Hublot Big Bang Integral Collection

It is hard to overlook the current trend for sports watches with integrated bracelets… They are simply all over the place and in all price segments. Hublot, one of the main participants in the robust luxury sports watch, has been aware of this and already had such an option in its Classic Fusion watch. But, surprisingly, the Big Bang, the sportier, bolder version (a competitor to the RO Offshore) has never been offered on a bracelet… until now. Meet the new Hublot Big Bang Integral collection.

While the Classic Fusion could be seen as an alternative to the thin and relatively restrained watches in the luxury sports watch category, the other main collection of Hublot, the Big Bang, is a more robust, even more contrasted version with a larger case, more combinations of materials, more angles, more skeletonization… More of everything, if you like. And while integrated metallic bracelets are everywhere these days, Hublot has been surprisingly quiet in this field. At least in the Big Bang collection, since bracelets have been offered on the Fusion for some years.

To answer the current demand for integrated sports watches, Hublot presents the Big Bang Integral collection… Integral as in “integrated” and “integrally made of one material”. 15 years (yes, already) after its creation, the Big Bang features its first integrated metal bracelet, with the first link fused with the case.

However, on the contrary of exchanging a rubber for a leather strap, adding a metallic bracelet meant more work than expected and the case needed to be partially redesigned, particularly on the lug side with the central module going down to meet the bracelet’s first link. The rest of the case results familiar, with its round bezel with 6 H-shaped screws resting on a tonneau-shaped sandwich structure. The case measures 42mm, has angles and bevels all around, and a combination of deep brushed flat surfaces and highly polished accents.

The bracelet, the main novelty of this watch, takes the design of the case and adapts it with the same combination of finishings and large bevels all around the links. Don’t expect either the case or the bracelet to be ultra-thin, it is a deliberately robust and highly masculine design with bold proportions. Still, the finishing appears impressive – we’ll confirm in a hands-on article soon.

Three versions of the Hublot Big Bang Integral are unveiled. The first is a classic titanium model, with black contrasting elements. The second is made of King Gold (Hublot’s proprietary alloy) with a black dial and contrasting elements. The third one, and the most visually striking, is a full black ceramic version – including the bracelet.

Powering the Hublot Big Bang Integral is the brand’s manufacture chronograph movement, the UNICO, an automatic and integrated architecture calibre. Here it is presented in a modern skeletonized version with two registers and the column-wheel classically visible at 6 o’clock, dial side. The movement runs at 4Hz and provides 72h of energy.

Price and availability

The Hublot Big Bang Integral Black Ceramic (ref. 451.CX.1140.CX) is a limited edition of 500 pieces, priced at EUR 22,700. The Hublot Big Bang Integral Titanium (ref. 451.NX.1170.NX) is not limited and priced at EUR 20,700. The Hublot Big Bang Integral King Gold (ref. 451.OX.1180.OX) is not limited and priced at EUR 51,800.

More details at hublot.com