A tonneau case, a skeletonised dial, a truly impressive movement and more wrist presence than you can shake a stick at… We don’t understand why this techy Hublot isn’t a bigger deal than it is.
Let’s be honest with ourselves for a moment. One of the main reasons people buy luxury watches is because they want to show off – and few brands lend themselves to that theatrical aspect of watch collecting more than Hublot. Bold, brash, technical and unmistakable, Hublot is a brand that’s never been afraid of being subtle, and that’s kind of the appeal.
However, in recent years, Hublot has faced stiff competition from similar watchmakers who also seem to deal in the sublime and ridiculous. Think Richard Mille, Roger Dubuis or Franck Muller. These are brands that all have many things in common, chief of which are sky-high price tags and eye-catching designs.
But Hublot’s still got plenty to offer to the aspiring rapper or horological iconoclast. Case in point: the criminally underrated Hublot Spirit Of Big Bang Meca-10.
First of all, let’s talk about the Spirit Of Big Bang’s case design. First introduced in 2014, the Spirit Of Big Bang took the classic round Big Bang and gave it a barrel-shaped makeover. (FYI, ‘tonneau’ is just French for ‘barrel’. Now you know.) There’s just something about a tonneau case that just screams class – they also tend to be more ergonomic than standard circular or square cases, with the Spirit of Big Bang’s subtly curved design better hugging one’s wrist.
That leads us to the Spirit Of Big Bang Meca-10’s movement, which is really what makes the watch so cool. Meca-10 is Hublot’s line of in-house, ultra-long power reserve manual-winding movements, which both look super cool and offer, as the name implies, a whopping 10-day power reserve. That’s 240 hours! It’s hard to overstate how impressive that is.
The HUB1233 calibre that’s in the Spirit Of Big Bang Meca-10 has been specifically designed to fit the watch’s tonneau-shaped case, and to our eyes, is easily the best-looking of Hublot’s Meca-10 movements. What’s super cool about it is that at 12 o’clock, there are two racks sliding on a line between 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock with an innovative new rack and pinion, whilst the opening at 3 o’clock shows the number of days left on the power reserve.
That means there are actually three different ways you can tell how much power the Spirit Of Big Bang Meca-10 has in reserve: the display at 3 o’clock, an aperture in the mainspring barrel, and via that cool rack and pinion just below the Hublot logo. The barrels, too (there’s so many barrels!) are clearly visible through the watch’s sapphire caseback, which is another nice touch.
Honestly, this thing just ticks all the boxes. It screams money, but it’s not crass – it’s highly wearable and functional. Yes, this is unequivocally a statement piece but it’s also an aficionado’s watch. Shock and awe.
Available in titanium, black ceramic or gold, book an appointment and try one on for yourself here. You can thanks us later.
Complimentary First Service
From Wednesday 22nd of November 2023, the Hublot Sydney boutique will now include a complimentary first service with the purchase of any timepiece containing a Unico, Meca-10, or EP- 400 movement.
Performed by one of only three qualified Hublot watchmakers in ANZ this service includes carefully disassembling the case to conduct a thorough examination of all parts, refurbishing the bezel, case- back, end pieces, plates or middle case. The watchmakers will change the non-functioning spare parts, polishing, microblast or satin-finish all metal according to the original finish and sandblast all matte ceramic parts.
To take advantage of this exclusive complimentary first service offer make an appointment at Hublot’s Sydney boutique here.