New Hublot Big Bang Aims for the Long Run With 10-Day Power Reserve

Hublot has introduced a dramatic new movement, the manual-wound HUB 1201, with a 10-day power reserve and a machine-like aesthetic inspired by the Meccano game of modular components. The brand is launching the new movement in a model called Hublot Big Bang Meca-10. Children’s Meccano kits include wheels, bars, bridges and pinions that are used to build and dismantle toy robots, tractors, airplanes, race cars buildings and other technical wonders – which seems like perfect training for watchmakers.

The open dial shows the movement’s bridges, gears, pinions and wheels, cut out to resemble the architectural, building-block components used in the toy set, all dramatically coated in black PVD. The circular, grill-like power reserve indicator is secured by six black screws with Hublot’s signature H-shaped screw heads. The caseback displays three dramatic bridges over the barrels and gear train that add to the Meccano style.Because of the extraordinary power reserve, the focus of the dial and movement is the power-reserve mechanism. A horizontal double rack-and-pinion mechanism at 12 o’clock is linked to a two-part power-reserve indicator. A crown gear with exposed teeth at 6 o’clock indicates the power-reserve status through a red frame on a scale from one to 10 days. It is linked to an oval porthole sunk into a circular, skeletonized plate at 3 o’clock turns red when there is only two days left in the power reserve, a good time to wind the watch.

The escapement is uniquely located at the 7 o’clock position, with a small-seconds subdial just above it. The 223-component movement has two parallel barrels – hence the long power reserve. The case is 45 mm wide, with the collection’s signature six screws on the bezel, and the ribbed black rubber strap has a one-click function.

The movement was five years in development. The all-black version, in micro-blasted black ceramic, is a 500-piece limited edition and is priced at $22,000. A titanium version, priced at $19,900, is not limited. They are both water-resistant to 100 meters.