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Pretty in Pink: Introducing the new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink

Given the gender neutrality of the colour, I would say Hublot has a winner for your hands in the new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink.

Pretty in Pink: Introducing the new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink

This review of the new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink is perhaps going to run in the form of two short movie reviews. Or maybe not. I haven’t really decided for sure, but the movie critic in me wants to write it like that. If not, at least there would be references to a couple of movies. There would of-course be references to the colour ‘Millennial Pink’. 

new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink

The Colour 

If you run a Google search for the definition of Millennial Pink, this is what comes up from a website called ‘Girl Boss’: Millennial Pink “is decidedly and defiantly not kitsch. It is, however, just as visually pleasing and highly marketable. It has appeared on advertising campaigns for brands including Thinx, Delish, and Acne, which also uses it on its packaging.”

Hublot’s press release describes it as “for some, it is powder pink or pastel; for others, a subtle blend of beige and salmon, apricot and grapefruit. Intriguing and undefinable, Millennial Pink takes its place today as a pink which is not in the exclusive realm of women, nor that of men, but truly a symbol of a completely new generation.”

Another website called ‘Bustle‘ defines it as “Millennial pink, otherwise known as blush or delicate pink, is the trend that simply will not go away. It’s everywhere from Instagram-ready restaurants, to couches, clothing and advertising for all genders”.

So what is it, and why is it so important?

new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink
Pretty In Pink

The answer to the former is harder than the latter. The answer to the latter question is straightforward – it’s important because we live in a world overpowered by social media and dominated with the opinions and lifestyles of the many influencers, a lot of whom are young, rich millennials. And if an entire generation can agree on one colour, then that colour becomes very relevant, and it only makes sense for Hublot to embrace that. It’s also relevant for our website, because at Watch Ya Gonna Do About It we lay special emphasis on watches that transcend the norm and can be used for multiple purpose as evident with our Fusion Friday section, or can be worn by both the sexes as reflected in our His+Her ratings section.

So when a luxury watch is released that has the potential power to embrace a current global trend and impress the rich millennial, it becomes important.

Kylian Mbappe Hublot Ambassador By Jean Baptiste Mondinobig Bang Millennial Pink Jpg.
Kylian Mbappe – Hublot Ambassador by Jean Baptiste © 2018 HUBLOT – ALL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS RESERVED

As for the former question, truth be told, no ones really knows what exactly this colour is. I did some research and couldn’t find something that everyone agreed on. It’s pink, but not as we know. It’s a sort of mythical colour in the popular culture. Its shades or versions are everywhere, and then they are not. 

What I did gather is that it’s a shade of pink that’s meant to go beyond the traditional boundaries of what men and women wear. And in that, the new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink manages to pique my curiosity.

new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink
Unisex appeal

The Partnership 

On first glance it looks a lot like the Hublot Big Bang UNICO Red Magic, of course barring the colour change. But this piece differs itself from the ceramic 45mm Red Magic or ‘the Grand Older & Bolder Brother’ version as I would like to call it due to the use of modern, lightweight aluminium that is anodised, satin-finished and through-tinted in millennial pink. The anodisation process besides producing the beautiful pastel shade that also provides the timepiece with resistance to scratches and impacts.

This subdued but stunning shade of pink has been achieved in partnership with Lapo Elkann, an Italian businessman and Founder & Creative Chairman of Garage Italia.

“At Hublot, we are particularly proud of the Art of Fusion. But the list of things we cherish also includes the ability to innovate, to change, to be different, and, of course, our watchmaking expertise. This Big Bang Millennial Pink that we have created with Lapo Elkann form Garage Italia sits perfectly within this pioneering vision. Our expertise in materials technology has enabled us to create a unique colour for this watch, Millennial Pink, symbolic of the world available to us, in its constant state of flux’, says Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot. 

The press release describes Garage Italia as a creative hub that is “founded by Lapo Elkann based in the historic service station of Piazzale Accursioin Milan, defines a new way to perform and live the concept of “tailor-made”, able to develop projects, products and unique personalised experiences for Brands, Companies and private customers”. 

Says Lapo Elkann: “At Garage Italia, we want to be part of a world where the character of every person is defined by their love of life and their inclusivity, rather than by their power or their superiority. More than simply a product, we want to create something which represents a positive change”. 

The Specifications 

The reference 441.UP.7320.NR.GIT20 features the calibre HUB1280 UNICO 2 Manufacture self-winding flyback chronograph movement with column wheel. It features 354 components, 43 jewels, beats at the frequency of 4Hz (28’800 A/h), and boasts of an impressive 72-hour power reserve (same as their UNICO movement). 

The UNICO 2 is an updated, flatter version of the brand’s famed first 100% “House” movement (UNICO), measuring 30mm x 30mm x 6.75mm compared to the 30mm x 30.4mm x 8mm dimensions of the latter. Some of the watches that use this relatively new movement are the Intergral All Black, Ferrari GT Titanium, and UNICO Black Magic among others. 

The calibre HUB1280 is encased inside a 42mm x 14.50mm satin-finished and polished pink millennial anodized aluminium case. It is similar to the Hublot Big Bang UNICO Red Magic; just the dimensions are scaled down, and so is the movement from UNICO to UNICO 2. The Red Magic comes in at a slightly larger 45mm diameter and 15.45mm thick size, inside a polished red ceramic body. 

If you come to think of it, it’s like Hublot put their Red Magic to wash, and it shrunk a bit and lost a bit of colour. Which is kind of ironic given the watch is 100m water-resistant. 

Overall, the look of this pink millennial anodized aluminium case with polished & beveled corners is anything but that can be passed on as residual. Both the watches maintain the trademark “sandwich” construction of Hublot watches. The way the surfaces are overtly facetted and beveled they create a myriad of levels and textures on the modular case. With so many angles and small surfaces of the case and the crown guard, combined with the exposed components, the resulting watch is overwhelmingly colourful yet monochromatic. It is very much a work of art, like most Hublot watches are. 

new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink

Relentlessly continuing the pink colour coding beyond the case are the same coloured composite resin bezel lugs, the middle ‘sandwich ears’ part of the case. Only the greyed PVD 6-H shaped screws on the bezel are differently colour coded, but they tie in with the movement colour of the Mat pink millennial skeletonised dial. 

The Mat pink millennial — alternating between indexes and Arabic numerals — appliques filled with white luminescent material not only provide for legibility but also complement the branding on the strap buckle as the latter is engraved with “HUBLOT” text filled with white lacquer. Speaking of the dial, the sub-dial at 3’o clock features a 60 minute counter with the logo of Garage Italia and a date window while the sub-dial at 9’o clock features a running small seconds hand. To top it all off, there’s the Hublot logo and branding at 12’o clock, again in pink. 

new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink

Further balancing this pink on pink are the crown at 3’o clock and the round shaped chrono pushers at 2 and 4’o clock. Not stopping the pink overdose here, the watch comes on two strap options, both again in pink: knit Velcro strap with pink millennial stitching (29’200 AUD) or rubber strap (same price). 

new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink

The Movie Nostalgia Bit – In Essence 

So I did decide to add those movie references after all. The new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink reminded me of two movies, Pretty in Pink and The Grand Budapest Hotel

Pretty in Pink is a 1986 teen rom-com starring Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer and Andrew McCarthy in lead roles. It tells the coming of age story of a young girl, who is not popular at school, but when she meets a popular rich kid, she has to choose between him and her childhood friend who happens to not be rich. It’s a feel good movie that’s bound to bring back a sentiment or two from your good ol’ school days.

Andrew McCarthy, Molly Ringwald and Jon Cryer in Pretty In Pink (Picture: Paramount)
Andrew McCarthy, Molly Ringwald and Jon Cryer in Pretty In Pink (Picture: Paramount)

Why do I bring this up? Because the new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink reminds me of the movie: one, the lead wears pink, the watch is unashamedly pink; two, like the girl from the movie who is on the journey to firmly establishing her identity, the watch is from a relatively young brand that in the last 40 years or so has enthralled the world while establishing its identity amidst industry stalwarts; and third, like the movie, it’s a handsome watch that’s bound to make you feel good. 

The Movie Pop Culture Bit – In Aesthetic Presence 

There is another, more recent movie that reminds me of this watch, and that’s Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel. It is a fictional murder-mystery-adventure-love story set in a fictional pink Eastern European hotel. The operative word here is pink, and if you have seen the movie, you would recollect the various tones of pink used in that movie. The Guardian calls the pink(s) used as ‘Millennial pink’, and the “colour of the moment in the worlds of fashion and design”. The Slate website pretty much makes it a point to acknowledge that perhaps it was the aforementioned movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel, that can be credited for the term ‘Millennial pink’.

Well, it may or may not be the case but what is definite is that the light pink hue of pink — or something very similar, who knows, they are all shades of pink — reminiscent of the new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink definitely happens to take center stage in the first couple of minutes of the movie.

Official Grand Budapest Hotel movie poster. Photograph by 20th Century Fox.
Official Grand Budapest Hotel movie poster. Photograph by 20th Century Fox.

Watch Ya Gonna Do About It

So if you take the essence of the ‘Pretty In Pink’ movie and the aesthetic presence of ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’, and combine them together, the distilled result if it were a watch would be the new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink. 

new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink

But the question is, is Hublot a bit late to jump on the fashion trend bandwagon? After all, the concept of ‘Millennial Pink’ isn’t exactly new. It’s been there for a while, especially on Instagram. What’s more, even Vogue reports that “Millennial pink has had its moment and like with all good things, its reign is seemingly coming to an end”. 

On the other hand, sites like Shutterstock call it “less a specific colour, and more the embodiment of (cultural) relevancy”. And CNN Style is somewhat neural saying that “perhaps millennial pink won’t mean what it means today in 50 years’ time”. 

I honestly wouldn’t have an answer as to whether the colour is relevant today or not; I am not someone that dabbles in the world of high fashion. But what I can say is, that correct timing or not, Hublot has released one such watch that the uber-rich millennials of our age can unashamedly flaunt, and what’s more, given the gender neutrality of the colour, both sexes can make it a charming addition to their collection.

In that, I would say Hublot has a winner for your hands. 

new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink

For more information about the new Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink produced in limited numbers of 200 pieces only and other Hublot offerings, please visit their website here. All images are courtesy © 2018 HUBLOT – ALL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS RESERVED unless otherwise stated. 

Hublot Big Bang Millennial Pink

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