It’s no secret that Hublot doesn’t mind making waves – but this year’s launch of the Spirit of Big Bang Impact is out of the ordinary, even for this horological black sheep. In a collision of light, form and innovation, Hublot unveils, for the first time in its history, diamonds set directly into sapphire.
A decade after the original Big Bang Impact disrupted traditional gem-setting, the Maison has elevated its fragmented aesthetic into a new dimension, where shards of fancy-cut diamonds appear suspended within sapphire and ceramic, radiating across the bezel and dial like frozen bursts of energy. “It’s a world first to be able to set diamonds on sapphire. They’re two of the hardest and most difficult materials to work with, and we managed it – after a lot of research and development,” explains Julien Tornare, CEO at Hublot. “It’s so complicated to create and a totally new concept. 145 diamonds, 6.5 carats – it’s a work of art. It takes a few thousand hours to complete this timepiece; it’s an incredible amount of work,” he explains. This feat, achieved through painstaking laser machining and hundreds of hours of craftsmanship, transforms one of the hardest materials on Earth into a luminous canvas, where each stone is individually calibrated and set with microscopic precision in an extraordinary union of technical mastery and avant-garde allure.
Across three limited editions, the collection unfolds as a study in contrast and experimentation: the ethereal brilliance of diamond-set sapphire, the cosmic shimmer of rare crystallised osmium and the enigmatic depth of Hublot’s iconic All Black ceramic, celebrating two decades of its ‘invisible visibility’ philosophy. Housed in the sculptural tonneau case that defines the Spirit of Big Bang, each piece reveals a layered architecture where the skeletonised HUB1770 movement becomes part of the visual drama, animating a moonphase and big date display. Fractured, refracted and wholly reimagined, the return of Impact to Hublot’s design language is an unforgettable statement of fearless, modern luxury. Learn more
