Hublot’s Sang Bleu: Tattoo Royalty Arrives At Watches of Switzerland Hudson Yards

Since its beginning, Hublot has always shown support for the arts. With every creation, the brand strives to pay homage to the world of art while still producing horologically important pieces. Through multiple limited-edition collections, Hublot has married arts and horological savoir-faire to create unique and versatile watches.
 

For the Hublot Sang Bleu collaboration, Hublot wanted to fuse time and body art. Thus, the collaboration with the tattoo artist, and Lausanne native, Maxime Plescia-Büchi was the perfect choice for the Swiss brand. As a result, this piece is not only dedicated to tattoo aficionados, but it opens up the brand to a new audience of enthusiasts.
 

When the Sang Bleu collection was launched in 2016, two pieces were initially released. At first glance, it might remind you of those difficult math books from school but the hexagonal mismatched bezel is a perfect fit with the octagonal hour-minute wheel. And, there is no need to fear or flashback to algebra class because the watch is quite easy to understand and is really cool looking on the wrist.
 

The mismatched bezel was a big change in direction for the Big Bang limited edition's original and iconic designs. The case was remolded, the strap re-worked and carries the now-classic Sang Bleu case design through to completion on the leather strap. The black matte dial doesn’t take away attention from the octagonal and perfectly geometrical hour and minute “hands” that are more like rhodium coated discs. A small arrow filled with Super-LumiNova indicates the time. In the center, a rotating disc indicates the seconds.
 

What appears hopelessly complicated from afar becomes extremely easy to understand when close up. The watch gives us a sense of three-dimensional depth. It’s an artistic way to tell time that is quite unconventional, but in a way, a beautiful departure from anything else on the market.
 

(Photography by Liam O'Donnell)