In this age of perfectly accurate clocks in everything from our phones to our cars, wearing a mechanical timepiece is at least as much an act of personal expression as it is a practical choice. Hublot has always aimed at those looking to make a louder personal statement, combining daring futuristic aesthetics with high end finishing and craftsmanship. For its latest release, the brand takes this approach to 11. The new Hublot Big Bang Unico Full Baguette King Gold Rainbow is a flamboyant showcase of some of the brand’s best material and finishing techniques, coupled to one of its boldest signature designs.
Without a doubt, the most dramatic element of the Hublot Big Bang Unico Full Baguette King Gold Rainbow is its case. The angular 45mm form of the Big Bang is rendered in Hublot’s proprietary 18K King Gold alloy, then fully encrusted with 100 precious stones. The process of “icing out” a watch is precise and labor intensive under normal circumstances, but to achieve the rainbow effect here Hublot increases the level of difficulty several notches further. Each individual ruby, pink sapphire, amethyst, blue sapphire, blue topaz, tsavorite, yellow sapphire, and orange sapphire is selected for color to create a continuous spectrum and mounted in an invisible setting to prevent any interruption to the pattern. An additional 112 baguette cut gemstones are mounted around the polished bezel to continue the pattern. A sapphire display caseback completes the design, allowing for a clear view of the movement within.
The skeleton dial of the Hublot Big Bang Unico Full Baguette King Gold Rainbow continues the pattern of the case, accenting the elemental matte King Gold framework with 48 more gemstones surrounding the chronograph subdials and hour indices. Contrasted with the predominantly black bridges of the movement below, this colorful array looks even brighter in images. That said, like the rest of the design, despite the craftsmanship involved this is loudly and purposefully not to everyone’s taste.
Hublot powers the Big Bang Unico Full Baguette King Gold Rainbow with its in house UNICO automatic flyback chronograph movement. Shared with much of the rest of the Big Bang line, this double clutch and column wheel equipped movement offers a robust 72 hour power reserve at a 28,800 bph beat rate.
While most fully gem encrusted designs opt for a matching bracelet, Hublot takes a slightly unorthodox route with the Big Bang Unico Full Baguette King Gold Rainbow. Rather than a bracelet, the brand mounts the watch on a rainbow gradient alligator leather strap, lined with black rubber. It looks to be an impactful choice, and for good measure Hublot finishes the strap with a King Gold and black plated titanium buckle featuring 30 more rainbow gemstones.
As far as possible from subtle and purposefully not for the faint of heart, there’s a certain kind of undeniable charisma to the Hublot Big Bang Unico Full Baguette King Gold Rainbow with its defiant attitude and exquisite finishing. The Hublot Big Bang Unico Full Baguette King Gold Rainbow is available now through authorized dealers at an MSRP of $348,000. For more details, please visit the brand’s website.
