Rounding Up Hublot’s Highlights From Watches And Wonders 2021

Hublot did what Hublot does and made a splash with its colorway swathe of new releases this week. Asa devoted follower of the brand, it is my pleasure to present the Hublot Big Bang Integral Ceramic novelties, the Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Full Sapphire, and the Classic Fusion Orlinski Blue Ceramic.

Let’s start with what is fast becoming a “bread and butter” range for Hublot. What would be an absolute showstopping proposition for most brands now feels so organic coming out of Hublot’s stable that it would be easy to miss the update altogether. The Big Bang Integral Ceramic line is not new. We’ve seen the black version before. However, this week, that stealthy model was joining by three new options in white, navy blue, and gray. I’ve always liked this range and think that the new models — especially the gray — are really something.

Airforce gray

While gray ceramic is normally at the bottom of my list of colors I’d like to see in this material (mostly because I expect vibrant colors from ceramic and can get gray from steel or titanium watches), this one stands out for its subtle hue. I would call it an almost “Airforce” gray, as it seems to have a little bit of blue in it, which brings character to the model in place of the vividness one might expect. The gray version is reference 451.FX.6923.FX and boasts a gray skeleton dial.

…a pricey beater at €22,700…

These models are a jaw-droppingly considerate 42mm wide and an eye-catching 13.45mm thick. Water-resistance is 100 meters and the power reserve (thanks to HUB1280) is 72 hours so this one is actually a lot more rugged than appearances initially suggest. It would be a pricey beater at €22,700, but for Hublot lovers, the price is nothing to be balked at.

I see you

Well, wow. What to say? This Hublot turning it up to 11. And yet, despite this all-sapphire tourbillon clearly having been designed to shock and stun, it could have been crazier. I’m sure you’ve all seen Hublot’s recent (and very interesting) experiments with colored sapphire housings, so this one, in comparison to the orange wallet-assassin that launched last year, is positively demure.

It is also positively divine. I’m not sure I’d love the aesthetic on the wrist as much as I do off it (my furry gorilla wrist would likely spoil the show), but what a work of art, if nothing else. We need brands like Hublot to make headway in regions of interest such as sapphire machining so that the rest of the industry might follow in the trails blazed before it.

Did somebody order another Orlinski? No? It’s okay, I’ll drink it…

Every time I hear the name “Richard Orlinski” I feel it should be attached to a cocktail. And, to be honest, studying the watches Orlinski has designed for Hublot has a similar effect on my constitution. I feel a bit dizzy looking at the angles he’s managed to lever into the regular Classic Fusion silhouette, but while they might send me a bit squiffy, I wouldn’t say the sensation is entirely unpleasant. At 40mm, Hublot nailed the sizing of this curious collection, and I’m not sorry we have more of them to admire. Learn more at Hublot’s official website.