By Jovan K
The Hublot Big Bang arrived in 2005 and pretty much shook the industry from day one. It brought a design nobody else was brave enough to try at the time, mixing steel, ceramic, and rubber with a bold exposed bezel secured by six screws. Now we are twenty years on, and they are celebrating with five new limited editions that fuse the original design DNA with the modern Unico movement. We had the chance to see and handle all of them atWatches & Wondersand the one that instantly grabbed me, the one that deserves your attention and easily becomes our pick for watch of the month, is the Red Magic.
Hublot first introduced colored ceramic in 2018 with this exact shade of red. It sounds simple, but making ceramic hold a strong color without losing structure is no easy task. Colored ceramic is a serious technical challenge. Only a few brands can pull that off. This is Hublot showing something they actually developed through their own research, not borrowed tech. It has presence, confidence, and that instant wow factor.
The Red Ceramic version is limited to just 100 pieces, and it is easily the standout of the entire set. The rest of the lineup brings Titanium Ceramic, King Gold Ceramic, All Black, and the scratch-resistant Magic Gold. Each model has its own personality, but none of them hit the way the Red Magic did when seeing it in person.
The case comes in at 43mm of polished red ceramic with a profile of 13.2mm, and it wears with that bold confidence Hublot knows how to deliver. The stamped chequered pattern dial adds real depth and shadow, shifting as the light moves across it, and it shows just how much Hublot has refined this style over the years. There is a layered look to it that keeps the watch from feeling flat, giving the Red Magic even more presence on the wrist.
The knurled bezel is a direct throwback to the early Big Bang days, giving the watch that familiar attitude right away. The rectangular pushers are back, now with rubber tips that feel great in use. The riveted Arabic numerals glow with Super LumiNova, which makes the watch fully readable at night instead of just looking good in daylight. The crown carries a small 20 years engraving, and six H-shaped titanium screws keep the bezel locked in place.
Inside is the MHUB1280.20YEARS, the Unico movement with flyback and a column wheel. It beats at 28,800 per hour and holds 72 hours of power when fully wound. There are 354 parts and 43 jewels, all visible through the exhibition back. The openworked rotor is made from 22k King Gold with the 20 years Big Bang marking. You get the chronograph counters at 3 and 9 and the date tucked in at 4:30. Water resistance is 10 ATM.
The strap brings back the classic treaded lozenge pattern, the look that has been tied to the Big Bang from the start, now paired with the modern One Click system to keep everything effortless when swapping straps. The clasp blends black ceramic with black plated titanium, giving the whole package a clean, cohesive look.
What makes this collection work is that Hublot did not just pull out existing references and slap an anniversary message on top. They went back to the details that defined the original. The pinched lugs, the knurled bezel, the rectangular pushers, the lozenge strap, all of it traces straight back to 2005. It feels intentional, not nostalgic for the sake of it, and that is why the whole set lands as well as it does.
Seeing the new collection at Watches and Wonders in April brought back the same feeling the original Big Bang had when it first arrived, but the Red Magic Ref. 431.CF.1313.RX is the one that really captures twenty years of bold decisions. It is exactly what an anniversary piece should be, and it comes in at 31,800 USD, 33,000 EUR, 28,900 CHF or 27,300 GBP.
