At first sight, rubber and luxury seem to be incompatible. But it turns out that they can perfectly coexist. The first brand to prove that this is possible was Hublot. Thirty years ago, the company created a gold watch with the first natural rubber strap in the watchmaking history. Since then, rubber elements have become a trademark of the brand.

Naturally, the Hublot Red Devil Bang II features a rubber strap. The watch was created to commemorate the sponsorship deal that Hublot made with the football club Manchester United. Not that it is difficult to guess it by the name of the timepiece – as every football fan knows, the Red Devil is the official mascot of the team.

Both the case and the bezel of the Hublot Red Devil Bang II are made from satin-finish ceramic that makes it feel and look sporty. The unique look of this material is accented by two red bezel lugs on both sides of the case. The hour markers and the Manchester United logo at 3 o’clock are also in red. The bezel of the case features six H-shaped screws that have become a signature of the Hublot Big Bang watch series.

To make more obvious the relations of Hublot with the world of football, the watchmakers of the brand have designed a special 45-minute chronograph counter at 9 o’clock. Using this counter, the owner of the watch can measure one half of a football match.

Hublot has produced a limited number of the Hublot Red Devil Bang II – just five hundred people have become lucky owners of the timepiece. The proceeds from the sale have been used for promoting sports related activities.

This year a piece unique from Hublot won the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve prize for jewelery watch of the year, 2009. The watch is as ostentatious as it is pretentious. I actually like the look of the watch a lot, and even though inside of me I would like to wear the timepiece, it is hard to swallow the blatant excess built into the timepiece. The inflated price point is even built into the name of the watch. For me, a name like “Million $ Black Caviar Bang” sounds about as classy as “One Thousand Dollar Bubbly Champagne.” Don’t forget, “more bubbly, more buck!” Don’t any of you go stealing my business ideas now…

Hublot made the million dollar big bang watch out of white gold and rare baguette cut black diamonds. almost 550 diamonds are all over the watch, with a total of 34.5 carats. Hublot took its time making the watch. Over 2000 hours went into it. The movement is a manually wound tourbillon. Functions include the time (tourbillon acts as the seconds indicator), and a power reserve indicator.

Why did it win best jewelry watch in Geneva? I am not sure. Perhaps because it is rare, took a lot of time to make, is for men, and is actually quite attractive. Is nice jewelry is supposed to inspire envy, awe, and a bit of anger? If so, then the Hublot Million $ Caviar Bang was a good choice to win.

Warm golden reflections, melancholy brown and the mineral gleam of garnet form a harmonious blend, as do the rubber with alligator skin and the precious metal with fine stones.

Technical details

Case: “Big Bang” diameter 41 mm in 5N gold
Bezel: 5N Gold with 6 titanium H-shaped countersunk, polished & locked screws, set with 48 baguette garnets (appr. 2.23 ct)
Crystal: Sapphire with interior anti-reflective treatment
Bezel Lug: Chocolate composite resin
Lateral Inserts: Chocolate composite resin
Case-back: 5N gold with sapphire crystal, interior anti-reflective treatment
Crown: 5N gold with chocolate rubber insert
Push-pieces: 5N gold, rectangular with chocolate rubber insert
Screws: Titanium
Water resistance: 100 m or 10 ATM
Dial: White with satin-finished & 5N gilt numerals and appliques
Hands: Faceted, diamond-set & 5N gilt, with white luminescent coating
Movement: Mechanical chronograph with automatic winding, Hublot Calibre HUB 4300
No. of components: 278
Jewels: 37
Bridges: Satin-finished, bevelled & polished
Screws: Black PVD
Date: Trapezoid window at 4.30
Oscillating Weight: Tungsten carbide with black PVD treated dimpled surface
Main plate: Sand-blasted & rhodium-plated
Barrel: With reinforced spring
Escapement: Glucydur hairspring
Power Reserve: 42 hours

The summer Hublot Big Bang Black Lemon comes in a bright acid yellow, adorned with baguette sapphires around the black dial, the tone on tone of which evokes invisible visibility. The alligator strap gives it a refined look, but remains flexible and comfortable thanks to its rubber inner surface. With the ceramic of its case, all of Hublot’s Art of Fusion can be found in this lemon peel style watch.

While it hasn’t been explicitly marketed as such, this “Apple Bang” series of watches from Hublot new for 2009 is likely a line for the ladies. As most Big Bang watches are 44mm wide and up, this watch is just 41mm wide. The name “Big Bang Apple” of course comes from New York’s nickname ‘The Big Apple.”

Now with more “bang.” The two new watches feature candy colored green stained alligator straps with rubber inserts. The green on the case of the watch is also rubber or resin, while the bezel is lined with a gem called Tsavorite (48 of them in a baguette cut). The gem is actually a bright green colored garnet that is found in Tanzania.

The Hublot Big Bang Apple can be had in gold or in black (comprised of black ceramic, and black gold – Called the Big Bang Black Apple). Both watches feature titanium screws and signature black Hublot rotor on the HUB4300 automatic movement visible through the caeeback window.

The dial on both watches is pretty standard Big Bang, a design that is both legible and attractive. In femme form, the watch still looks good. Sure it has enough aggressive charm, but the look is perfect for the growing number of women who prefer to wear larger, masculine looking watches with a female twist (bright green!). The dial is white with gold applied markers and hands, or black colored with black nickel hands.

Hublot touted this Big Bang Apple as something special before it was released. Some fans were a bit dissapointed that it was just another color scheme change for the Big Bang line. That may be true, but looking at it in a vacuum, it is still a pretty nice and still fresh looking design from a well regarded watch maker.

With its splitseconds foudroyante chronograph movement, the King Power really looks the part.

Reminiscent of the original fusion between rubber and gold of the first Hublot watches, its current lines, with a design pushed to the extreme, reflect the fusion between power and elegance.

Traditional and avant-gardist, combining on its dial additional elements and cut-outs, the King Power also owes its name to the red gold from which it is made – a new alloy developed for Hublot and used by the brand for the first time. Redder, tougher and more intense.