Hublot innovates with the new Big Bang Unicom Magic Ceramic

History repeats itself. You know the discussion about which automatic chronograph came first. Was Zenith’s El Primero developed by Caliber 11, developed by Hoyer, Breitling, Hamilton, movement expert Dubois Deplaz, or by Seiko’s Speedtimer? Now we have a new case of “Who came first?” This includes two watches: the Hublot Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chroma Ceramic. The “AP” was announced last year, but for now it is a prototype. Hublot is not a prototype, it is a limited edition of 20 pieces. You are the first person judge and you will receive the award.

Last year, Audemars Piguet presented several prototype watches using cases made using Spark Plasma Sentering (SPS) technology. Without too much detail, this allows designers to combine different tones of the same material, such as gold or ceramic. Sintering occurs in minutes rather than hours, resulting in clear transitions between the tints. In particular, the offshore royal oak in monochromatic camouflage ceramic looked very cool. However, it is not possible to purchase it as it has not reached the production stage (still). However, you can purchase watches with multi-color ceramics. This is Hublot Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic. This is the first production watch to feature multicolored ceramics.

Hublot Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic has a controversial look

Before going into the details of how the Hublot Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic was created, let’s talk to Amanita Muscaria, a mushroom commonly known as the elephant in the room, or rather the fly agaric. Yes, the watch displays a variety of colors, but the dots resemble the fly agaric markings seen in photos taken by our own Nacho. The dotted pattern of Hublot’s bezels is surprising, controversial, surprising, and will undoubtedly trigger a strong response.

Audemars Piguet Offshore prototype using cases made using Spark Plasma Sentering (SPS) technology

Amanitamascalia, commonly known as Fly Agaric

Hublot is not familiar with exotic materials. The brand also likes to create exclusive materials. For example, King Gold and Magic Gold are in-house alloys, and Hublot grows sapphire crystals and color them at the Nyon facility to create cases. When it comes to ceramics, specifically colours, brands are always at the forefront. Hublot is currently pioneered by a multi-color ceramic material called Magic Ceramic. The expertise of Hublot’s R&D and Materials & Metallurgy teams has led to the creation of a type of ceramic that requires a lot of effort. Polished bicollar dark grey ceramics with twilight blue dot bezels require more than just a layer of pigments. Achieving multicolor ceramics requires innovative thinking, deep understanding of ceramics and methods of reproducing color.

Baking Magic Ceramic is a delicate process

Mixing and running magic ceramics is not an easy task. Each dye used in the colour must undergo a different temperature during the baking and molding process of the ceramic components. Finding the perfect balance between time and temperature will give you a uniform result. Hublot’s New Magic Ceramic is born from a patent-pending process and debuts with the Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic, a limited edition of just 20 units. But don’t worry. There will definitely be other magical ceramic models in the future.

The recently released Big Bang Mecha-10 comes in three versions, and it is necessary to mention the version of Hublot’s Frosted Carbon. The black and grey shades of carbon flakes give the watch a kind of camouflage look. Hublot wanted another look from the Big Bang Unicom Magic Ceramic. This pattern had to be more contrasting to show off the innovative creation process rather than random. And what is more contrasting than the dots of polka? Hublot says that this creation process is just one of the myriad possibilities of this innovation in this pottery. Choosing dots over Razzle-Dazzle-inspired designs is unique, if not confused, but it’s what it is.

Like a fly agaric

The Hublot Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic (€34,300/US$33,000) comes in a 42mm x 14.5mm microblasted and polished black ceramic case with a 100m water resistance rating and a Hublot one-click system. The caseback is run of the same material, with the front and back of the watch each equipped with AR-treated sapphire crystal. Through both crystals, you can view the automatic in-house unico movement, a flyback chronograph. The grey finish of the caliber combines well with the dominant ceramic tone. Only the bezel is made of multicolored magical ceramics. This dark gray ceramic is combined with intense blue circles arranged in a seemingly random and organic (like fly agaric) pattern. Dots are seamlessly integrated with the rest of the ceramic thanks to a patent-pending process.

Now I think that using magic ceramic polka dots just for the bezel, not all the ceramic parts of the watch were a good idea. Do you agree or do you want to see the dots of Big Bang Polka? Please let me know in the comments.

View specifications