Haute horlogerie marque Hublot’s novelties for 2021 is a wonderful play on colours. Watches released include the Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Rainbow and the Hublot Big Bang DJ Snake. Both timepieces are canvasses on which colours dance an ephemeral minuet
Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Rainbow
Since 2017, Hublot has been setting its watches with all the colours of the rainbow. However, the watch brand has never combined all of its seven colours in one piece. Now, Hublot has debuted two exceptional High Jewellery pieces adorned with the full rainbow spectrum, from the case to the dial and to the bracelet. Two Big Bang Tourbillon models made from King Gold or white gold, which allow a glimpse beneath the sapphire to reveal the fascinating automatic tourbillon manufacture movement.
While Hublot is now completely synonymous with its Art of Fusion, the watch brand is also a master of the Art of Colour. It excels at imbuing all the materials it uses with colour, from those it has built expertise in, such as sapphire, to those it has patented, like vibrantly coloured ceramic.
With a Pop Art spirit and a penchant for bright tones, Hublot loves its watches to really show their colours. Juxtapositions, gradations, contrasts, no Pantone is out of reach – not even the palette required for “Rainbow Maximalism”. While the Rainbow trend has recently taken the fashion world by storm, for Hublot, this love of polychromy is anything but fleeting – unlike the rainbow itself – with the first Big Bang Rainbow released in 2017.
This piece totals almost 36 carats, with 484 invisibly set baguette-cut stones of seven different types to echo the seven visible colours of the spectrum: bright red rubies, fuchsia pink sapphires, ultraviolet amethysts, topaz in Klein blue, leaf green tsavorites, lemon yellow sapphires and bright orange sapphires. Two striking creations with generous dimensions of 43 mm; two unique pieces crafted from King Gold or white gold, with the integrated bracelet further reinforcing the visual impact, as the graduated spectrum of colours radiates outwards from the bezel to the bracelet.
The colour gradation is expertly executed, subtle yet captivating. It would be impossible to choose a favourite colour or stone. It must be said that, when it comes to perfectly combining and harmonising colours, Nature knows best. The continuous transition between the seven types of stones further accentuates the piece’s artistic appeal.
To reproduce the perfection of Nature takes 1,200 hours of work, selecting the stones, choosing their colours, cutting them and setting them to ensure the perfect gradation of colours. Nothing is left to chance in this work of art, including its mechanism, a manufacture movement entirely designed and manufactured in-house. It features a tourbillon at 6 o’clock, no less striking than the piece itself: self-winding, with a micro-rotor visible on the dial side, and three bridges made from transparent sapphire. Once again, Hublot has fused innovation with expertise, combining Haute Horlogerie and Haute Joaillerie in a truly stunning watch. Multicoloured is no longer a fashion faux pas; rather a deliberate multifaceted style
Hublot Big Bang DJ Snake
The most streamed French artist in the world, with a slew of international hits, DJ Snake is joining forces with Hublot to unveil an exclusive creation: the Big Bang DJ Snake. A watch boasting a myriad of facets, just like the talented artist who inspired it.
DJ Snake has such a huge presence in today’s musical landscape that he needs no introduction. The electronic music star first came to public attention with the track “Turn Down For What”, released in 2013. Since then, the hits have racked up: “Lean On”, “Loco Contigo”, “Let Me Love You” with Justin Bieber, and “Selfish Love” with Selena Gomez. Diplo, Kanye West, Lil Jon… the collaborations keep on coming. He became the first French artist to have two songs with over a billion plays on Spotify, and the awards have rained down: Billboard Music Awards; MTV Music Awards; and no fewer than three NRJ Music Awards.
Hublot and DJ Snake have been partners since January 1, 2018, when he presided over the decks at Hublot’s closing evening during the FIFA World Cup in Russia. Three years later, the first watch of this partnership is being unveiled: meet the Big Bang DJ Snake. The instantly recognisable iconic design of the Big Bang here gleams with a thousand coloured reflections. The bezel and the six titanium components of the 45-mm case are adorned with a “Newton’s Rings” effect. This process, which is technically similar to a black PVD treatment, is achieved through charging with colours and precisely orienting the components to a certain position to obtain the required colour.
The result is an optical effect in which the colours change depending on the light and when viewed from different angles. Not only that, but the surface of the parts was hardened before the iridescent treatment in order to improve its adherence. This operation is a complex one as it is difficult to obtain the same gradation of colour on each of the 100 watches being produced. The cut-outs on the outer edge of the bezel were designed by DJ Snake himself. These notches make the Big Bang DJ Snake immediately recognisable, distinguishing it from other collections. An illustration of the Art of Fusion philosophy so dear to Hublot.
The upper face of the sapphire dial features a map of the world in the same colours as the case. This globe acts as DJ Snake’s signature. A nod both to his travels across the planet for his concerts and to the fact that his hits have made the world his home. The lower section is skeletonised and treated to create sections with a black fumé finish. This semi-transparent finish allows a glimpse of the famous calibre HUB1242 UNICO movement, a flyback chronograph with a power reserve of 72 hours.
Limited to 100 pieces, the Big Bang DJ Snake will be supplied with two straps that are easily interchangeable thanks to Hublot’s patented One Click system. The first is made from rubber, with a grey, black and purple camouflage pattern echoing the myriad colours reflected by the watch case. The second, also rubber, has a black ribbed structure. The clasp on these straps also features the same “Newton’s Rings” effect as the case and bezel.
