Cool Beans! Hublot & Nespresso Serve Up the Eco-Friendly Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin

Hublot and Nespresso are two iconic Swiss companies located on the shores of Lake Geneva. Both were born during the 1980s. And both have fostered a game-changing spirit that helped them to redefine the landscape of their respective industries: watchmaking and capsule-based coffee systems.

The pioneering pair have now teamed up to release a “ground-breaking” new limited-edition watch, if you pardon the pun, in terms of sustainability, recycling, and circular manufacturing: The Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin, the first-ever timepiece to feature a case and strap made from recycled Nespresso capsules and coffee grounds.

Most of us already know of Hublot’s history as a watchmaking innovator (what with its penchant for developing new alloys, materials, and composites). Not to mention its role in making rubber a luxury watchmaking material (thanks to Carlo Crocco, whose MDM Genève company turned watchmaking convention on its head when it audaciously presented the Hublot, a precious metal watch on a rubber strap, at Baselworld 1980).
 

However, as closely as Hublot is associated with its “Art of Fusion” philosophy, so too is Nespresso equally linked to the art of coffee thanks to its Nespresso portioned coffee capsule system that first rolled out in 1986.
 

As early as 1991, the company set up a system for collecting and recycling its aluminum capsules in Switzerland, and for the last seven years, Nespresso has been creating new products from used aluminum capsules in partnership with renowned Swiss brands through its Second Life initiatives. And with the new Hublot Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin, we have a fine example of one of those initiatives.

The Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin’s 42mm brushed and polished anodized green case – in addition to its bezel and chronograph pushers – is made from recycled aluminum, 28% of which comes from Nespresso coffee pods. Moreover, the bottom of the case and the “container” housing the movement – which helps to give a 100m water resistance – are both made from recycled Eco-Titanium.
 

Likewise, recycled coffee capsule cast-offs are used for the two strap options with which the Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin is delivered. First, there is a green lined rubber strap, and to create it, Hublot had to combine 4.1% coffee grounds and 8.2% recycled white rubber made from the usual Hublot formula. The result is, according to the watchmaker, the world’s first strap made from recycled coffee grounds (with an anodized green titanium folding clasp and a recycled aluminum cap).
 

Second is the green S.Café fabric strap made from 5% coffee grounds and 95% recycled polyester, and its Velcro fastener works with a sport buckle made of anodized green titanium. To construct this strap, Hublot collaborated with Taiwanese company SingTex, a Nespresso partner that has been using recycled coffee grounds to make S.Café fabric for over a decade now. The strap’s. Of course, these two straps can be swapped easily using Hublot’s patented One Click interchangeability system.
 

Meanwhile, on the inside of the recycled aluminum case ticks the Hublot Unico manufacture automatic chronograph movement with a date function. The 354-component, anthracite-toned caliber featuring 72-hour power reserve can be glimpsed through the all-green skeletonized dial.
 

For Nespresso CEO William Le Cunff, the Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin is another demonstration of his company’s dedication to finding innovative ways to repurpose the used materials from its coffee pods, as well as show that coffee production can be made more sustainable.
 

Cunff said: “This exceptional watch is the result of a partnership between two Swiss companies that share innovation, quality, durability, and the Swiss spirit in their raison d’être and DNA. This collaboration is also part of Nespresso’s commitment to continue its migration to a circular model by offering a second life to the coffee grounds and aluminum of our capsules.
 

“Ultimately, the Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin is not just a luxury accessory, it pushes the world to join the movement of circularity to demonstrate that coffee can have a positive impact on the planet.”

The Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin is a 200-piece limited edition priced at $24,100. For more information, please visit the Hublot website.

(Images © Hublot)