Big Bang Hublot Limited Edition spotlight New Releases New Watches

Creating Magic: Revisiting the 2019 Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary Limited Editions

Creating Magic. Revisiting the 2019 Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary Limited Editions in platinum, 3D carbon and sapphire.

Creating Magic: Revisiting the 2019 Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary Limited Editions 

Enzo Ferrari once said: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Hublot is in the business of making dreamy watches come to life. The 2019 Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary is a true testament. 

Towards the end of last year, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Scuderia Ferrari, Hublot partnered with the iconic racing brand to bring to a wrist somewhere near us the delightfully charming and innovative Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary watch.

The Car That Dreams Are Made Of 

When it comes to sports cars, Ferrari is perhaps one of the biggest names on and off race tracks. 

With Enzo Ferrari as a leading force behind it, Scuderia Ferrari came into existence in November 1929 and made its racing debut at the 1930 Mille Miglia. Scuderia Ferrari is one of the most successful race teams of all time, taking thousands of wins in some of the most important races in the world.

It’s place is so relevant, that Toto Wolff, the Austrian investor, former racing driver, and CEO of rival Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport Formula One Team once quipped: “F1 needs Ferrari much more than Ferrari needs F1.”

Celebrating this journey is the 2019 Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary.

Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari
Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary Limited Edition in Sapphire | © 2018 HUBLOT – ALL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS RESERVED

Ferrari. Meet Hublot

Whether you can afford it or not, Ferrari is a household name. That bright red colour, the iconic designs, the speed of the machine, the innovative technologies, it’s all part of the package. Now moving on from one icon to another, founded in Switzerland in 1980, Hublot has come to redefine luxury and watch aesthetics. Guided by its material innovation and the ‘Art of Fusion’, it has established itself as another household name — at-least for watch enthusiasts — with offerings such as the iconic, multi-award-winning Big Bang and Spirit of Big Bang models.

Together, they create magic. 

Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari
Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary Limited Edition in platinum | © 2018 HUBLOT – ALL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS RESERVED

“Scuderia Ferrari is the only organisation of its kind in the world as it is both a monument to motorsport and a modern racing team that is competitive and at the cutting-edge of technology. It embodies passion and values that Hublot shares every day. Happy birthday Scuderia, we look forward to sharing many more victories with our legendary partner!” says Ricardo Guadalupe CEO Hublot. 

The New Model(s) – Why Three? 

This model is available in three exclusive versions —  Sapphire, Platinum & 3D Carbon — and is produced in limited editions of 90 pieces each. While all of them have their own charm (and more on that in detail a bit later), I am going to say it from the onset that out of the three, the 3D carbon version is our favourite. 

Design aesthetics wise all three watches are different — barring the bezel that is cut in ceramic carbon, the same material that is used for Formula 1 brake discs — as they are meant to identify with different eras of Ferrari racing. 

They are three in number as they represent the past, present and future of the racing brand. 

What’s more, since these watches have been designed in collaboration with the Ferrari Design Centre, the three pieces illustrate the development of the materials used in car racing over the years. 

Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari
L to R: Platinum, 3D Carbon, Sapphire | © 2018 HUBLOT – ALL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS RESERVED

Platinum Edition – Homage to the Past

The first version is a homage to the early years of Scuderia Ferrari and is dedicated to its glorious past. 

Encased in platinum, the rather larger-than-life 45mm diameter houses the famous UNICO movement, a date function and a flyback chronograph that offers an impressive 72-hour power reserve. But then the technical specs are the same for all the watches (and discussed further below anyway). What we are excited about with this version are the aesthetic design elements.

Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari
Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary Limited Edition Platinum | © 2018 HUBLOT – ALL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS RESERVED

If one were to surmise the entire dial face look of the watch, it would go something like this: representing the visible metal parts, the peccary leather from the bucket seats and the brushed look of the dashboard of the sports cars, the dial is a true study in paying homage to something as iconic as a Ferrari.

The perforated calf leather strap and black rubber combination with light grey stitching really brings out the look of the bucket seats in the cars of a bygone era. Another striking feature of this model compared to the others is the way the dial evokes old-fashioned speedometers with its calendar underlined in yellow. 

Carbon Edition – Shaking hands with the Present 

The second version — the 3D carbon version — is designed to represent the present day Scuderia Ferrari. Like we have said before, this is our favourite version, mostly due to being the most legible of the lot.

Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari
Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary Limited Edition 3D Carbon | © 2018 HUBLOT – ALL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS RESERVED

The red lume of the minutes and hour hands and the hour markers set against a blacked out carbon dial really set the mood. The colour code is black and red, the colours currently used by Scuderia Ferrari for its single-seater Formula 1 cars. And that touch of yellow in the date window is just priceless.

Since this model is defining the present day era, it shows how research of the present age has led to the creation of new composite materials and high-end technology: the strap is made from Nomex, the fire-resistant synthetic fibre used to make racing driver’s suits.

Sapphire Edition – Saluting the Future 

The third version though not our favourite is the most distinctive of the three.

It’s got a futuristic look to it, brought about by its transparent case made from sapphire. It demonstrates the extreme sophistication that technology is heading towards and the possibilities it offers for the future. Its strap also adopts a highly futuristic Kevlar look.

Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari
Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary Limited Edition Sapphire | © 2018 HUBLOT – ALL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS RESERVED

Devil is in the details they say, and we noticed some nice touches that pay homage to the racing brand: the Ferrari Prancing Horse logo at 6’o clock and the Italian flag on the tip of the seconds hand. While these two features exist on all three models, it’s still worthy to mention their presence as it adds that extra flair to the design. 

The Specifications

The 2019 Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary 45mm watches — in Platinum (reference: 402.TQ.0129.VR), in 3D Carbon (reference: 402.QD.0123.NR) and in Sapphire (reference: 402.JQ.0123.NR) — comprise of 330 components & beat at the frequency of 4Hz (28’000 A/h) allowing for a generous 72-hour power reserve. 

The Similarities 

The movement — HUB1241 — used in all three versions is UNICO manufacture self-winding chronograph flyback movement with column wheel.

The bezel on every one of these watches is also the same: carbon ceramic “brake discs” (same material used in brake discs of Ferrari race cars). 

The watch face shows the functions of hours, minutes, seconds, date and a flyback chronograph on differing dial and colour combinations. 

The Differences 

The cases of the watches differ due to materials used. 

The platinum watch is made from microblasted platinum with a satin-finished face and titanium screws; the 3D carbon watch is made from carbon 3D fibre and has black-plated titanium screws; the sapphire watch is made from polished sapphire and has titanium screws.

Also different are the case-backs. 

The platinum version makes use of a microblasted platinum with a satin-finish case-back that is covered by sapphire crystal; for the 3D version the case-back is microblasted black-plated titanium with a satin-finish; for the sapphire version the caseback is polished sapphire crystal.

All versions have different straps too. 

The platinum version features a perforated calf leather strap mixed with black rubber with light grey stitching. The buckle is black ceramic with a titanium deployant buckle clasp; the 3D carbon version features a Nomex® strap mixed with black rubber with dark grey stitching. The buckle is black ceramic on a black-plated titanium deployant buckle clasp; the sapphire version features a Kevlar pattern fabric strap mixed with black rubber with light grey stitching. The buckle is a standard titanium deployant buckle.

Last but not the least are the differing costs. The platinum version costs 40’900 USD, 3D Carbon comes for 34’600 USD, and the sapphire option retails for 69’000 US.

Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari
Sapphire | © 2018 HUBLOT – ALL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS RESERVED

Watch Ya Gonna Do About It

Like most Hublot watches, the case surfaces are overtly facetted and beveled, and given the Big Bang design architecture, they create a myriad of surfaces and textures on the modular case. Hublot has opted for the skeletonised look, and that further reveals the usually masked components underneath the dial skin. With so many angles and small surfaces of the case and the crown guard, combined with the exposed components, and each providing their own shade of grey as light caresses them, the resulting watches are overwhelmingly stunning. 

Like the recently released Hublot Big Bang GMT All Black Yohji Yamamoto, the dial shows hour markers as alternating between Arabic numerals and baton-style appliqués. Being applied and raised, they provide the much needed visual relief and interplay with colour. 

Moving beyond the dial, the bezel is clearly demarcated against the integrated lugs that wrap themselves around the wrist as they exit the flank of the watch.

If you look closely at all the three watches at once, you will see a running theme. Each of the three versions bears one of the three colours of the Scuderia on its border, the numbers and the index: yellow for the platinum edition, red for the 3D carbon edition and black for the sapphire edition. And a dedicated collector and a fan of motorsport racing can have all three watches as a ‘collector’s set’ has been introduced.

In terms of use, the watch would look amazing on a race track. It’s not really a daily wearer coming in at 45mm size and with a very chunky 17.10mm thickness. It is also not going to fit perfectly under the cuff for that boardroom meeting. But you know what? That’s okay. It’s not designed or intended to be caged anyway. It’s a bold, display objet d’art that’s just waiting to be unleashed. 

The 2019 Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary Limited Editions are in a league of their own. Not only do they represent the racing brand’s past, present and future, they also showcase Hublot’s commitment in creating a Haute Horlogerie brand with a visionary future that is infused with the essence of the likes of Ferrari.

For more information on this and other Hublot watches, head to the Hublot website here.

Leave a Reply

Discover more from Watch Ya Gonna Do About It

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading