of materials and colours and encloses the Hublot HUB4700 movement, considered by connoisseurs as one of the best Swiss chronographs ever made.
