Big Bang 20th Anniversary “Master of Sapphire”

PROVING WHY HUBLOT REIGNS SUPREME WITH SAPPHIRE: UNVEILING THE BIG BANG 20TH ANNIVERSARY “MASTER OF SAPPHIRE” SET

April 1st, Geneva, Switzerland - 20 Years of pushing the limits of chromatics, transparency and science itself with the Big Bang. When it comes to the wondrous crystalline material, Hublot can confidently claim to be the Master of Sapphire. Ever since the first Big Bang in sapphire from 2016 and the first coloured sapphire case the following year, Hublot has made it its mission to explore and exploit sapphire and its many potential forms. A laborious scientific process, creating new colours of transparent sapphire requires far more than simply switching pigments. Each colour requires finding the precise formula and adjusting the process accordingly, to ensure a qualitative result both aesthetically and functionally. The challenge is further compounded by the complexity of the Big Bang’s unique sandwich construction.

Limited to just five sets, The Big Bang 20th Anniversary “Master of Sapphire” set features five examples of the Big Bang MECA-10, each cased in a different sapphire or SAXEM case: transparent sapphire, Water Blue sapphire, Deep Blue sapphire, Purple sapphire and Neon Yellow SAXEM. Each of the five pieces in the set also features a transparent strap perfectly matched to the case’s color, as well as color accents on the hands and applied markers. These colors represent some of the Hublot Manufacture’s proudest achievements when it comes to expanding the possibilities of sapphire as a case material, bringing out evermore striking colors from the usually transparent case material.

The MECA-10 movement is the perfect engine when there’s so much to see through the crystalline cases. The Master of Sapphire box sets mark the first time that the MECA-10 calibre is cased in sapphire. Conceived like no other manual-winding movement, the MECA-10 emphasizes the sense of architecture and motion in a watch movement. It’s a mechanical choreography, where the gears don’t all move in the same configuration. It’s impressive power reserve of 10 days is displayed by means of a “crémaillère” rack system rarely seen in mechanical watches, consisting of a linear gear engaging a circular gear.

With so many statement pieces in a single box set, Hublot has created a unique display case for the five Big Bang 20th Anniversary “Master of Sapphire” sets, featuring a backlit panel with vertical lights where the watches are stored, protected by a sliding glass panel with a frosted finish and embellished with an engraved plaque marking “Master of Sapphire XX/05”.

HUBLOT

In 1980 and for the first time, a watch dared to put a gold case on a rubber strap, turning the luxury watch world upside down in the process. Named for the porthole-shaped bezel with its exposed screws, Hublot was born and with it, the Art of Fusion.

In 2005 the brand took this exercise in creative thinking to a new level with the Big Bang and its iconic design, size and layered construction case. That same year, Hublot received the Best Design award at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. Since then, spurred by this revolutionary mindset, the Big Bang has never stopped reinventing itself. The twenty-first century has its first watch Icon.

The concept of fusion is omnipresent, the guiding principle for every collection. Big Bang timepieces reshape the geometries of time; Classic Fusion balances boldness and restraint, while the Exceptional Timepieces overwrite expectations to create unprecedented horological objects. With its disruptive approach of challenging convention, Hublot’s DNA is transcribed in the Unico, Meca-10 and tourbillon in-house movements, to add another tier of meaning to the Art of Fusion.

Alchemy is ingrained into Hublot and not just at La Manufacture. Magic can take place on a football pitch, producing partnerships with major events (FIFA World CupTM 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, Premier League, UEFA Champions League and UEFA EuroTM). Sometimes it happens at a concert, a basketball match, an artistic performance or at a unique gastronomic experience with Hublot’s family of starred Chefs. And so, the Hublot Vibes come to life, through shared moments of exaltation amongst the Hublotistas, its very own community of proud Hublot owners. The Art of Fusion goes beyond the tangible. It is a way of being, the Hublot way of life.

BIG BANG 20TH ANNIVERSARY – A CELEBRATION OF THE BIG BANG REVOLUTIONARY MINDSET

In 2005 the Big Bang marked the advent of a new era in watchmaking, more closely attuned than ever to the privileges of its name. Few timepieces have transformed contemporary watchmaking like the Big Bang. Twenty years after its launch, it remains the incarnation of a Manufacture that constantly pushes the boundaries of the unknown. Through exclusive materials and in-house movements, led by the Unico and the Meca-10, the Big Bang breaks with tradition —a notion it has never completely embraced. Singular for its bold aesthetic, plural for its versatility, this is the Big Bang.