By Jovan Krstevski
Hublot’s latest dalliance with the strange and the sturdy comes in the form of the Big Bang MECA-10 Concrete Jungle, a US exclusive salute to New York City’s unrelenting grit, celebrating the brand’s swanky new Fifth Avenue boutique.
The 44mm x 15.3mm case is constructed from a bespoke concrete blend, specifically cooked up for wearable durability. It’s not your average sidewalk scrap. Instead of water, epoxy resin binds the mix, with fiberglass stepping in for steel reinforcement. To fend off sun-bleaching and grime, anti-UV and anti-graffiti treatments have been baked into the surface. Titanium is used sparingly, appearing on the caseback, crown and the brand’s hallmark H-shaped screws. The water resistance is 50 meters.
Peer through the skeletonized dial and you’ll find the familiar visual theatrics of the MECA-10 family. There’s no dial in the traditional sense; just open space and exposed mechanics with twin sapphire crystals fore and aft.
Ticking inside is the manual wind Calibre HUB1201. Beating at 3Hz, it offers a colossal 10 day power reserve, thanks to its double barrel system. The movement is a regular fixture in the MECA-10 lineup, but still manages to hold its own with its mechanical scaffolding and kinetic sprawl.
The Concrete Jungle is sold with two straps, a grey fabric one with velcro closure for the utilitarian inclined, and a black rubber option for the rain slick city dweller. Both latch onto a black titanium and ceramic folding clasp. Priced at $34,100, it’s nestled just beneath Hublot’s gold-cased offerings. Availability is limited to the United States.
