I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: not all collaborations are created equal. Even if the parties in question are on the same level (which, in fairness, they almost always are for obvious reasons of reputational protection), that doesn’t mean the partnership’s existence is justified.

We’re fatigued by the number of collaborations in the industry because the number is inflated by a significant number of partnerships that shouldn’t exist because they are barrel-scraping, hype-inflated beasts, fueled by FOMO, and designed to prey on the quick-to-buy and slow-to-think.

But that isn’t really the case for the brand new Bucherer × Hublot Big Band Unico Exclusive Titanium and Ceramic models. Following the pair’s partnerships of 2019 and 2021 (which resulted in the Hublot Classic Fusion Bronze Bucherer Blue and Big Bang Unico Bucherer Blue), this looks more like a sensible continuation of a healthy partnership rather than another attempted cash grab.

And let’s not forget that Hublot is of the industry’s most divisive but truly influential brands, while Bucherer is undoubtedly one of the world’s most prestigious and celebrated watch sellers, in an era that is known for luxury brands turning their backs on well-established brick and mortar retailers in favor of verticalization, is the kind of news that should make your ears prick up.

The Low Down

Hublot and Bucherer are natural partners. True horological heavyweights tag-teaming at a time like this is, as the kids would say, a “baller” move. The key to innovation and genuine creativity has always been to zig when others zag. It’s about seeing the gaps in the market before they appear and hitting them at full speed the moment they do. Hublot has, over the past forty years, made a habit of hitting everything at full speed. When Hublot gets its timing wrong, it can look a little silly, but when it wins, it wins big, capable of tearing off memorable stretches of success and making it look easy in the process.

Similarly, Bucherer is no stranger to getting it right. In 2018, the retailer acquired Tourneau, a nationwide chain of watch stores, in the United States. Instantly, Bucherer, formerly a very European business, had a strong foothold in the US market. Later that same year it was joined by the UK’s Watches of Switzerland Group PLC, which, in a similar move, took over 17 Mayor’s Jewelers and picked up the Wynn & Company store in Las Vegas for good measure.

What we’ve been left with, then, in a world of primarily verticalized major brands, Group-dominated high-street jewelers stuffed full of shop-in-shop concepts, and B2C online-only indies, are the toughest of the tough brick-and-mortar sellers, and a couple of super-retailers whose influence is no longer continentally restrained.

IMHO

I am a fan of Hublot. That’s not to say I like everything the brand does, but I feel like I “get” the brand, support its mission, and generally look upon its efforts (which is sometimes the nicest way one can describe the physical output of the brand) rather favorably. In my mind, the world would be a poorer place without Hublot, and the watch industry would be duller and more conservative than it is already.

These 30-piece limited Big Bangs are instantly recognizable as Hublot watches but are refreshingly wearable at 42mm wide. We have two models. One focuses on titanium as its character-defining case material, the other employs black ceramic. What is less obvious from the names of these watches, however, is the use of sapphire crystal in both case constructions. The titanium model uses clear sapphire while the ceramic version uses a mixture of black sapphire and clear.

The watch crystal, the case back crystal, the bezel, and the “core” of each watch are made from sapphire (for the ceramic model both the bezel and the case core are black sapphire). The core of the watch is sandwiched between two relatively thin layers of either titanium or ceramic, forming a fusion sandwich the likes of which one could only imagine Hublot having made.

Semi-opaque rubber straps complete the somewhat ghostly effect of these two watches, which is further enhanced by the heavily skeletonized dials. The result? Some might say muted; others would say washed out. I can see it from both sides and would say this: while these watches are not the most “Hublot” Hublot watches you could buy, they certainly tick the boxes (the identifiable case silhouette, the experimental use of non-standard materials in the case construction, and the hyper-futuristic displays for which the brand is known) and do so in a quieter manner than many of their range mates.

These watches may well be the perfect pickup for the shy Hublot lover, who wants all of the avant-garde tech without any of the attention that so often goes along with it. And, funnily enough, the automatic Unico movement with a 72-hour power reserve teamed with lightweight cases, water resistant to 100 meters and made from mostly scratch-resistant materials mean these new Bucherer × Hublot releases are sleeper candidates for your next daily beater. And if that’s the kind of surprise these collaborations through up, I’m all for more of the same.

Tech Specs

Hublot

Bucherer x Hublot Big Bang Unico exclusive titanium and exclusive ceramics models

Movement: Unico HUB1280

Functions: Time, date, and chronograph function

Case: 38.5mm × 12.4mm

Dial: Skeletonized

Strap: Semi-opaque rubber

Availability: Limited to 30 pieces in each style