Hublot currently masters only three shapes so far, a round watch, a barrel-shaped watch, and the MPs, those ‘MasterPieces’ that have broken free from all conventions. Today, a fourth shape has been created, the square. Its geometry bewitched Hublot because of the challenges it sets.
First, the movement. Since every caliber has the wheel as its basic component, it therefore needs a round movement. If you are to place a round movement harmoniously in a square case, this requires a very specific style. This is why most watchmakers hide their movement, to give the illusion of using a shaped movement or because they have failed to find a consistent aesthetic style.
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Hublot decided to take a radically different direction, the watchmaker hides nothing of its own, in-house Unico movement, the pride of the Nyon watchmakers and the beating heart of most of its designs for over 10 years. The chronograph has a column wheel visible at 6 o’ clock, while its bicompax display dispenses with a dial, to reveal its secret inner workings.
HUBLOT SQUARE BANG UNICO KING GOLD
The second challenge was the modular construction of the case, designed in line with Hublot’s DNA, with a central housing dressed with an upper and lower plate to enable a myriad of combinations and transformations. But this time, it is square in shape, and therefore much more difficult to make water resistant – Hublot pulls off the challenge with a guaranteed water resistance to 100 meters.
The size of the case is also an important factor to ensure this model is perfectly ergonomic, providing comfort on the wrist very similar to that of the 42 mm Big Bang. Its pedigree from the brand’s icon can be seen in countless details.
First of all, there is the sandwich construction of its dial, which gives it different levels of depth and a highly architectural feel. As with the Big Bang, the Square Bang Unico’s dial makes extensive use of sapphire to give a clear view of the Unico movement, and also reuses the same hands.
HUBLOT SQUARE BANG UNICO TITANIUM
The six screws on the bezel, placed at exactly the same places as on the Big Bang. On either side of the Square Bang, you find the ‘ears’ from the Big Bang’s case, giving balance to the design while protecting the case.
For the strap, in addition to the much appreciated One Click system of the Big Bang and its textured rubber, the two screws are fixed in the middle as an attachment. Finally, the Square Bang uses the same materials as its predecessor, including titanium, ceramic and King Gold, not to mention the famous ‘All Black’ finish.
HUBLOT SQUARE BANG UNICO ALL BLACK
Five 42 mm models are already available. The first three are in solid titanium, black ceramic or King Gold. The last two blend titanium or King Gold with a black ceramic bezel. Each model comes with a black rubber strap and a folding clasp in the same material as the case.
These original designs beat to the rhythm of the HUB1280 Unico Manufacture movement, a 354-component automatic chronograph, set at 4 Hz (28,800 vib/h). As is customary at Hublot, the finishing is uncompromising and has a very modern feel: polished and sandblasted screws, over-moulded rubber crown, push-pieces decorated with rubber ‘chocolate squares’, polished satin bottom and rhodium-plated or 5N gold-plated hands, depending on the model.
The crown comes in over-moulded rubber. The textured pattern of the strap was created especially for the Square Bang. It includes four rows of raised squares. Inspired by the Maison’s iconic Big Bang, this Square Bang Unico adds a new pillar, ‘The Shaped Collection’ to sit alongside the Spirit of Big Bang.
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