The Extroverted & Eye-Catching Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Orange Ceramic

Almost a decade after the Big Bang exploded on the watch scene in 2005 – the paragon of an oversized, high-octane sports watch showcasing an unusual fusion of materials – Hublot introduced the Spirit of Big Bang. As its name suggests, the new collection captured the “spirit” of its forebear but replaced the octagonal porthole-shaped case with a more complex tonneau-shaped case with lateral rubber bumpers and openworked dials. Nine years down the line and still going strong, Hublot launches its first Spirit of Big Bang in orange ceramic. Needless to say, the bold Fanta orange ceramic is going to get noticed, and how.

As Hublot’s first non-round design, the brand wanted the tonneau-shaped case of the Spirit of Big Bang to have as much personality as its octagonal brother. To ensure that its lineage did not depart too far from the Big Bang, the Spirit of Big Bang adopted design features like the sandwich case construction, the six H-shaped screws in the bezel, cut-away elements and a fusion of high-tech materials. The result was an elongated barrel-shaped case with a cambered profile and a more elegant wrist presence. Starting life in a 45mm case, the Spirit of Big Bang is now available in a wide range of case sizes and an incredible variety of case materials.

As a trailblazer in the field of coloured ceramic watches, you are no doubt acquainted with some of Hublot’s more brazen colour choices. The model we photographed for this article is the orange ceramic reference, a bold, dramatic colour that we saw last year on board a Big Bang Unico.

Measuring 42mm across with a thickness of 14.1mm, the 100m water-resistant orange ceramic case, bezel and caseback are made from zirconium sintered at very high temperatures. Contrasting with the polished orange ceramic elements, the H-screws in the bezel, the titanium crown and pushers, and the rubber bumpers are all black, a two-tone theme that extends to the black strap with its orange ribbed inlay.

The three counters on the openworked dial, two for the chronograph at 3 and 6 o’clock and running seconds at 9 o’clock are orange, matching the skeletonised hands, the peripheral track, the indices and the frame of the date window at 4:30. Visible from both sides of the case is the automatic chronograph calibre HUB4700, a skeletonised version of Zenith’s El Primero high-frequency (5Hz) column-wheel chronograph with a power reserve of 50 hours. The Spirit of Big Bang Orange Ceramic is a limited edition of 200 pieces and retails for CHF 32,900 or EUR 37,600.

In addition to the orange ceramic launch, Hublot has also released a non-limited dark Frosted Carbon reference with a beguiling, mottled effect meant to evoke the fragments of carbon trapped in ice. This carbon version is priced at CHF 26,900 or EUR 30,800. More information at hublot.com.