Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Hublot Big Bang Unico Ice Bang Pays Tribute to the Model’s Origins
A neo-vintage, toned-down version honouring the first Big Bang Ice Bang of 2006.
This year, the Hublot Big Bang Unico is out to please a wider demographic. Issued in a bright orange ceramic case (and a slightly less eye-catching but no less unusual green ceramic variant), the counterpart of this extravagant model is the Big Bang Unico Ice Bang, which looks back over its shoulder to the first Ice Bang released in 2006. A limited edition of 100 pieces, the Big Bang Unico Ice Bang will be available exclusively online. In a departure from the transparent Kermit-green Big Bang Unico Saxem, the new Big Bang Unico Ice Bang tones down the colour palette and goes for a more contained and sober look.
When the Big Bang erupted on the scene in 2005, it was the paragon of a loud, oversized, high-testosterone watch bristling with unusual combinations of materials. After almost two decades, it still has a powerful presence, but most of us have grown accustomed to its bold personality and almost expect each successive model to outdo the last one with more exaggerated colours and far-out materials. In 2009, Hublot added its own in-house flyback chronograph movement (Unico) inside a subsidiary line, the Big Bang Unico, modelled on the original Big Bang but with rounded pushers and a new mechanism for quick strap changes.
Inspired by the looks of the Big Bang Ice Bang of 2006, the two-tone dark grey and black personality of the new model is crafted in the same materials as the original but is presented in a smaller 42mm case diameter with a 14.5mm thick case. Still using its original sandwich architecture, the case features the characteristic ‘ears’ of the Big Bang.
Like the original, the 100m water-resistant case is made of black ceramic and the bezel is crafted from tungsten. However, the finishings are different; the black ceramic is micro-blasted for additional texture, and the satin-finished tungsten bezel now features a polished bevel, and the 6 H-shaped titanium screws are black-plated.
Although the original had a closed dial, the new model is faithful to the looks of all Big Bang Unico models with openworked dials, revealing parts of the in-house HUB1280 Unico manufacture movement. This movement is one of a rare breed of chronograph movements to feature its column wheel on the dial side nestled just above the 6 o’clock marker. Also visible on the openworked dial is the calendar disc as it circles the dial beneath the suspended numerals and counters to show up in the 60-minute chronograph register at 3 o’clock with its integrated date window. The smaller sub-dial at 9 o’clock for the running seconds is reduced to a ring to avoid obstructing the view of the openworked dial and the movement’s components.
Sticking to its dark grey and black colour scheme, the Arabic numerals, markers, and central hour and minute hands are filled with black Super-LumiNova. The central chronograph seconds hand has an H-shaped counterweight, and its tip alights on the sandblasted grey seconds track on the dial’s periphery.
Fitted with the brand’s patented One-Click system that lets you change the strap without tools in seconds, the Ice Bang 2024 comes with two interchangeable straps: a sporty black Velcro mesh strap with a black ceramic buckle and a black lined rubber strap with a black titanium folding clasp.
The curved ergonomic caseback reveals the black-plated openworked tungsten rotor of the HUB1280 calibre that has a frequency of 4Hz and a robust 72-hour power reserve.
Availability & Price
The Big Bang Unico Ice Bang is a limited edition of 100 pieces. It is available exclusively at hublot.com and its online boutique. It retails for EUR 25,000.
