Article by Brian Xu
Ever since its inception, Hublot has established a reputation through partnerships in the world of sports with the likes of Ferrari and Usain Bolt, and its recent collaboration with boxer Floyd Mayweather, the Hublot Big Bang Unico TMT, is no different. The partnership first began in 2015, when Mayweather sported Hublot on his boxing shorts in his bout against Manny Pacquiao, and it now has manifested itself in the form of two watches that celebrate his 50-0 record. Both watches released in the collaboration are loud and bombastic, perfectly encapsulating Mayweather’s nickname: “Money.” The Big Bang Unico TMT comes in two variants, one called “Carbon Gold” and the other called “Yellow Gold Jewelry.” Hublot uses 3N-gold-encrusted carbon fiber for the first time ever in these two watches, decorating the case and bezel with this composite material.
This 3N-gold encrusted carbon is constructed by manually inserting gold powder into individual carbon fiber layers and then compressing them, undoubtedly a painstaking procedure. Still, though, it’s to no one’s surprise that it’s Hublot that’s pioneering this process. For the “Carbon Gold” version, the material elicits a smoky, camouflage-like appearance that seamlessly blends the ruggedness of carbon fiber with the luxury of 18k gold. Nothing about this watch is subtle, but the carbon fiber manages to subdue the gaudiness that gold sometimes gives off. As a result, despite the gold powder scattered all over the case and bezel, the watch creates an impression of balance. Unlike some other skeleton watches, legibility isn’t a real concern, as the gold hands and sub-dials look really striking in contrast to the matte black skeleton.
On the other hand, the 3N-gold-encrusted carbon fiber generates a much different impression on the “Yellow Gold Jewelry” model, largely because of the 400+ diamonds that are set in the dial, case, and bezel, which are all satin-finished as well. It’s much, much more blinged out, and it almost looks like it could be from a completely different line. While the diamonds form a very significant part of the watch, they aren’t overpowering, like what often occurs with many other iced-out watches. Both watches share the same strap, made of black calf leather and fitted with python and gold studs, intended to resemble the shorts Mayweather wore in his victory over Conor McGregor. The studs, which might be better suited for something from a company like Gucci or Versace, make it so that the strap almost comes off as too aggressive. Nonetheless, it’s very representative of Mayweather’s boisterous personality and meshes well with the rest of the aesthetic.
What jumps out immediately on the skeleton dial on both watches is the gold “TMT” at 12 o’clock displayed in appliqué, a needlework technique that’s, interestingly enough, traditionally used in quilting and fairly rare in horology. Short for Mayweather’s lifestyle brand “The Money Team,” it’s juxtaposed with another inscription – “TBE,” or “The Best Ever” – on the sapphire caseback, which adds some more flair to an already intricate movement.
Although the two watches look very different, both have essentially the same technical specs. Like the other watches in Hublot’s Unico line, it measures 45mm in diameter with a thickness of 15.45mm. Although the relatively large size might put off some consumers, it’s pretty modest for Hublot’s standards. It does indeed allow for a nice glance into the famed HUB1242 Unico movement, an in-house movement that’s impressively made up of 330 hand-assembled components and holds a 3-day power reserve.
“Carbon Gold” is limited at 100 pieces at $28,300, and “Yellow Gold Jewelry” is limited to only 10 at $93,700. To top it all off, both come with a Mayweather-signed boxing glove. hublot.com