The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang West Coast Ceramic Black and White looks at first glance very much like something Created by Richard Mille, together with the skeletonized dial up and tonneau-shaped case. This really is a chronograph watch, though such isn’t immediately apparent due to the discreet black pushers and a lot of detail about the dial that originally can distract the eye from the chronograph’s registers. Featured in 3 o’clock is the 30-minute counter, followed closely by a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, also running minutes at 9 o’clock, which can be signed with Hush’s name. An exposed date ring runs the periphery of the dial, framed by a perforated white edge at 4:30. The central second hand comes with a Hublot-logo counterweight and black-plated tip using a thin strip of white luminescent material, which also features on the chronograph enroll hands and hour markers.The case of the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang West Coast Ceramic Black and White is made from micro-blasted black porcelain, which should offer the eye with good scratch resistance. Keeping the monochromatic theme is really a contrasting white porcelain bezel, affixed to the case using six titanium screws with a shiny black PVD coating. The case measures 42mm in diameter and can be 14.10mm thick, and although Hublot haven’t specified the case length, I expect this opinion will wear quite big. The case is also water-resistant to 10 ATM (roughly 100m) which combined with the challenging ceramic must make this a capable sports opinion. Note, however, that while ceramic is extremely hard, it’s also brittle, which is an issue for a wristwatch that stands 14.10mm tall and can thus be more prone to knocking against items.
In a preview of what it has in store for Baselworld 2016, hublot watches quality Replica has revealed its first ever chronograph in sapphire crystal. The Big Bang Unico Sapphire is an almost completely transparent watch, with most of the case machined from clear sapphire crystal, with a few components in titanium and clear resin.
Sapphire crystal as used in watchmaking is synthetic, being grown in a laboratory, but has the same properties as natural sapphire. Consequently it is nearly as hard as diamond, rendering the Big Bang Unico Sapphire almost scratch-proof, though fragile as sapphire is prone to chip or crack upon impact.
The Big Bang Unico Sapphire follows in the footsteps of watches from Richard Mille and the very first of them all, the now defunct Alain Silberstein, to feature a transparent sapphire crystal case.
While the bezel, case middle and back are made of clear sapphire, the screws, crown, pushers and other metal parts in the case are made of titanium. The bezel insert that sits between the bezel and case middle, as well as the dial and hands, are made of clear resin. Even the strap is a translucent silicone.
The HUB 1242 Unico movement can be seen from both front and back, with the column wheel for the chronograph visible at six o’clock on the dial. The Unico is Hublot’s workhorse in-house movement that is the base for several complications, including the chronograph found here.
The case diameter is 45 mm, identical to the standard Big Bang, and it is rated to 50 m. The Big Bang Unico Sapphire is a limited edition of 500 pieces. The price is US$57,900 or €57,100.