Hublot has never shied away from flamboyant use of color. Case in point – the latest Big Bang chronograph by way of the limited edition Hublot Big Bang Unico Summer. In an execution that can only be described as profoundly turquoise, this summer-themed creation uses the blue-green color for the case, the dial, the pushers, and even the strap.
Interestingly, especially when compared to the recent crop of brightly colorful Big Bangs, the Unico Summer does not use a ceramic case. Rather, the case and bezel are made of anodized aluminum. With a mix of brushed and polished elements, this aluminum case is 42mm wide and 14.5mm thick and houses Hublot’s HUB1280 in-house flyback column-wheel chronograph movement.
Automatically wound and ticking at 4 Hz, the power reserve is 70 hours and the movement uses some 354 parts, many of which can be viewed through either the skeletonized dial or the display case back (which is made of titanium).
Featuring Hublot’s “One Click” tool-less strap quick-change system, the Big Bang Unico Summer comes with a pair of color-matched straps – one textile strap with velcro, and one rubber strap. Both straps have matching anodized aluminum hardware.
Said to have been inspired by the summer light shining on lagoons, the Hublot Big Bang Unico Summer is limited to 200 units at $20,900 apiece. Availability will be initially limited to Hublot’s website and a handful of boutiques in the Mediterranean – including those in Capri, Mykonos, Ibiza, Saint-Tropez, and Monaco.
I always try to imagine where I would actually see a watch like this in the wild. Monaco leapt to mind this time around, so I guess it makes sense that this limited edition will hit that market along with others of a similar vibe.
While I have previously admitted to having something of a soft spot for the 42mm Big Bang Unico and many of its colorful iterations, I’m not sure how I feel about the color used for the Summer LE. It’s not that I think the color is bad, but more that I would love to see it in person, especially as the aluminum will carry the color much differently than we might expect from ceramic. Ultimately, I might need a few weeks in the Mediterranean to sort this out. For research purposes.
If you look closely at the included macro detail images, you can see what I mean about the color – the aluminum has its own texture. Judging by the images, I do think that the color works really well on the dial and looks amazing with the legible and luminous white accents and the coldly industrial backdrop of the visible movement elements.
All told, while I’m about twenty large and a deep tan shy of making this Hublot work for my wrist, it’s a shimmering blue reminder that we’re in for a colorful Hublot Big Bang Unico Summer.
