Hublot Big Bang Gold Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed)
Oct 22nd 2009 at 12:01PM

More of the same? Or less of more? I can't really decide because while I trust that there is something new here from Hublot, my senses tell me that this has basically been released before. Hublot hit a home run a few years ago with the Big Bang watch line. Since then, most of their new watches have been some variation on the Big Bang. A new model would be released that was simply done in a slightly different material or color. And to keep things fresh, Hublot attempted to give each of these new models some silly name (like the also new Hublot Tutti Frutti Hazelnut... yes, that is actually what they are calling it).

So in this instance, Hublot hasn't even tried to give the watch a clever name. They just call it the "Big Bang Gold," and it is in gold. Feels sort of uninspired... or has the inspiration ship long departed from Hublot's dock and I am only now noticing it? Now, I actually like the watch as it is, but as a new model, and given everything else that Hublot has released, I am scratching my head to figure out if I am missing anything to understand what is new. The watch is in 18k rose gold and 44.5mm wide. Of course other materials exist on the case such as the titanium screws, rubber, and the black material sandwiched by the gold. There is 100 meters of water resistance, and the movement is an automatic HUB4100 all nicely decorated with a tungsten carbide automatic rotor in black PVD.

Even the dial represents the now classic Big Bang looks. So in that regard I will just consider this model a retro model looking back at the original Hublot Big Bang, that debuts only several years ago, but feels classic now!

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: big bang, BigBang, gold, hublot, watch

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

The Rake Oct 22nd 2009 6:09PM

A beautiful watch, but yes, the slight tweaks and variations have become a little bland on the Bang. I still would love to own one though. Hublot needs to drum up something else special, as far too much of its aura is surrounded by the Big Bang series. Diversity is needed.
The Rake
http://thefilmnest.com

Mike Margolis Nov 8th 2009 9:47PM

This watch is the new dial version of the Big Bang, called the Evolution.

In the same way that you can look at a Porsche 911 from 10 years ago and today and see the similarities yet differences, the Evolution is a modernized version of the Big Bang. Introduced in Basel 2005 (so only four years ago), the Evolutions have three differences: 1) a completely brushed finish case, 2) luminous stick markers rather than non-luminous arabics, and 3) real carbon fiber dials on the models with ceramic bezels.

By the way, we have three full lines of models now: Classic Fusion (in 42 and 45mm), Big Bang (in 38, 41, 44 and 48mm), and King Power (in 48mm).

Hope this helps explain the new model.

Mike Margolis
Sales Director
Hublot of America
m.margolis@hublot.ch

steppy Dec 15th 2009 9:21PM

Mike, your defense of the lack of vision of your boss Jean-Claude Biver is admirable. I would do the same thing. Fact is he took the AP ROO template and slightly re-designed it and produced a bunch of different incarnations of the bang. Movements are off the shelf (surprise) and designs lack innovation except for materials. Just like with the recently released "camouflage" Big
Bang the leg work has not been done. My wife in in the Army and when this version of the BB was released I used the color printer and printed the camouflage Big Bang and ask her to see if this adhered to the camo pattern the troops use, it does not and is in fact was laughable by many of the army officers she associates with. Not that that matters as they will never be able to afford to own or were it. Point is Mr. Biver for all of his success is now grasping at established norms (not very well) to perpetrate the Big Bang product line.

kind regards

steppy

mike Dec 18th 2009 7:02AM

Dear Steppy,

Please have a look at this photograph:

http://www.hublotforum.com/evolutionofhublot.jpg

Hublot's design of the Big Bang has come directly from the design of the first Hublot in 1980. This "porthole" shape (the meaning of "hublot" in French) carries through to today.

Sorry you feel it is a copy of another watch, but there are a lot of similar watches out there without 30 years of DNA attached to them.