Big Bang 20th Anniversary Red Magic

THE SINGULARITY OF AN ICON: HUBLOT UNVEILS A FUSION OF THE BIG BANG ORIGINAL AND BIG BANG UNICO FOR THE COLLECTION’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY

April 1st, Geneva, Switzerland - 20 years can seem like a long time. But time is relative, and in the case of the Big Bang, two decades have gone by in a blink. In that time, Hublot has forged itself into the undisputed leader of innovation in materials, design and technicity. Hublot and its Big Bang have gone from one showstopper to another, ceaselessly reinventing the codes and building on a spirit of revolution, audacity and playfulness. With many world-firsts and genre-defying feats, the Big Bang will go down in history as the first truly iconic watch of the 21st century and a beacon of creativity in a field that’s usually confined by history and tradition. A true point of singularity, after which nothing can be the same.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the manufacture’s most emblematic collection, Hublot has revisited some of the most significant milestones in the collection’s history in a true act of fusion, combining the original Big Bang’s design with the current Big Bang Unico, resulting in five limited edition Big Bang models. Each of the five editions combines the most emblematic details from the first Big Bang models and the later Big Bang Unico, making these 20th anniversary pieces commemorative by bridging the past, present and future of the Big Bang.

All five models feature a redesigned case with the distinctive layered construction that recalls the earliest Big Bangs with pinched lugs and a knurled bezel edge, as well as the distinctive Big Bang silhouette. The engraved dials with a carbon fibre-inspired relief motif feature the iconic riveted Arabic numerals and indexes and, just like the original Big Bangs, but this time filled with Super-LumiNova like the Big Bang Unico models.

The dial features two counters, one for the small seconds at 9 o'clock and one for the minutes of the chronograph at 3 o'clock, though now driven by the Unico automatic manufacture chronograph movement, with a commemorative gold rotor marking the 20th anniversary of this modern icon. The structured rubber strap with a treaded lozenge pattern, reminiscent of the very first Big Bangs, is fastened to the case using the Big Bang Unico’s One Click strap-change mechanism integrated in the case. With these five editions, Hublot sought to highlight a selection of materials that stand out as the manufacture’s source of pride, which have earned it immense expertise to create truly outstanding pieces.

RED CERAMIC

Ceramic has always played an integral role in the genesis and evolution of the Big Bang. But what Hublot has done in the past years is truly pushing the envelope by producing ceramic in vivid colours that the world of watchmaking has never seen before. No small feat, coloured ceramic are extremely difficult to master. From selecting the right pigments to applying the right pressures and temperatures to maintain the material’s structural integrity and keep the colour homogenous, a lot of trial and error is required to get it just right as the process has to be adapted for each colour. The first of Hublot’s in- house developed and made coloured ceramics was red ceramic, first unveiled in 2018. To mark this important achievement as the first of many developments in which Hublot stands at the forefront of innovation, the Big Bang 20th Anniversary Red Magic edition of 100 pieces completes the quintet of commemorative pieces. The combination of bright red ceramic with a carbon-patterned dial is as evocative as it is boldly and proudly singular.