BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Now then, readers, have you ever wanted to pay a lot of money for a mechanical watch that sort of looks like a G-Shock, but you don’t want to buy a G Shock? Well then, great news! Hublot has the very thing you’re looking for! Okay, so there was some sarcasm there, but I’m writing this, so I put in what I want.
This crazy-looking watch which I quite like, comes to us from the minds of the folks at Hublot, who made real the designs of British fashion designer Dr. Samuel Ross. Ross studied graphic design & illustration at De Montford University, Leicester, and has his own fashion brand A-COLD-WALL. He’s also worked with several brands that make fashion, tech, sportswear and all sorts of things. These include Nike, Apple, Converse & Diesel. He’s also collaborated with Hiroshi Fujiwara (founder of Fragment Design who recently collaborated with TAG Heuer) and Takashi Murakami, who has also worked with Hublot.
This new piece, the Big Bang Tourbillon Samuel Ross, looks nothing like Murakami’s collaborations with Hublot. In fact, it looks bonkers. I genuinely have no idea where to begin with this one.
I suppose we should just dive in head-on and see what happens. It seems to be presented on a Bund-type strap with titanium honeycomb inlays. Honeycomb is a recurring feature of this design. It looks as though Hublot has incorporated their classic seatbelt-inspired quick-change system for the watch strap, although I don’t know of any others that would fit the aesthetic.
Speaking of the aesthetic, it’s most definitely, erm, unique. Perhaps a little awkward. Some complain about how Hublots look like Audemars Piguet watches. I’d say it’s hard for them to complain about this one. The back of the watch has little to see except a honeycomb-pattern grid to match the rest of it.
Most of the in-house made calibre HUB6035 is on the dial. It’s quite a complex piece for one that only tells the time, although there is a tourbillon too. The micro-rotor for the movement is on the dial too, which is an interesting touch. I’m not sure it needed it given the busy design, but I understand that this is a calibre Hublot already makes, so it makes sense to put it in this piece too. It has a power reserve of 72-hours.
The 44mm x 13.75mm dimensions make this watch sound tame on paper. But the combination of titanium and orange rubber really sells the madness of this piece. If the Wolf of Wall Street were re-filed set in 2022, I bet this would feature in it.
This watch is limited to 50 examples worldwide for a price of $116,000.
Visit Hublot here.
