Hublot launches Big Bang Unico Sapphire All Black

  Ten years after the launch of the All Black concept, and to mark the anniversary of this current “must-have” trend, Hublot is disrupting the natural order. It uses transparency to foster a new connection between the visible and invisible. The exterior of the Big Bang watch is now invisible, so that the construction and movement of the timepiece are now fully observable. Through a fusion of materials, textures and finishes, Hublot has used the Big Bang Unico Sapphire All Black to reinterpret the iconic all black style.

“By its nature, black absorbs all visible radiation and does not reflect any light. In this original interpretation of our “All Black” concept, Hublot is once again playing with received ideas. The Big Bang Unico Sapphire All Black is both transparent and completely robed in black. What is more, it does not absorb light. In fact, it lets light pass through. It embodies the dichotomy of the visible and invisible, the seen and the unseen” says Jean-Claude Biver, Chairman, Hublot.

A decade ago, with its All Black collection, Hublot launched a brand-new and pioneering concept: “Invisible visibility”. A philosophy symbolising the very essence of the brand. A timepiece whose transparent take on telling the time propelled it to the rank of iconic object. A powerful, emblematic design which became the height of fashion. Today, Hublot is still a pioneering figure in this monochrome, all black style.

“In the original All Black concept, the watch is visible but the time display is invisible. The Big Bang Unico Sapphire All Black plays with transparency; technically it is invisible but, conversely, the time display is rendered visible. It makes our proprietary Unico movement fully and completely visible. A watch which has nothing to hide, which fully reveals its construction and its movement,” said Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot.

Exploring new ground, pushing back boundaries and taking on the impossible, the history of Hublot is punctuated with firsts and patents. True to its motto of “there is no future without innovation”, it proves that technological progress is the fruit of experience, curiosity and the desire to constantly move forward. Difficulty is a challenge that motivates the brand and its teams. Following the exclusive presentation a few weeks ago of the Big Bang Unico Sapphire – a timepiece entirely made from sapphire which required months of development and multi-million investments – Hublot is doing it all again by presenting a piece so bold it is verging on impertinent. It is combining opposites – the visible and the invisible – in a piece which expresses the very essence of its All Black concept.

Transcending the materials used in its creation, the Big Bang Unico Sapphire All Black is crafted from blocks of sapphire crystal – sapphire that has been coated with metal. Enhanced by black, this sapphire maintains its transparent properties in a subtle balancing act.

Transferring the expertise amassed from machining very hard materials such as Magic Gold, Hublot has developed its industrial mastery of an extremely complex material, one of the hardest, most scratch- resistant and transparent in existence – sapphire. This method of machining sapphire enables Hublot to render this material — which can only be cut by diamond — more accessible, transforming its status as something unique, only seen in private collections, by using it to create a limited edition of 500 pieces. By sculpting sapphire into the complex shape of its iconic Big Bang case, Hublot is achieving a double feat with the Big Bang Unico Sapphire All Black.

Transparency combined with skeleton work allows the workings of the Unico manufacture movement to be laid bare. This complete visibility means that the column wheel positioned on the dial side is now no longer the only feature of the movement which can be seen. Even the strap combines transparency with the signature all black style.

As 10 birthday candles are lit for the “All Black” concept, this is a worthy tribute to the pioneering and acclaimed monochrome icon.