Hublot’s Essential Grey collection is based on the premise that when colours are combined, they lose their singularity—whereas a single colour, carried all the way through, makes a statement. The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Essential Grey is the third example of this philosophy in action—at least as it pertains to the gray spectrum. Hublot launched the Big Bang Earl Grey model in 2009, which is no longer in production. The second, launched in 2022, was the Big Bang Unico Essential Grey, limited to 200 pieces and now sold out. The new Essential Grey model is clipped back to only 100 pieces, and will only be available online at hublot.com.
The Spirit of Big Bang collection is recognisable by its barrel-shaped case, and the Essential Grey piece is all titanium, a predictable choice given its soft gray hue. For the sake of uniformity, the bezel, screws, crown, pushers, caseback, and folding clasp are also titanium and sandblasted to the same light shade. The uniformity of colour is extended to the matching rubber strap, which is lined with black thread on the outer edge to mark the vanishing line. Hublot then finished the exposed movement, calibre HUB4700, in the same color, since it serves as the dial. There are subtle variations of gray on the date window and chronograph counters for the sake of readability.
Hublot has long favoured the tone-on-tone look, whether it’s purple (Spirit of Big Bang Purple Sapphire) green (Big Bang Integrated Green Ceramic), or in this case, grey, mixing and matching materials (titanium, steel, rubber, ceramic, etc.) according to its “art of fusion” philosophy. Hublot chief Ricardo Guadalupe sums it up this way: “At Hublot, if we believe in a colour, we work with it across the whole model, and make a limited series to preserve its value for the sake of our collectors,” he says. “Either we go all out, or we don’t do it at all.”
The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Essential Grey contains an automatic chronograph movement that revs at a high frequency of 36,000 vph, and has a 50-hour power reserve. It is priced at US$24,100.
Previously published on Robb Report.
