The innovative watchmaking house unveils the world’s first multicoloured ceramic watch
A splash of colour on the bezel; a giant leap for modern horology. Casual observers may perceive the new Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic, accentuated by an eye-catching dark grey bezel decorated with rich blue polka dots, as a typically bold and fun watch from Hublot. To those within the brand and industry insiders, however, the timepiece represents an immense achievement that nudges Hublot ahead in the arena of experimental watchmaking.
“I feel an immense pride in seeing our team bring to life a material that perfectly embodies Hublot’s soul: a subtle blend of science, alchemy, and playful boldness,” says Hublot’s director of R&D, Mathias Buttet.
Buttet’s gratification is well-founded. The result of four years of research and development by Hublot’s R&D, and materials and metallurgy teams, the Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic cracked a code once deemed impossible: the creation of a truly multi-coloured ceramic watch.
Ceramic has long been a challenge for watchmakers. Achieving the perfect composition of zirconium oxide for durability, then shaping it with precision, requires overcoming numerous technical hurdles. The challenge only intensifies when introducing colour, as conventional sintering processes burn pigments, traditionally limiting the palette to black and white.
In fact, Hublot introduced its first coloured ceramic watch, the Big Bang Unico Red Magic, only in 2018. The result of years of experimentation with adjustments to the raw materials and manufacturing process, the watch demonstrated Hublot’s outside-the-box thinking, as it could now produce vibrant ceramics in all hues, not just red.
With the Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic, the innovation goes further. Each pigment of colour on the bezel undergoes its individual sintering and moulding process, while at the same time striving for a homogeneous and flawless appearance. The patent-pending manufacturing process has been tweaked to perfection, resulting in the same effect time and time again.
Limited to 20 pieces, the Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic is driven by a familiar, but no less technically accomplished, automatic flyback chronograph movement that has been conceived and produced entirely in-house. But make no mistake, the spotlight on the Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic is firmly fixed on its groundbreaking, multi-coloured ceramic bezel. Hublot calls the watch “revolutionary” and its appearance as akin to “abstract or pop art”—a fitting description for a timepiece that redefines the possibilities of high-tech ceramics.
