Back in 2018, during the last football World Cup, Hublot’s already given us a taste of what the brand imagines a connected watch might look like under its banner. This was the Big Bang Referee 2018 FIFA World Cup RussiaTM.
The watch was the result of a request from FIFA for Hublot to design a watch that would be useful for referees during game time. The Big Bang Referee 2018 FIFA World Cup RussiaTM was a limited-edition of 2018 pieces and had all of the latest and greatest technology available to smartwear devices at the time. Of course, the watch having the silhouette of the Big Bang, was easily identifiable as a Hublot creation, even from a distant.
Two years on, and two years ahead of the next FIFA World Cup, Hublot is now announcing generation two of their foray into connected watches with the Big Bang E. The piece is 42mm produced to the same exacting standards applied in the production of any other mechanical Big Bang. The case is said to be made out of 42 components, 27 of which are dedicated to a cage that holds the connected watch’s electronic brains in place.
The Big Bang E will be available in titanium and ceramic, with a 12-hour scale that’s metalized on the bezel of the watch and protected under the sapphire crystal, which also holds the AMOLED high definition touchscreen.
Hublot’s opted to power the Big Bang E with Wear OS by Google™, upon which the Swiss watchmaker has implemented some of its own knowhow. For instance, beyond just an analogue time display, they’ve programed a high precision moonphase display for their perpetual calendar and a GMT time zone time display that utilizes a realistic view of the earth. All of the watch connected watch’s functions are adjustable directly using the AMOLED touch screen and the crown.
There is yet another Hublot touch to the Big Bang E. Progressively the watchmaker will be working with their ambassadors and Friends of the Brand to release exclusive dial designs. At launch the connected watch will have a series of eight dials designed by artist Marc Ferrero.
Ferrero’s eight dials will be programed to swap out every three hours, cycling through all eight dials over a 24-hour period. Each dial is designed with a color and theme in mind: Happy Yellow, Magic Blue, Orange Dynamite, All White, Lucky Green, Magic Red, Rainbow Spirit and Black Magic.
Some Examples of Dials Designed by Marc Ferrero
But here’s perhaps the biggest news: The Big Bang E will be the first in Hublot’s history to be available to buy online over the brand’s website as well as on the WeChat, in China. It will then be available to purchase in boutiques and the traditional network.
Speaking about the launch, CEO Ricardo Guadalupe said, “electronic watches were created in Switzerland using quartz in the 1970s. Fifty years later, we are continuing in the same innovative vein by producing a second smart watch which boasts an extremely high level of technological sophistication, whilst embodying all the aesthetic values, technical features and excellence that have ensured the reputation of our Big Bang collection. Ever more faithful to our “Art of Fusion” motto, we wanted to unite Hublot’s highly advanced technical materials with the very latest innovations from today’s digital world.”
Technical Specifications
Model: qualcomm® snapdragon wear™ 3100; quad core up to 1.094 GHz; 1GB / 8GB Flash (ePoP) RAM
Operation System
Wear OS by Google™
Sensors
Accelerometer; gyroscope; microphone; DC Motor (Vibration); LLOB (Low Latency off Body); ALS (Ambient Light Sensor); OTS (Optical Tracking Sensor) for Rotating Crown
Screen
Sapphire crystal; AMOLED display technology; 30.80mm diameter; 390×390 pixels resolutions, 327 dpi
Compatibility
Android 6.0+ and above; iOS 12.0+ and above (Supported features may vary between platforms and countries)
Connectivity
Bluetooth 4.2 with BLE compatibility; WLAN 2.4 GHz 802.11; B/G/N – NFC
Battery
Lithium-Ion with induction charging; ~ 1-day battery life; 300 mAh capacity; charging time: ~2 hour 30 to charge an empty battery
Case
Satin-finished and polished titanium or microblasted and polished black ceramic; 42mm diameter; 12.80mm thick; water resistance to 30m
Price
Titanium: 4’900 CHF; Ceramic: 5’500 CHF