Shards of yellow rays of light piercing the clouds on a peaceful spring evening in Sydney. Golden hour; no better time of the day to kick off the celebration of Hublot’s All Black masterpieces.
2016 marks ten years since the very first Hublot All Black watch. The magical event was held at the Carriageworks. A rail yard where Sydney’s train carriages of the 20th century were built that has now been revamped as a modern multi-arts center.
A stunning old-meets-new location to celebrate Hublot’s previous success and future commitment to the All Black watches. In attendance for the festivities led by Joel Ruiz, the Brand Manager of Hublot Australia, were distinguished guests such as the Australian Hublot brand ambassador Michael Clarke, and other guests of style such as Jennifer Hawkins and the Waterhouse powerhouse. But the center piece of the evening was, without doubt, the $2million worth of All Black pieces.
The All Black collection of watches started from an idea that sparked within the renowned Jean-Claude Biver. Tasked by Mr. Biver, the undeterred Hublot team invested in a watch that was composed of a black case, black dial, but also added black markers and numerals.
Radical and contrary to all common understanding perhaps, but in the world of horology, new horizons are discovered all the time by those daring enough to swim against the current.
The Big Bang All Black was the very first All Black watch. With some understandable apprehension, Hublot only made a limited run of 250 pieces when it brought the watch to Baselworld in 2006. But at the fair, when people saw this daring new creation, Hublot walked away with over 2000 orders to fill.
Hublot truly created a trend with the All Black. The manufacture believes that the All Black aesthetic is in line with the brand: a demonstration of what is visible but not so obvious; the idea of “invisible visibility”.
Several Big Bang All Blacks followed. Then came the King Power, Classic Fusion Chronograph, Ferrari All Black, the Unico and in 2015, the immensely impressive LaFerrari All Black.
However tonight, I witnessed in flesh, the 2016 Big Bang Unico Sapphire All Black. If creating a sapphire cased watch was not enough to demonstrate Hublot’s talent — the team decided to coat it with metal to give a smoked aesthetic.
Limited to 500 pieces, the Big Bang Unico All Black also has a transparent composite resin skeleton dial. This combination allows light to pass through even though black typically absorbs all light.
Here Hublot has embodied the clash of the seen and unseen. This piece creates a sense of illusion, a subtle message that a watch is not only about telling time, but also to stir emotion and passion.
Black tie, black tableware, black candles, and a meticulously decorated table with tiny glassy black and matte stones — it was, certainly, an elegant event put on by the team — representing Hublot’s fusion of material, textures and finishes. The attention to detail was striking, the execution was faultless. A truly special evening befitting of Hublot’s vision and watches.
