Scrabble the Seconds: Hublot Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the Big Bang
Our Scrabble-inspired Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025 Countdown continues with an overview of this signature collection.
By Rhonda Riche
Editor-At-Large
Time flies! We can’t believe it’s been two decades since Jean-Claude Biver – then the newly appointed Chairman of the Board at Hublot – launched the revolutionary Big Bang Chronograph. Biver and his team embraced the brand’s “Art of the Fusion” motto by conceiving a new flagship collection that combined non-traditional materials such as carbon, ceramics, titanium, and tantalum.
Bang the Drums Slowly
The Big Bang has always had an outsized personality. Inspired by the original 1980 Hublot model with its porthole-inspired round bezel, exposed screws, and rubber wrist strap, this oversized chronograph also embraced more modern tastes with its angular, black and gold construction.
Unveiled at Baselworld in April 2005, this audacious watch was an immediate success, winning the title Best Design at the Grand Prix d’Horologie de Geneve. Hublot’s overall sales jumped from 24 million Swiss francs in 2004 to close to 100 million Swiss francs by the end of 2006.
The Big Bang also ushered in the era of disruptive marketing. Here was a luxury watch that came on a rubber strap – enough said. Yet, Hublot focused on selling the angular geometry of the case as well, which was rare at a time when most press kits were glorified spec sheets.
Collaboration Nation
Under Biver’s successor Ricardo Guadalupe, the Big Bang became even more daring. After taking over from Biver in 2012, the Guadalupe era saw the brand build its connection to sports. Take the Big Bang e Gen3, for example – this is a connected watch designed for referees on the field that marked a technological breakthrough in the watch industry.
In the 2010s, Hublot took the look of the Big Bang to new aesthetic levels through collaborations with the art and design world. So far, Maxime Plescia-Büchi – the graphic designer and tattoo artist behind Sang Bleu – has produced three takes on the Spirit of Big Bang. Samuel Ross – creative director of British-based streetwear label, A Cold Wall – has also produced three versions of the Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon.
To further cement the Maison’s impact on culture, they also released two musically oriented limited-edition watches based on the Big Bang: the Hublot Big Bang Depeche Mode and “The Singles” Limited Edition.
The Next Wave
Last year, Julien Tornare took over the reins from Guadalupe (who remains as honorary President of Hublot). Because Haute Horology pieces usually require several years of research and development, we can confidently predict that the Maison’s Watches & Wonders Big Bang 20th anniversary offerings will be a marriage between the past and present.
Lately, we’ve really seen Hublot leaning into color. At last year’s Watches and Wonders Geneva, we had the introduction of the Big Bang Unico Ceramic in orange and green, the Big Bang Unico Pink Sapphire, the MP-11 Power Reserve 14 Days Water Blue Sapphire, and the Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon Orange Carbon, just to name of a few of the most colorful releases.
This year, we’ve already gotten the Limited Edition Spirit of Big Bang Chronograph Ceramic in sky blue and dark green as well as the showstopper of 2025 (so far): the Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Green SAXEM. We expect Hublot will keep embracing the rainbow through material play as it continues to commemorate this milestone moment for the Big Bang.
