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Watches and Wonders

HUBLOT CELEBRATES THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIG BANG, THE FIRST ICONIC WATCH OF THE 21ST CENTURY

The Watches of Switzerland Group 5 Minutes
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FIRST SHOCK

In the 1980s, Hublot shook the world of luxury watchmaking to its core. Doing the unthinkable, the brand entered the scene by combining two materials from seemingly opposing worlds: gold and rubber. With its distinctive porthole design and clear nautical inspiration, the aim was to create a watch that was both sporty and opulent, fulfilling the dream of the brand’s founder Carlo Crocco to have a watch that he could rely on when sailing and still look sleek with a suit and tie. In 2005, that same revolutionary mindset was brought back to life in new extremes with the Big Bang, boasting a maximalist design and oversized yet ergonomic proportions. Nothing would be the same.

BIG BANG

The Big Bang. The cosmic event from which all matter and time itself would be born. An entire ever-expanding universe created from a singularity event. The Hublot Big Bang would indeed usher a new reality for not just the brand, but the entire trajectory of contemporary watchmaking. Under its “Art of Fusion” philosophy, the established rules were there to be broken in pursuit of absolute creative freedom. With the introduction of the very first Big Bang in 2005, this new approach would allow design and materials to reign supreme. Foregoing a traditional construction, Hublot deftly combined 18K pink gold, ceramic, rubber and carbon fibre in a layered construction that was unlike anything the world had seen until that point, opening a world of infinite possibilities. The original Big Bang went on to receive numerous awards and accolades, including the prestigious GPHG 2005 “Design Watch” prize. But it was just the beginning for the Hublot Big Bang, and the only limit was imagination.

A REVOLUTIONARY MINDSET

Audacious. Unexpected. Groundbreaking. Playful. These are the principles that have guided Hublot since its foundation. In the years following the Big Bang’s introduction, Hublot would continue to redefine the rules and raise the stakes. Not confined by history or tradition, Hublot goes where other no other watchmaker would dare to, incorporating a sense of daring playfulness and individualism in all its creations. From introducing new materials and exceptional chromatics in ceramic and sapphire and even inventing a few such as Magic Gold, to reimagining ages-old mechanical complications and transcending the barriers between horology and contemporary art and culture, the Big Bang is indeed a porthole offering a view onto the future of watchmaking.

20 YEARS OF THE UNEXPECTED

Since its unveiling in 2005, the Big Bang has become a veritable platform to surprise and astonish. Always pushing boundaries and exploring new creative possibilities, the Big Bang is in a perpetual state of evolution and metamorphosis. Whether it’s the wide array of materials and their unprecedented combinations or the manufacture-made movements and complications, the Big Bang continues to bring out the unexpected and set the tone for Hublot’s wildest and most imaginative creations.

On this milestone, CEO Julien Tornare shared, “Celebrating the 20th anniversary of one of the undisputed icons of contemporary watchmaking is something that we at Hublot are incredibly humbled and proud of. The Big Bang is without a doubt one of the most significant watches of the 21st century. Its influence has reshaped the potential of what a watch can be, crossing all boundaries between tradition and modernism; science and art. This is a year of celebration, reflection and looking forward, and we’re excited to share some special moments and surprises with our global community throughout 2025”

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.

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