The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Gold watch has an intriguing, sophisticated design rivaled only by its complex movement. Its exclusive “King” gold alloy paired up with brushed silver accents and a vintage brown leather band complement the classic look of the tonneau-shaped case. Everything about its remarkable construction goes gorgeously with the skeletonized dial which features the same colors. From every single point of view, the watch is aesthetically impressive and technically stunning. When designing this watch, Hublot has created a true masterpiece.
Authentic Hublot
This is one of the brand’s newest timepieces and even though it might seem complicated at first glance, it has a quite simple look, an infusion of freshness and numerous aesthetic elements that are representative for the popular Big Bang collection. The thing that is unique about the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang watch is the fact that it is the first tonneau-shaped model the brand has produced. Even though history has proven to us numerous times that round watches are more popular and more appealing to consumers’ tastes and needs, the squared shape of this timepiece has captured everyone’s attention and hearts.
Hublot makes the Spirit of Big Bang in four versions- titanium, titanium with ceramic, King Gold and King Gold in Ceramic, but my personal favorite is the King Gold model due to its old school appearance. The other ones have their charm, but they simply cannot outsmart the King Gold. Its gold alloy is made 95% of 18-carat gold and 5% platinum, a combination that has a distinctively appealing hue. For all these reasons I am a huge fan of the model. To be honest, I’ve wanted to get one for a while now and a couple of weeks ago I’ve finally ordered it online. Below you have my thoughts on it as well as photos and a detailed description.
The case
The proper name of this particular type of case is “tonneau” which is actually a fancy term to describe the rectangular case with rounded sides. Then there is the “King Gold” distinction which refers to the fact that the material is not just plain gold, but a special alloy that mixes gold( 95%) and platinum( 5%). This masculine and classic looking case measures 51 mm x 45 mm and it was designed to withstand water depths of up to 100 meters. Both the dial and caseback are protected by a scratch proof sapphire crystal that seals the watch with a revolutionary rubber seals system. The bezel of the watch is also distinctively unique as it is adorned with six H-shaped titanium screws punctuating the adjacent recessed areas. The case of my replica Hublot Spirit of Big Bang King Gold is very similar to the one of the original watch. It has the same size, it is made of an alloy that has the same color and look as the special King Gold made by Hublot, the same bezel with 6 H-shaped silvery screws, the two push buttons on the right side, the stylish winding crown and the scratch proof sapphire crystal. The only thing that is different is the back. My imitation has a solid caseback whereas the original watch has a see through back.
The dial
Simplicity is not a trait of this timepiece. In fact, its design is anything but simple. The dial is a real work of art. Because it has a skeletonized dial, three subdials, a date window, a date numbers wheel plate and a mix of gold, silver and red hues there are too many details that need to be replicated so it is quite difficult to clone its dial correctly. This is why I wasn’t that surprised when I got the knockoff and I realized that its dial is not an exact imitation of the original one. There are quite a few differences that bother me. The 3 and 6 o’clock chronometer have a distinct design and numbers, the minutes and hours hands are longer on the replica, the Hublot logo is positioned higher and the date window doesn’t have the same shape and size. Naturally, I am very disappointed by all these differences as the dial is the part of the watch that gets the most attention and if there is a flaw on the dial then inevitably someone will notice it.
The movement
One of the most exciting and interesting aspects of this watch is its complicated movement. The model comes with a Hublot patented automatic skeleton chronograph movement named HUB4700. This gorgeous mechanism is a self-winding movement that is based on the legendary Zenith El Primero movement designed in 1969. The difference is that Hublot turned the classic Zenith El Primero base in a masterpiece by enabling it to function at a frequency 36,000 vph (5 Hz); constructing it with 278 parts, 31 jewels and giving it an outstanding 50 hours power reserve. I am sure you can all appreciate how impressive this automatic mechanism is. Of course, my replica Hublot Spirit of Big Bang doesn’t come with the same outstanding movement. Instead, it is equipped with a 21 jewels Japanese Miyoa automatic mechanism which is considered to be quite good in the world of replicas. So far it has been keeping accurate time and displayed the correct date so I am pleased with the way it works.
The band and winding crown
The big and manly case of the watch comes with a similarly vintage looking leather strap stitched on black rubber and joined to the case by two H-shaped titanium screws on each side. On the right side of the case, the timepiece has two black composite inserts over the two push buttons and an over-moulded rubber screw-down crown in the middle adorned with the raised Hublot logo. On my knockoff, I don’t have the same brown crocodile leather strap as the original one, but a rather modern smooth brown leather on one side and black rubber on the other side. It has the brand’s markings and logos on both sides just as on the clasp. The push buttons and winding crown have the same looks and are made from similar materials thus looking quite real.
I can’t say that this isn’t a good replica of the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang King Gold. In most ways it is a very accurate and beautiful replica, but it still has some differences that can’t be overlooked, especially on the dial. I mean, sure, it works really nice, it feels authentic and has the correct dimensions and it is made from beautiful materials, but the fact that the dial isn’t exact is a huge disappointed as at a closer look anyone can tell that there are important differences between the real watch and this replica.
