The Sang Bleu series, created in collaboration between Hublot and Maxime Plescia-Buchi, is among the freshest, most creative, and not overly discerning watches of the new millennium.
Frankly, it is epic, and although everyone will be late everywhere, the world would be a better place if people wore such watches. No matter how complex these watches are in terms of taste and wearability, I bet these are among the few watches that, when seen in metal, can bring a smile even to the most conservative watch enthusiast. The latest addition to the lineup is called the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu Sapphire, and it fully delivers on this promise.
It's amusing to think that people balk at seeing a Patek Philippe on a denim strap or with a dial featuring a surfer, while creations like these Sang Bleu exist. As much as I appreciate a dial with exquisite hand-painting - not as much as a denim strap - and the deliberate efforts of historical brands to preserve old crafts, the path of modern watchmaking is also paved by creations like this Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu Sapphire.
The original "Spirit of Big Bang" model, released in 2014, puzzled Hublot as many thought it paid too much homage to Richard Mille in an attempt to satisfy those who do not want or cannot spend six figures on an RM with a tonneau case. This situation was remedied by the Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu - a watch unlike any other. It employs Plescia-Buchi's signature style based on the use of geometric shapes, numerous lines, and inclined surfaces.
On the wrist, the Hublot Spirit Of Big Bang Sang Bleu Sapphire is an absolute blast and a source of endless fascination. Watches in sapphire cases are cool in their own right, but this model stands alongside the most complex in design and execution. Hublot claims that it takes 100 hours to make the Sang Bleu Sapphire case, which speaks to how far manufacturing technologies have advanced since the first sapphire-cased watches claimed (if not more) a 1000-hour production time per unit.
The end result is simply incredible. For some reason, the Sang Bleu watches remain among those rare watches for which there are virtually no compromises in design; on the contrary, it seems that the finished product is exactly as it was originally envisioned. Given the constraints arising from material properties - sapphire, for example, is extremely fragile, and there are only so many ways and directions it can be cut and drilled before it cracks - and considering the basic mechanical requirements for the interaction of mechanisms, dials, hands, crowns, and buttons, it is difficult to find a freehand design that appears to have not been altered in light of these compromises.
Simply look at the image above and appreciate how many edges, angles, and facets have been added to just one corner of the Hublot Spirit Of Big Bang Sang Bleu Sapphire watch case. I'm sure the overwhelming majority of watchmakers - even those already experienced in the world of sapphire-cased watches - would have laughed at such a design if it were proposed to them, and I have yet to hear the reaction of the case supplier. There's nothing in this combination of design and material that should exist in the modern watch world. And yet it does, and this achievement belongs to Hublot.
The Hublot Spirit Of Big Bang Sang Bleu Sapphire watch measures 42 mm in width, 15.70 mm in thickness, and is water-resistant up to 100 meters, which is utterly ridiculous for such a watch. The bezel, middle case, and case back are made from polished sapphire crystal, practically scratch-resistant - unless you use a diamond. The buttons, crown, H-shaped screws, and folding clasp are made of titanium. Overall, the Sang Bleu Sapphire feels moderately light, soft, and very unusual on the wrist, even paired with a rather stiff and not entirely attractive translucent rubber strap. Even the Hublot “One-Click” quick-release strap buttons have been integrated into the case.
The dial, if it can be called that, is a wide ring with an hour and date window, and on the sides, a transparent disc with a minute hand. The hands are done in the signature Sang Bleu style, with solid luminous sections indicating the pointer hands. In the images above, the time is set to approximately 10:08 - try to identify the hands. The chronograph hand, like the sub-dial hands, is equipped with a counterweight of equal length, giving the dial an impeccable look. The rest of the dial is missing, revealing bits of the mechanism. All this is covered by a faceted sapphire crystal.
The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu Sapphire is powered by the HUB4700 caliber, a modified El Primero from Zenith, a sibling brand to Hublot within LVMH. The Hublot caliber 4700 operates at the signature El Primero frequency of 5 Hz and has a 50-hour power reserve, replenished by a massive and practically symmetrical rotor. The colorful history of El Primero has become even more special with this model.
The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu Sapphire is unlike any other watch, and seeing it in person at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2024 was simply delightful. The price of the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu Sapphire is $143,000 USD. You can find more detailed information on the brand's website.