Available in limited editions in black or white, the brand expands on its materials and mechanical craftsmanship in a world first.
Ceramic watches have definitely been around for a while. For those who like to wear watches, the material has many attractive properties: ceramic is scratch-resistant, lightweight, cool to the touch, and hypoallergenic. As technology advances, case surfaces can be baked into a variety of attractive colors and finishes, allowing designers to get creative.
Ceramic watches have also become the hallmark of Hublot. In 2020, the brand took a big step forward with the launch of the Big Bang Integral Ceramic collection. Now in 2022, the brand has taken an even bigger leap with the ceramic Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Cathedral Minute Repeater.
As the world’s first minute repeater fully packaged in ceramic, we can’t help but wonder, why hasn’t this been done before? Well, one reason is the sound.
There are all sorts of ideas about how a timepiece should sound. Many manufacturers and collectors will tell you that only rose gold can provide superior acoustics. Trust us, we’ve listened to the deep rich tones of the cathedral gongs in many soundproofed booths. This is one of the most fascinating complications.
However, Hublot copy wanted to challenge orthodoxy and its watchmaking team by creating a minute repeater entirely encased in ceramic. Overall, this timepiece stands out against its rose gold predecessors.
Furthermore, this watch deserves extra points not only for its technical difficulty (combining minute repeater and tourbillon escapement), but also aesthetically for its one-piece ceramic bracelet fused with the 42mm case stand out with its chiseled lines.
Using ceramics is a very rigorous manufacturing process and therefore a very time consuming one. Therefore, many brands choose leather or rubber straps to simplify life. But the bracelet on the Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Cathedral Minute Repeater Ceramic is part of its charm. The link is very fluid, the material is very comfortable and it is a pleasure to wear it. But it also has substance, and is definitely the presence you want in a five-figure timepiece. Shopping replica watches
Let’s skip the specs and tourbillon discussion and get to the complicated part – the minute repeater and the sound.
As a former record store employee, I am very familiar with the concept of acoustic purity. Some people prefer the purity of vinyl records, while others are just as happy to play tracks from their smartphones and listen to them through earbuds. You could easily say that the sound of this minute repeater can’t compare to the Jaeger-LeCoultre in the video above, but for many other reasons, you can’t compare a Hublot to a JLC either.
Although not mounted in solid gold, the gongs on the ceramic Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Cathedral Minute Repeater Ceramic sound very pleasant. The chimes are also a bit louder than most high-end minute repeaters, so that, combined with the sturdiness of ceramic, makes it a practical version of the complication. Also, minute repeaters are most fun if they are comfortable enough that you wear them every day and hear them chime every hour rather than every month when you visit the vault.