Ultimate Polarity: The Hublot Big Bang Unico Black Magic And White Ceramic Chronographs

There are 80 Hublot Big Bang Unico watches in the brand’s catalog. The Black Magic is on one end of the spectrum, and the White Ceramic is on the other. In between, there are 78 watches in materials like titanium, Magic Gold, King Gold, and different shades of ceramic. There is vibrant red, forest green, signal yellow, and sky blue, but there’s also sinister black and snow white. The monochromatic and scratch-resistant 42mm chronographs you see here are polarizing in more than one way.

At Hublot, they don’t do things half-baked. The brand from the town of Nyon on the banks of Lac Léman is outspoken, bold, and brash. And Hublot seems to be at its best when it cooks up (pun intended) ceramic watches. The 42mm cases of the Hublot Big Bang Unico Black Magic and White Ceramic chronographs are the result of high-tech “baking.” The ceramic material that Hublot uses for its watch cases is an ultra-tough and almost entirely scratchproof material — just be careful with the diamond(s) in your jewelry. This ceramic is formed by sintering zirconium at extremely high temperatures. As a result, a black watch stays perfectly pristine black. And the same also goes for a white equivalent, of course. The almost unblemishable nature of a ceramic watch is a special and very practical attribute indeed.

Hublot Big Bang Unico Black Magic and White Ceramic: Unico-powered chronographs

This is a very black-and-white — or should I say black or white? — story. The exuberant nature of a Hublot Big Bang creation provokes black-and-white reactions. It’s very much a love/hate situation. But that’s a good thing. Hublot has a very clear identity and product strategy. The brand sticks to its guns, and that means you will find a purple sapphire watch in the catalog instead of a 36mm retro-inspired steel diver. That doesn’t mean that the brand only takes care of the outside. No, the inner workings of its watches also get proper attention. The Unico in-house chronograph movement is an excellent example of that.

The HUB1280 Unico is an in-house, self-winding, 4Hz flyback chronograph caliber with a column wheel and a double clutch. This movement measures 30 × 30 × 6.75mm, has a 72-hour power reserve, and can be viewed from the back and the front of both ceramic Big Bang watches.

Through the sapphire of the case back and the nearly absent dial, the movement shows off its 354 parts. Normally, an outspoken brand ambassador like football superstar Kylian Mbappé outshines the watch on his wrist, let alone its inner workings. But the movement here really deserves to be noticed a bit more — and appreciated, for that matter.

Solid black and white are a good match for transparency

The striking, prominent, and maybe even heavy-looking black and white ceramic cases, which have both microblasted and polished surfaces, are matched with enlightening transparency. Under the antireflective sapphire, a black skeletonized dial not only adds depth to the watch but also highlights its technicality. Also, the bezel with six H-shaped titanium screws does give off some seriously industrial vibes.

Both watches come equipped with a rubber strap. The Black Magic has an all-black strap, and the White Ceramic has a white one with a black lining. And although the color of the folding buckles is the exact opposite, both are executed in ceramic and titanium. The concept of working with avant-garde materials and fusing them to create an unmistakably distinct watch is meticulously executed here.

Which one do you prefer? Is it the sinister black one that looks like Darth Vader’s watch of choice? Or is it the one that should be basic personal equipment for every Imperial stormtrooper (they can’t afford one on a stormtrooper’s salary)? And the mention of soldiers from Star Wars is the bridge that leads us to the price of these two chronographs.

Both the Bang Unico Black Magic (421.CI.1170.RX) and Big Bang Unico White Ceramic (421.HX.1170.RX) have a retail price of €23,000 / US$22,000. To find out more about the Big Bang Unico collection in unexpected colors and materials, visit your local AD. For our Dutch locals, you can do so at Schaap en Citroen Juweliers right here.