Hublot Spirit of Big Bang watches

The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang is the tonneau-cased branch of the Big Bang family. Hublot first introduced it in 2014 as an evolution of the Big Bang, and it sits alongside the regular collection rather than replacing it. The barrel-shaped case keeps the Big Bang's sandwiched construction and six H-shaped titanium screws in the bezel. On the 45 mm models it measures 51 by 45 mm, and like most tonneau watches it wears large.

The larger models are skeleton chronographs. Inside is the HUB4700, Hublot's reworked, skeletonised version of the Zenith El Primero, an automatic chronograph that beats at 5 Hz and runs for 50 hours. The open dial shows the movement through a sapphire crystal, with a sapphire caseback behind it.

The 45 mm watches come in titanium, King Gold (Hublot's red gold with a dash of platinum), ceramic in black (Black Magic), white and blue, and Magic Gold, and as titanium or King Gold with ceramic. Diamond versions go from a set bezel to the Jewellery and Pavé settings. The Spirit of Big Bang Sapphire (601.JX.0120.RT) puts the movement in a sapphire case, limited to 250 pieces.

Coloured sapphire went further on the 42 mm case. The Yellow Sapphire (641.JY.0190.RT) was presented as the first watch cased in yellow sapphire, coloured with copper and aluminium oxide and limited to 100 pieces, after blue and red versions; the Blue Sapphire (641.JL.0190.RT) is also a run of 100. The 39 mm Spirit of Big Bang, its references starting 665, is a smaller, gem-set line: titanium, King Gold or black ceramic cases with diamond bezels, black, white or blue dials or fully paved ones, and pink or light blue ceramic paired with titanium or King Gold.