Those who know me personally, and perhaps those of you who regularly tune into the podcast and read my little ramblings here on the blog, know that over the course of the last year I’ve become somewhat disillusioned with large luxury brands and what I perceive as a general stodginess among the big luxury groups. I’m finding that there’s just a lot more innovation and original thought – at every price point – in the independent sphere. Not only that (because it’s really not surprising), but indies are truly having a moment. They aren’t just more interesting and “better” in most metrics than big group brands, they are peaking, and perhaps in the midst of a new golden age of boundary pushing watchmaking. But, of course, there are exceptions. There are still mass market brands that get me excited by taking risks and doing things that are inherently not mass market, and Hublot has long been Exhibit A. This is a brand that was unfairly maligned for a long time by the enthusiast community, but as the pendulum has swung from straightforward sports watches to more creative and inspired designs, many have come to appreciate the pure originality at Hublot. If I didn’t know better, it would be easy to assume they were an indie themselves.
Something that Hublot does better than just about any other brand, indie or otherwise, is position their watches as works of art. There’s probably a real debate to be had about whether watches, particularly modern watches produced by a large brand, can really be categorized as “art” in a meaningful way, but that’s a post for another day. From Hublot’s perspective, they are clearly in the business of making watches that tell a story or are meant to evoke an emotional reaction, and that, by many definitions, is a type of art. They also frequently work with accomplished artists, as they have here with the new Big Bang Tourbillon Carbon SR_A by Samuel Ross, giving their collaborators an enormous amount of latitude to create something original that often falls well outside the boundaries of a stock example of the watch in question.
Samuel Ross, an artist and fashion designer as well as a former winner of the Hublot Design Prize, has had his work displayed in The Met as well as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and has collaborated with the likes of Virgil Abloh (he was Abloh’s first design assistant) and others. He founded SR_A (Samuel Ross & Associates) in 2019, which exists primarily as a fashion studio working in “artisan-driven, industrial beautification of precious garments, objects and space.”
The new Big Bang Tourbillon bearing the SR_A name has a striking honeycomb theme in tones of gray that is spread across the case, movement, and strap. Ross is often said to design “architecture for the body” and this watch certainly has a sculptural and architectural feeling about it. The case is microblasted titanium and gray carbon (and 44mm in diameter) that has been given alternating matte and polished finishes. Hublot describes it as “Shiny Microblasted Titanium,” which would seem to be a contradiction.
Part of the appeal of the watch is that it is technically a two-tone piece. The case is effectively a titanium frame, but the large case flanks on the 3:00 and 9:00 are a frosted gray carbon. The use of multiple materials on the case in similar color tones results in some additional visual complexity, and along with the honeycomb design work to reduce the total weight of the piece. Because of the removal of material in the honeycomb textured portions of the watch, it reportedly weighs 50% less than it otherwise would.
This is a highly evocative and organic design that I imagine will be polarizing among collectors and enthusiasts, even die hard Hublot fans. But that, I think, is kind of the point. The fact that Hublot exists within a big luxury watch group and still takes a risk like this is important, and sets them apart from many other brands who occupy a similar space.
The visual and physical design of SR_A piece is obviously the headline grabber, but there’s also real watchmaking happening here that shouldn’t be ignored. As a Big Bang Tourbillon, this watch uses the HUB6035 caliber, an automatic tourbillon movement that has been skeletonized. It uses a microrotor (clearly visible from the dial side) and has an impressive 72 hours of power reserve.
The Big Bang Tourbillon Carbon SR_A by Samuel Ross is a limited edition of 50 pieces, and has a retail price of $143,000. Hublot
