There is little competition when it comes to bold, raucous, and energizing watches, and Hublot takes the cake every time in my book. Among the wide array of mind-boggling releases at Watches & Wonders, 2024 are three new additions to the Big Bang UNICO Ceramic collection that epitomize the position and styling of the brand in its current form. The Hublot Big Bang UNICO Ice Bang, Hublot Big Bang UNICO Orange Ceramic, and Hublot Big Bang UNICO Dark Green Ceramic are a trio of limited edition ceramic chronographs that join an extensive family of ceramic sports watches and are downright fun even if not totally novel anymore. This is a triple dose of authentic Hublot and exactly what I look forward to each year from the brand.
Since 2018, Hublot has been neck deep in ceramic colors, debuting a bold red which you may have forgotten was the first time ceramic had been so vividly colored in watchmaking. The creation of colored ceramics is an ongoing and innovative process that Hublot is pushing along at a steady pace. The new vibrant orange and dark forest green were bound to come eventually as Hublot continues to assemble a full spectrum of ceramic watches. The fact that I absolutely adore both of these colors makes it all the better for me (and worse for my imaginary budget).
The Ice Bang however is a direct call back to the original Big Bang UNICO with a muted and aggressive monochromatic appearance. This bicolor iteration features a primarily matte black ceramic case with polished accents on the flanks. The matte finish uses a micro-blasting process that yields a fine-grained texture. In initial photos the does have a plasticy appearance but I’ll reserve judgment until I see it in person. In sharp contrast, a raised tungsten bezel is mounted on the case with the (still misaligned) H-shaped screws. Longitudinal brushing on the top and a highly polished edge look great paired with the matte ceramic, and the choice of tungsten ensures you will likely never scratch it. The monochromatic color scheme continued onto the dial in the same skeletonized layout we’ve seen in preceding Big Bang UNICO watches. While legibility is sacrificed, in my experience time is still legible at a glance. Brushed angular surfaces on the hands of the Ice Bang will aid in legibility.
The colored ceramic Hublot Big Bang UNICOs are fully polished and show off how vibrant and deep their hues truly are. A micro-blasted black ceramic midcase and caseback provide color and textural contrast that make the colors stand out a bit more. The standard skeletonized stencil dial shows all the time-telling functions in matching green or orange with a matte texture. Like all skeletonized dials legibility is sacrificed but in this case minimally.
With the addition of these two ceramic watches and the “Ice Bang” to the Big Bang Unico collection you have 32 options for materials, colors, and gems, but they all come with the same base specs. The three new additions all feature a 42mm wide case that is 14.5mm thick and rated to 100 meters of water resistance. The case has protrusions at twelve and six o’clock to mount an integrated strap, 3 o’clock to protect the crown and pushers, and nine o’clock to maintain symmetry. A screw-in ceramic caseback with a sapphire exhibition window provides a view of the in-house MHUB1280 movement. This movement is the UNICO 2 self-winding flyback chronograph that boasts 72 hours of power reserve, 352 components, 43 jewels, a Swiss silicon lever escapement, and a tungsten rotor. It runs at 4Hz and displays running seconds at the 9 o’clock subdial and a 60-minute elapsed time capacity at 3 o’clock. A flat sapphire crystal covers the dial and has the Hublot logo printed on the underside to appear floating.
All three watches also feature the one-click strap system for easy swapping of straps. The colored ceramic models come on color-matched rubber straps with titanium deployant buckles. My experience with these straps in the past has been overwhelmingly positive. They are incredibly comfortable and have many holes for nearly any wrist size. I expect this to remain the same. The Hublot Big Bang UNICO Ice Bang comes with two straps, a matching black lined rubber, and a fabric strap utilizing a titanium buckle and velcro closure.
With a trio of new Hublot Big Bang UNICO watches joining the already extensive lineup, customers are truly spoiled for choice. The Hublot Big Bang UNICO Orange and Dark Green Ceramic watches are both limited to 250 pieces worldwide while the Hublot UNICO Ice Bang is limited to 100 pieces and only available through Hublot’s E-Commerce channels. Due to the increased complexity of producing a vibrant and uniform orange-colored ceramic compared to darker hues, the Hublot Big Bang UNICO Orange Ceramic priced higher at $29,600 USD. The Hublot Big Bang UNICO Ice Bang and Dark Green ceramic are priced at $24,100 USD. There is little doubt that as Hublot continues to experiment and push the boundaries with materials, color, and their individual executions, we will see them trickle down into the core models like these latest novelties. You can learn more about the brand and its releases on Hublot’s website.
