Hublot gets a lot of stick. The brand’s mainstream but arguably undeserved reputation as a brassy, brazen, baron of bombast has proven hard to dispel in the minds of the masses. To this end, Hublot is perhaps its own worst enemy. Never one to shy away from a bit of self-promotion, the brand aligns itself with attention-grabbing artists and elite sportspeople, chucking millions at globally visible event sponsorship.
Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu Sapphire - Credit Hublot
Say what you want about the strategy, but it certainly gets the name out there. And a brand like Hublot, despite its incredible volume of investment in advertising and partnerships, doesn’t actually need to sell that many watches per year to make it a viable business (in 2020, long-time CEO Ricardo Guadalupe revealed the brand made 60,000 units with an average price of CHF 20,000).
What’s slightly saddening to those of us who appreciate the soul of Hublot much more than the face it shows to the world, is that there is so much to like about what the brand has done and what it continues to do for the industry in terms of research and development.
Hublot Original Yellow Gold Classic Fusion - Credit Hublot
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Hublot’s forge is a playground for material scientists. They come up with some of the weirdest and most wonderful things I’ve ever encountered in watchmaking. Many of their utterly bonkers brainstorming sessions never see the light of day, but the nooks and crannies around the workshop are often home to failed endeavours, forgotten projects, and prototypes that someone decided to keep hold of, just in case anyone fancies making a dial or case out of squid-ink-injected-kevlar in the future…
Choosing five awesome watches from Hublot is easy. Choosing which to leave the list? That’s not so straightforward. As such, I’ve limited myself to just two Big Bang pieces, despite it being my runaway favourite line within the current lineup, and ensured the less often corners of the catalogue get a much-needed airing.
5. Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium 910.NX.0001.RX
Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium 910.NX.0001.RX - Credit Hublot
This model is too ridiculous not to include on the list. Although I don’t expect anyone to actually want it, I think we can probably all agree we’re glad it exists. It’s Hublot being Hublot. Without this kind of wild project in the world, watch collecting would be a far duller pursuit.
4. Hublot Original Yellow Gold Classic Fusion 38 565.VX.1230.RX.MDM
Hublot Original Yellow Gold Classic Fusion 38 565.VX.1230.RX.MDM - Credit Hublot
So I have a soft spot for the classics! When Carlo Crocco first decided to pair a rubber strap with a gold case, people thought he was crazy. Now, 44 years on, it looks like he might have been onto something…
3. Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon Purple Sapphire 42 mm 645.JM.0120.RT
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon Purple Sapphire 42 mm 645.JM.0120.RT - Credit Hublot
This is the second watch on this list that runs close to the 200K mark. Thus, it is certainly not a) for everybody and b) a daily wear for anyone who can afford it, but it’s another great example of Hublot doing what Hublot does best. Coloured sapphire and the brand’s proprietary “SAXEM” material make for cases that look unlike almost anything else out there. And when you compare them to the one brand that leaps to mind when discussing colourful sapphire cases (Artya), they come off looking pretty demure and wearable. Don’t believe me? Check out Artya’s official website here and let us know what you think in the comments.
2. Hublot Big Bang Unico Full Magic Gold 44 mm 421.MX.1130.RX
Hublot Big Bang Unico Full Magic Gold 44 mm 421.MX.1130.RX - Credit Hublot
Magic gold is the greatest material in watchmaking. A porous boron-carbide billet with molten gold forced into its structure under crushing pressure akin to being 2000 meters underwater and shaped with an electrified diamond wire thereafter, it is truly the mad science for which we turn to Hublot.
1. Hublot Big Bang Integrated Time Only Titanium 38 mm 457.NX.1270.NX
Hublot Big Bang Integrated Time Only Titanium 38 mm 457.NX.1270.NX - Credit Hublot
The perfect Hublot doesn’t exi—
When this new undersized series dropped earlier this year, I was left speechless. The Big Bang was one of the most important watches to me throughout my career. I idolised it growing up. I desired a white ceramic and rose gold BB chronograph throughout my apprenticeship (clearly, at that time, I also harboured delusions of pursuing a rap career on the side). I always assumed I would choose a chronograph as I believed it to be integral to the watch’s character, but here, with these new models, with the crisp presentation of so many brand-DNA elements, the HUB 1115 calibre visible through an open caseback, and that incredible bracelet that looks to me like the love child of the URWERK UR-100 and Rolex Texano, I am convinced I was wrong. Right now, this is the best Hublot money can buy, and, pleasingly, this model requires a lot less money than most!
Priced at £11,200, it is remarkably accessible for a brand whose average price is around double that amount. There is just one thing I would ask of the brand, although I know the cost of it would be stratospheric: Please make this model in Magic Gold (entirely). That, while having to cost six figures due to the bracelet, would be my perfect Hublot and possibly a watch I’d be happy to wear every day for the rest of my life.
In the meantime, reference 457.NX.1270.NX may well find itself entering the rotation in years to come.
