Hublot and Maxime Plescia-Buchi – the celebrated typographer, tattooist, artist and founder of Sang Bleu design studio – present the Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu. The collection comprises three limited editions: 200 in All Black ceramic, 200 units in titanium, and 100 in King Gold. In addition, there are two one-of-a-kind watches in titanium and King Gold, both set with 180 diamonds each weighing approximately 2.4 carats.
Unveiled at the Salone del Mobile in Milan, this is the third Hublot x Sang Bleu model to emerge from the collaboration that began in 2016, and the first based on Hublot’s Spirit of Big Bang watch. The previous two were based on the Big Bang models.
The Hublot and Maxime Plescia-Buchi collaboration began in 2016, with the first Big Bang Sang Bleu featuring the signature three-dimensional geometry of the French tattoo artist. This geometric design, based on a proportioned structure inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, gives a Hublot Sang Bleu its distinguishing quality.
In the Sang Bleu II, which debuted in 2019, Maxime’s design was expressed across the entire Big Bang watch, including the case, the hexagonal bezel, the sapphire crystal, the hands, and the bracelet. This three-dimensional style has been entirely revamped in 2023 to find expression in a Spirit of Big Bang, while retaining the watchmaker’s DNA – such as the six H-shaped titanium screws running through the watch bezel, sandwich construction, signature lugs on each side of the case, and a screwed crown over moulded with rubber.
“After having made my mark on the Big Bang, my creative process has taken on a new form,” said Maxime. “This is the new collection, and the barrel shape of the Spirit of Big Bang. I have been able to question and review each component, from the case to the crystal, the bracelet to the clasp, considering each shape and proportion through a holistic reflection.
“The aim is to incorporate the DNA of the Big Bang Sang Bleu II into the Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu. The result is a similar geometric aesthetic with a new interpretation of shapes and volumes. This creation is guided by perfectly proportioned shapes that interact and overlap to create a unique, distinctive design while enhancing the ergonomics for the wearer.”
Maxime has skilfully transposed his signature lines onto the barrel shape of the Spirit of Big Bang through elongated bevelled features and proportioned angles that fit together to create a timepiece where the Sang Bleu signature is instantly recognisable. Like his tattoos, the line adapts to the case, to its distinctive characteristics, reliefs, curves, and texture. He creates relief and depth through polished, satin-finished, engraved, chiselled, bevelled and faceted materials. Hexagons, diamonds and triangles appear and overlap, redefining the shape and volume of the watch.
The Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu has a 42 mm-diameter case, crafted in a choice of three materials: All Black ceramic, Titanium, and King Gold. This watch, even with its generous proportions and seemingly inorganic shape, has been designed to offer a good ergonomic fit, both for both men and women. To ensure that the watch fits the curves of the wrist and is flush with the body, the back of the case and the sapphire crystal have been arched at several points.
Geometric tattoos alternate and overlap from the case to the bezel. A sapphire dial displays the HUB4700 automatic skeleton chronograph movement. Hovering above it are the “disc” hands bearing the signature geometry of Sang Bleu timepieces. The structure of the hands has been enhanced and the hour and minute markers have been refined when compared to the Sang Bleu II.
Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot’s CEO, commented: “Launched in 2014, the Spirit of Big Bang retained all of the Big Bang’s original features in a barrel-shaped case. A reinterpretation of Hublot’s DNA, simultaneously identical yet so different. For this third collaboration, Maxime has infused it with a new spirit without changing its soul, introducing the Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu. He achieves this same transformation, injecting the concepts of the Big Bang Sang Bleu I & II, by redefining the lines of the Spirit of Big Bang.
“Without losing what makes our barrel watch so distinctive, he gives it a new identity, a spatial redesign and a more architectural dimension, revealed by the Sang Bleu geometry and symmetry. A fusion that exceeds perfection. The symbol of a collaboration that highlights the best features and unique potential of each design. In our watches and in our collaborations, one philosophy underscores the vision of everything we do: to adapt to the container while always focusing on the quality of the content.”