Hublot Big Bang King Power UNICO All Carbon

• Always a style standout, Hublot ups the ante with high tech materials.

• Carbon fiber is the bedrock material for F1, Aerospace, and Olympic sporting goods.

• The Hublot Big Bang King Power UNICO All Carbon features a case and bezel of carbon.

• Carbon watches are exceptionally light in the fashion of modern grand prix machines.

• Also equipped with an in-house movement exclusive to Hublot.

Ferrari. Lockheed. Hublot.

Like Formula One racing and aerospace technology, the luxury watch industry is becoming a “carbon-based” sector. Specifically, the use of high-tech carbon fiber in Swiss watchmaking has revolutionized the way “big” watches wear and redefined the meaning of “less is more” in the premium end of the market.

Hublot’s Big Bang King Power UNICO All Carbon is a case-in-point. Or maybe we should say that the “case” is the point. While other oversized sports watches force owners to accept a trade-off between au courant style and a “millstone manacle,” carbon-fiber watches like the All Carbon seem almost buoyant by comparison. Eyes closed, the All Carbon’s mass vanishes on the wrist.

Constructed entirely of carbon weave, the 48mm All Carbon is built in the image of modern motorsports and state-of-the-art athletic gear. Each case is constructed in a specialized mold using many layers of woven carbon thread. Turn the watch on its side, and one can view a California redwood’s worth of carbon layers within this labor-intensive construct. The fabric assembly is built up from a base layer until it fills the volume of its mold.

Resin is injected, and fabric becomes a composite structure. After evacuating all but the essential resin under extreme pressure, the newly-formed King Power case is cured at high temperature to make the transformation permanent.

But the case is only the beginning. Although the iconic “Big Bang” established Hublot’s reputation for visual impact in 2005, the 2009 King Power upped the ante by an order of magnitude. In effect, it was a “bigger bang” that marked the start of a new era at the Nyon and Geneve-based watchmaker.

The King Power took the signature Hublot raised bezel to new heights – literally. Now sporting raised “H”-shaped screws with oversized rubber gaskets around their bases, a natural black rubber overlay, and a textured shoulder, the bezel took on new prominence.

Hublot’s new All-Carbon starts with the King Power’s basic bezel architecture and adds carbon fiber. The result is visual harmony that seamlessly transitions inward from carbon case to black PVD rehaut to ruthenium-coated movement.

Hublot’s design is audacious and subtle in equal measure. Massive chronograph pushers, towering case pillars on both flanks, and a crown like the anchor windlass on a battleship are visual standouts. The All Carbon may as well be called the “All Black,” but that tag doesn’t do justice to the depth of Hublot’s design vision. But like carbon itself, the King Power features a great deal of layered nuance.

Check out the contrasting shades of black, gunmetal, and grey; savor the interplay of polished, brushed, and woven surfaces. “Big” is easy to do. So is “loud.” But add subtlety, combine it with variety, finish with artisanal detailing, and suddenly we’re talking rare beauty.

Kevlar inserts on the case flanks extend Hublot’s material “fusion” philosophy, and textured natural rubber caps the pushers and the crown. Stepped lugs articulate the tapered ends for an extra note of visual intrigue.

So the UNICO All Carbon has beauty to match its brawn, but does it have brains? You better believe it. Inside that amphitheater-scale case beats a gladiator of a movement, the Hublot caliber 1240 “UNICO.” It’s a full-blown “manufacture” movement designed and built by Hublot and unique to its model line.

The UNICO is more than a sharp compliment to the blackout theme of the All Carbon; UNICO is your passport to the world of high horology. While Hublot’s Valjoux-based chronograph movements always have been tough and reliable, those movements were never particularly rare or exclusive.

UNICO is that and more. Designed over a four-year period and spec’ed to go toe-to-toe with the Cal 4130 in the Rolex Daytona and Breitling’s BR-01 in-house movement, the UNICO is loaded for bear with technology to spare.

Hublot’s art department usually checks-out once talk turns to engineering, but the UNICO proves that the company’s legendary flair for design is present in force. Ruthenium-coated base plate, bridges, wheels, and levers keep the look focused and intense. Like the blacked-out case, the movement is a deep, dark well of thoughtful details and bold forms.

Thanks to the exposed mainplate on the completely open dial, the showpiece UNICO can be admired from both sides. Show this display caseback or skeletonized dial to friends, and they’ll be impressed. But show this movement to friends who know watches, and they’ll be in love.

The three-day power reserve exceeds the industry standard 42-45 hours by a huge margin, and it ensures that manual winding and setting remains an infrequent exercise. A “flyback” chrongraph feature allows the timer to be reset and restarted with the press of a single button, so the UNICO All Carbon is the ideal companion whether following your kids’ sports or pro events.

Hublot’s dedication to materials innovation is more than skin-deep, so the UNICO also packs a unique tungsten automatic winding rotor and an exotic silicon escapement assembly. The combination ensures efficient winding while on the wrist and robust resistance to shock and magnetism at all times.

Silicon is the material of the future within the high horology industry, and Hublot is a pioneer that’s leading from the front.

watchuwant.com is fortunate to have acquired an example of the Big Bang King Power UNICO All Carbon with all factory accessories and a year of Hublot’s international factory warranty remaining in effect.

This watch presents in outstanding condition, and it includes all original equipment that a customer would expect to receive in an authorized dealer’s showroom.

Despite its success over the last decade, Hublot’s hyper-kinetic creative surge show no signs of ebbing.

Finally flexing engineering muscle to match its sense of style, Hublot has proved that its mammoth fashion statements have become equal parts Hulk and Bruce Banner.