Hublot is challenging the conventions of watchmaking with four limited-edition series, each consisting of only 10 pieces. Employing a stencil and airbrush technique on a concrete case, the manufacture has unveiled its inaugural urban street art watch mural, showcasing a fusion of masterful Haute Horlogerie and artistic expertise, underpinned by remarkable R&D capabilities.
The ’90s witnessed the rise of graffiti as a recognized art form in the US, with street artists transforming public spaces. Unconventional collectors embraced this movement, providing walls and canvases for these artists to showcase their work. Meanwhile, in the 2000s, a Swiss luxury watchmaking brand, Hublot, emerged. Departing from traditional workshops, it established a high-tech Manufacture in Nyon, dedicated to reshaping the watchmaking landscape through innovative, original, and distinctive designs.
The collision of these two distinct worlds led to the creation of the Big Bang Meca-10 Street Art—a street-art-inspired timepiece offered in four highly limited editions of just 10 watches per model, exclusively available in North America. The conception of this extraordinary timepiece required a groundbreaking R&D process achievable only by Hublot.
Powered by the Meca-10 movement, introduced in 2016, this 100% Manufacture caliber redefines the fundamentals of watchmaking. Comprising 223 parts, including perforated, straight and curved metal blades, toothed crowns, racks, plates, pinions, and a cogwheel system, the movement is a unique and playful creation. The transparent composite casing allows a side view of this astonishing mechanism, enticing one to dismantle and reassemble it endlessly.
The innovative Big Bang case is constructed from a concrete composite, replicating the texture and rough edges of a real wall, akin to graffiti artists’ canvases. Imperfect, unpolished, and far from precious, the case incorporates bio-based epoxy resin for solidity and graphene for a 15% to 20% strength boost. This triple blend of concrete, resin, and graphene mimics the character and color of urban areas.
Street artist Saiff Vasarhelyi’s raw talent is unleashed through four composite concrete cases, extending to the straps, Meca-10 movement, and dial. The Hublot design team carefully crafted motifs tailored to each component, preventing interference with the watch’s mechanism.
Production involved intricate trials mirroring street artists’ techniques, utilizing fine stencils and precise airbrushes for accurate replication of designs to the watch’s scale. The result is a collection bursting with colorful and fluorescent combinations, offering an explosion of colors day and night, showcased in the iconic Hublot wooden case embellished with the same motifs as the watch.
For more information, please visit Hublot.com.