Hands-On With A Quintet Of Hublot Big Bang 20th Anniversary Watches

My favorite guilty-pleasure brand is, without a shadow of a doubt, Hublot. The colorful ceramic models, in particular, have the X factor. Guess what: the quintet of Hublot Big Bang 20th Anniversary watches is made in different materials, one of which is bright red ceramic. The other four are titanium, King Gold, Magic Gold, and black ceramic. I went hands-on with the outspoken watches. On paper, the Red Magic firecracker was my favorite of the lot. Read on to find out if it still was after my hands-on experience with all five limited editions.

You can’t let two decades of Big Bang watches go unnoticed. Doing so wouldn’t be in the spirit of the watch or the brand. That’s why the five-watch-strong lineup of Big Bang 20th Anniversary watches took center stage at Hublot’s Watches and Wonders 2025 booth. The Big Bang is undoubtedly the brand’s most emblematic collection. In the past 20 years, many things about the watch have changed. For instance, the quality, especially the level of finishing, improved tremendously over time. You might remember those first-generation Big Bangs that were a little edgy, not just in shape but also by nature. Over time, Hublot introduced many high-tech materials in the Big Bang collection, and the in-house Unico automatic chronograph movement was a significant evolutionary step forward.

New (left) and old Big Bang side by side

Hands-on with a quintet of Hublot Big Bang 20th Anniversary watches

The common denominator among the five Big Bang 20th Anniversary watches is the Unico movement. All five limited-edition Bang Bang creations use the MHUB1280.20YEARS: UNICO, the self-winding chronograph caliber with a column wheel and flyback function. In the case of this limited-edition quintet, the mainspring gets wound by a celebratory gold rotor.

The five references feature a redesigned 43mm case with the characteristic layered construction that turned a few eyes out 20 years ago. The watch, with its pinched lugs, knurled bezel edge, and rubber strap, had a semi-industrial vibe. It took an open mind to connect with it, just like the very first gold and rubber Hublot in the ’80s. Not-so-open-minded folks compared the Big Bang to the Royal Oak Offshore, mainly because both watches are outspoken and in a league of their own. Twenty years ago, we didn’t have the diversity we have in 2025.

Did the red ceramic work its magic?

Why did Hublot create the Big Bang 20th Anniversary Red Magic (ref. 431.CF.1313.RX / €33,000) in red ceramic and not in, let’s say, bright yellow or cheerful orange? That’s because red is a historic hue for Hublot. The Nyon-based brand has been at the forefront of creating ceramics in bright colors, making them stand out. The first colored ceramic Hublot developed and made in-house was red, and it debuted in 2018. With this in mind, it makes sense that Hublot has produced 100 Red Magic chronographs to celebrate the Big Bang and seven years of in-house colored ceramics.

Is it still my favorite of the five LEs? Nope. In real life, I was slightly disappointed by the harsh contrast between vivid red and deep black. The shiny red ceramic feels nice and smooth, and the hue is deep and rich, but the black details cheapen the watch’s look. Crucial in that is the black dial with red numerals and indexes.

When I first saw the five-watch lineup, I thought the dial was made of carbon fiber. Well, the checkered look suggested it, and with Hublot’s expertise in using the material, a carbon fiber dial would make great historical sense. Instead, Hublot decided to use brass, stamp a carbon-like pattern into it, and color it black. When I asked why it was brass and not carbon, the Hublot representative answered that the depth of the stamped pattern reflects light better and more vividly, enriching the watch in a way no carbon dial could ever do.

Materials that come in fourth, third, and second place

I was all over the Red Magic iteration on paper, but after experiencing it during “WAW,” it was my least favorite Big Bang of the five. Let’s see in what order the other four ended up. The Big Bang 20th Anniversary Titanium Ceramic (ref. 431.NM.1337.RX / €21,600) came in fourth place. This is a limited edition of 500 chronographs, also showing strong contrasts between colors. The watch looks like it should always be in the collection, and with its red details, it doesn’t look that special or festive.

The third spot on the podium goes to the 250-piece-strong King Gold Ceramic edition (ref. 431.OM.1338.RX / €39,900). Hublot’s proprietary precious metal has a warmer shade than the traditional 5N 18K gold. Honestly, it’s too warm for my taste and quite rich, eye-catching, and explicit.

This is, of course, a very personal take on the watch. I like my shades of gold softer and more yellow. Good old-fashioned yellow gold is my number-one type of gold. On the other hand, a warm, reddish type of gold matched with black ceramic and a black rubber strap is very Hublot.

Second place goes to a reimagined 2006 Hublot cult classic. The Big Bang 20th Anniversary All Black (ref. 431.CI.1340.RX / €26,200), a limited edition of 500 watches, is still a strong style statement despite having a look that many competitors have copied. Jean-Claude Biver once said that reading the time on your Big Bang All Black might be impossible, but people use their phones to check the time anyway. It didn’t stop the watch from possibly becoming the most important and sought-after watch in Hublot’s history.

The 2025 watch shows matte-finished surfaces on the black ceramic 43mm case and is a worthy homage to the OG. The thing is, I’d rather have the rebellious watch that broke the mold than the grown-up version of it.

New (top) and old Big Bang case profiles

After some ado, here’s my number-one Big Bang 20th Anniversary watch

Before telling you which Big Bang took first place and why, let’s look at the watches more closely. Hublot did a good job of updating lots of design details. For instance, the case diameter shrank from 44.5mm to a more wearable 43mm, and the polished bezel has a knurled edge, a prominent feature of the early Big Bang models, now more refined than ever.

The rubber-tipped rectangular pushers found in the first Big Bang references also made a comeback, along with the textured lozenge-patterned rubber strap featuring a One-Click system integrated into the case.

My favorite watch of the five is the Big Bang 20th Anniversary Magic Gold (ref. 431.MX.1330.RX / €42,200), which comes in a limited run of 100 pieces. Magic Gold, an in-house precious metal that debuted in 2011, has a mysterious greenish glow that softens the watch’s appearance. Magic Gold was the world’s first scratch-resistant 18K gold alloy, combining ceramic’s resilience with gold’s shine and luster. The material’s golden glow will stay impeccable for a very long time due to its hardness and resistance to oxidation.

In which order would you put the quintet of Hublot Big Bang 20th Anniversary watches? Please share in the comments.