Since 2005, Hublot's Big Bang model has been the watchmaker's platform for innovative movements and complications as well as state-of-the-art materials such as carbon, titanium, ceramic and synthetic sapphire.
Possessing greater brilliance than sapphire, SAXEM was first developed in the field of satellite technology. Hublot has adopted this ultra-resistant alloy in haute horlogerie, initially in an emerald colour for the Big Bang MP-11 launched in 2019 followed by the verdant Spirit of Big Bang model.
Hublot now expands the Big Bang universe with its new automatic tourbillon timepiece in alluring neon-yellow SAXEM.
Since 2015, the Swiss watchmaker has gained considerable know-how in creating and machining its sapphire for watch cases, as well as expanding the material's palette to include exclusive colours.
In very much that light, new colours are being developed for SAXEM, which stands for Sapphire Aluminium oXide and rare Earth Mineral.
Aluminium oxide is the basic component of sapphire while the latter refers to rare earth elements such as thulium, holmium and chromium.
Hublot worked on obtaining an unprecedented translucent neon yellow, which almost seems to glow from the inside like a fluorescent material. This is another major technical feat for the Nyon-based brand.
Its debut timepiece in 1980 boasted a combination of gold and rubber under the Art of Fusion concept. The design was inspired by a ship's porthole, hublot in French, which became the brand name.
In the early 2000s, the company capitalised on the Art of Fusion for a new model with a surprising combination of materials and the case's sandwich architecture. The resulting Big Bang earned Hublot the Design Watch Prize at GPHG 2005.
To achieve its Art of Fusion, Hublot has its own metallurgy and materials laboratory where specialists work in close collaboration with the brand's research and development department, as well as its own foundry.
The result: avant-garde watches featuring innovative materials such as Magic Gold, sapphire in various colours -- and now the luminous SAXEM.
Along with its fluorescent acid-yellow shade, the alloy lends complete transparency and incredible resistance to the case of the new Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Yellow Neon SAXEM.
The absence of tension within the material ensures greater stability in terms of shaping, whereas the cubic crystalline structure guarantees the same shade and intensity of colour, regardless of the angle from which the case is viewed. The fully polished neon-yellow SAXEM offers a bold contrast with the bezel's six H-shaped screws and the crown, all in polished and micro-blasted titanium.
Providing a power reserve of 72 hours, the self-winding manufacture calibre features a micro-rotor. The timepiece's skeletonisation is another watchmaking feat and allows for revealing the movement while the tourbillon at 6 o'clock appears to be suspended in mid-air.
A limited edition of 50 pieces is matched with a neon-yellow textured rubber strap and equipped with Hublot's One Click system for changing the strap without need for tools.
