Few collaborations involving Swiss watchmaker Hublot have been more prolific than those with Sang Bleu (Mr. Maxime Plescia-Büchi). First, there was the Hublot Big Bang Sang Bleu from 2016 (and the various versions that watch spawned), then there was the Hublot Big Bang Sang Bleu II (and multiple versions that arose from that model), and finally the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu (and the truly impressive number of variations on this tonneau-shaped timepiece). This latest version of the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu is known as the All Black Pavé, a limited edition of 200 pieces. The watch looks to be extremely high-end, and while it is anything but budget-priced, it is intended to perhaps look even more expensive than it is.
The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu All Black Pavé returns to Hublot’s popular “all black” concept originated by Jean-Claude Biver. Sang Bleu and Hublot created something similar in 2023 with the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu All Black Ceramic. That watch has a black ceramic case while the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu All Black Pavé has a black PVD-coated steel case. Why steel versus Hublot’s more preferred ceramic material? The reason is that it is not really possible to set stones in ceramic given the rigidity of the material. Metal bases are typically necessary to carve holes and channels into where stones of various types can be set. The entire point of this watch is to cover much of the geometric case design with black-colored diamonds. 180 of them actually, and according to Hublot that makes for a total of 2.4 carats. Admittedly these are not the largest or most valuable stones, but the overall price of the watch is actually meant to reflect that.
The 42mm wide (15.7mm thick and water resistant to 100 meters) Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu case is on the longer side, but the entire shape is curved and thus fits pretty nicely on the wrist. To me, the shape looks like a wireframe of an American “pigskin” football. Sang Bleu’s signature geometric style permeates the entire composition from the case and crystal to the hands and dial. The idea I believe is to use as many angles and straight lines as possible, to create the otherwise necessary curves and arches needed to make a watch dial legible and watch case wearable. Inside the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu All Black Pavé is the in-house made Hublot caliber HUB4700 automatic skeletonized chronograph movement. It is a base Zenith El Primero mechanism and operates at 5Hz with 50 hours of power reserve.
It is not immediately clear why Hublot & Sang Bleu’s watches have done so well – as both high and even higher price points. On a basic level, they are very different from other Hublot watch designs and it is a testament to the trust Hublot has in its collaborators – that they allowed Sang Bleu to really go wild with the design and express his aesthetic more so than trying to make the watch appear immediately recognizable as an Hublot. Sang Bleu is typically known for its tattoo art, though he is much more multidisciplinary as an artist and designer with high credentials in both typography and industrial design. In many ways, he brings much more to the creative “table” than many (but certainly not all) of Hublot’s other brand ambassadors and design collaboration partners.
The use of relatively small precious stones and a steel case means that the overall price of this blingy Big Bang isn’t mega-high. Instead, this watch costs a bit less than the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu 18k gold watches without diamonds (but not that much less). As I mentioned above, Hublot chose to release the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu All Black Pavé limited edition in China first, where according to the Swiss brand, the watch will be exclusively sold for the first few months. The remaining pieces of the 200-piece limited edition set will then be sold globally after the initial exclusivity period. I’ve heard of similar sales schemes from time to time, but never with a model like this, in a market like China (so I am curious to know how it goes). Price for the reference 648.CX.0114.RX.1600.MXM24 Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu All Black Pavé is $47,100 USD. Learn more at the Hublot website.