Jumping the shark: Hublot Big Bang King Power

When Hublot first launched the Big Bang I was When Hublot first launched the Big Bang I was totally down with the watch. It had a unique style and size as well as a nice pedigree and cost about $15K, not horrible for a watch of this caliber. Now they’re just getting greedy.

The King Power is just a fat watch with a weird, all-black face that almost renders it useless. This model has a ceramic bracelet, which is unusual, and is water resistant to 10 ATM. It’s basically using a standard jumping hands split-second movement from La Joux-Perret. How much is all of this pleasure? $22,000, not counting the gazelle-like Russian models you have to hire to walk into the shop so you can look sufficiently douchey when you pick this up.

Here is how the movement works:

That little dial there jerking around like an epileptic shows eights of a second. You can also split the seconds i.e. stop one hand and let the other hand keep going.

My problem with this watch? Hublot and Bell&Ross are falling into the same habit of making the same thing only in a different color over and over again. It’s uncreative and boring. It also makes it hard for people like me, people who want to pull this industry out of the douche ghetto, to convince non-watch fans that they should explore the hobby. Watches are things of beauty but like all beautiful things, the commercial instinct more often than not drives out the things that make it good. Here’s hoping that Hublot can pull back and fix this.

“KING POWER FOUDROYANTE ALL BLACK”

TECHNICAL DATA

Case “King Power” diameter 48 mm in microblasted black ceramic
Bezel Black microblasted ceramic with black rubber moulding, with 6 black
PVD-coated titanium raised H-shaped screws
Crystal Sapphire crystal with interior/exterior anti-reflection treatment
Bezel lug Black composite resin
Lateral inserts Black composite resin
Back Black microblasted ceramic

Crown Black PVD titanium with black rubber insert
Push-pieces Black PVD titanium with black rubber insert

Water-resistance 100 m or 10 ATM

Dial Multi pieces with matt black microblasted additional counters and
flange; appliqué markers with black nickel treatment; black
SuperLuminova™ transfers

Hands Brilliant black nickel chronograph hand; brilliant black nickel with black
SuperLuminova™ hours and minutes hands; brilliant black nickel with
black SuperLuminova™ split-seconds hand; brilliant black nickel with
black SuperLuminova™ foudroyante hand

Movement Self-winding mechanical split-seconds foudroyante chronograph,
Hublot HUB44 RTF calibre developed with La Joux-Perret
Bridges Polished, satin-finish with chamfered edges
Screws Black PVD
Oscillating weight Tungsten carbide with dimpled surface coated with black PVD
Bottom plate Sand-blasted; rhodium-plated
Barrel With reinforced spring
Escapement Glucydur balance spring
Power reserve 42 hours

Adjustable jointed black rubber
Black microblasted ceramic and black PVD steel deployant clasp

Limited Edition 500 numbered pieces 01/500 – 500/500