Hublot Big Bang Integral: Malaysia Price And Review

Leong Wong 03 February 2020

Hublot gives the Big Bang an upgrade we were hoping for.

When it introduced the ‘Art of Fusion’ by combining steel, ceramic and rubber into a single watch that it called the Big Bang at Baselworld 2005, Hublot reset all previously held notions of luxury watchmaking. Fifteen years have passed, and that brash, young upstart is now all grown up and ready to go mainstream with its first integrated bracelet.

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The triple-link design—consisting of a large central link flanked by two smaller lateral ones—offers the kind of robust tactility that one has come to expect of a sports bracelet. It may look pretty standard at first glance, but it actually takes after the chronograph pushers of the first Big Bang from 2005. Here, alternating polished and satin-finished surfaces, and bevelled and chamfered links lend a sense of depth and contrast.

The Big Bang Integral is available in three materials that are a key part of Hublot history. Apart from lightweight titanium (above), there’s 18K King Gold, Hublot’s proprietary alloy of gold, copper and platinum with a warm, reddish hue. Last but not least is hard-wearing, scratch-proof ceramic. This All Black version is limited to 500 pieces and references the ‘invisible visibility’ concept from 2006.

As for the watch itself, it is almost identical to the existing Big Bang 42mm model, apart from a few small but significant changes. For example, the case has been redesigned to ensure a seamless fit with both wrist and bracelet. It also retains its iconic ‘sandwich’ construction, only this time without the composite resin insert. The latter, however, does make an appearance in the form of the bezel’s black lugs, while the crown is over-moulded with rubber.

All models of the Big Bang Integral feature a matte black skeleton dial, with facetted luminous indexes instead of the usual Arabic numeral hour markers. Clearly visible beneath is the HUB1280 Unico self-winding chronograph flyback movement, offering a full 72 hours of power reserve. A date complication sits at the three o’clock position, alongside a secondary dial for the 60-minute chronograph. A continuous seconds is found at nine o’clock and the column wheel can be seen a little off six o’clock.

Column inches have been spent speculating over the rationale behind Hublot’s decision to celebrate the Big Bang’s 15th anniversary with an integrated bracelet. Competition? Commercialism? Who knows, but whatever the case may be, it’s turned out to be the right call because this new feature brings a breath of fresh air to the flagship line without losing sight of what made it great in the first place.

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Leong Wong

Editor

A familiar face in Malaysia's horological publishing scene, Leong has been involved in lifestyle journalism since the mid-1990s. Besides watches, he takes a keen interest in cars and men's fashion.