Hublot returned to Art Basel Miami Beach on Thursday December 4, with a set of watches shaped as much by the city as by the brand’s own design language. An event in the Basement Club at The Miami Beach Edition marked the introduction of the Big Bang Meca-10 Street Art series. Four watches, each produced in an edition of 10, form a small but striking group. Their cases are made from a cracked composite concrete and each is hand painted by the artist Saiff Vasarhelyi. The result is a collection that does not simply reference street art but engages with it through surface, texture and color.

The four models share the same underlying structure yet take on distinct personalities. Magic City uses a vivid pink that cuts across the grey case in fine lines recalling the glow of a neon sign at night. Vice works in turquoise, the color emphasising the geometry of the case rather than overwhelming it. Big Water shifts between blue and violet and allows the concrete to appear softer than expected, while Sunshine adopts yellow to bring a soft glow to the roughened surface.

50 cent performing on the stage wearing the one of one unique piece (© Troy Barmore for Revolution）

Across all four, the painted lines continue onto the strap inserts and dial elements. The mechanics of the Meca-10 movement remain fully visible and the color treatments occupy the surrounding space in a way that makes the watches feel coherent rather than overly decorated.

The Meca-10 (© Troy Barmore for Revolution）

Hublot’s history with Miami explains the ease with which these pieces sit in the environment. The brand first experimented with the city in 2012 when Domingo Zapata covered the Bal Harbour boutique façade during Art Basel. It was a simple idea but it opened the door to further collaborations. Two years later Mr. Brainwash, of Exit Through the Gift Shop fame, wrapped the same storefront with a far denser composition that made the boutique feel more like a temporary installation than a shopfront. In 2016 Tristan Eaton introduced concrete into the conversation with a model that now reads as a clear precursor to this year’s cracked composite cases.

Hublot x Mr. Brainwash, 2015

Hublot x Tristan Eaton, 2016

Music gradually became part of these appearances and Miami proved unusually receptive to the combination. Over time the city evolved from venue to working environment, a place where watchmaking, art and performance blended in perfect harmony, bringing Hublot’s Art of Fusion concept to life.

The atmosphere at the launch party reflected that history. Guests entered through a series of rooms in which the sound shifted gently from track to track. Early in the evening a small display of archival Big Bang models marked the collection’s 20th anniversary and placed the new quartet in a wider context. The tone changed when 50 Cent arrived on stage. His performance was brief but well received and he wore a one-of-one Hublot created for the night. The watch carried colors linked to an upcoming film project and included a gold chess piece that nodded to his champagne brand. It sat comfortably within the broader context of the evening without dominating it.

The one of one unique piece for 50 cent (Image: Hublot)

Attention then returned to the Street Art watches. Under changing lights the fluorescent pigments behaved differently from one angle to the next. The concrete texture softened in some places and sharpened in others and the painted lines appeared to move slightly even though nothing obviously shifted. It was a reminder that the watches had been conceived with an awareness of light, scale and context rather than simply color.

The watch conceived with an awareness of light (© Troy Barmore for Revolution）

As the evening moved on the atmosphere settled into a slower rhythm shaped by a DJ set from Mattia Vitale of Meduza. Guests drifted between the watches and the installations and the distinction between launch event and after hours gathering largely disappeared.

In the context of Hublot’s work in Miami the quartet felt logical rather than provocative. Each model was a careful exploration of material and color. They were not designed to shock and they did not rely on technical novelty for impact. Instead they offered a glimpse into the the city in which they were shown. The cracked concrete felt less like a gimmick and more like an attempt to allow the watch to occupy the same world as the murals and textures that fill Miami during Art Week.

The cracked concrete felt less like a gimmick (© Troy Barmore for Revolution）

For collectors the appeal will likely come from the meeting point between watchmaking, art and environment. The pieces sit comfortably within the Big Bang lineage but their character is shaped by the hand painting. They are not trying to be icons. They are expressions of a moment and a place that Hublot has been engaging with for more than a decade. In a city that changes continually, and where boundaries between disciplines are routinely crossed, Hublot’s latest experiment feels measured, thoughtful and in keeping with its surroundings.

Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 Street Art Collection: Sunshine (© Troy Barmore for Revolution）

Tech Specs: Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 Street Art Collection

Models: Magic City; Vice; Big Water; Sunshine
Movement: HUB1201 manual winding; 10-day power reserve displayed via linear rack system; 223 components; 3 Hz
Case: 44mm matte cracked composite concrete, hand painted; graphene-reinforced; concrete composite bezel with hand painted street art motif; black PVD titanium caseback, black PVD titanium H-screws, water resistant to 50m
Dial: Matte black with applied street art elements; exposed Meca-10 architecture, color accents matched to each edition; fluorescent pigments visible under UV
Strap: Black rubber strap with painted insert corresponding to each model; One-Click interchangeable system; black ceramic and black titanium deployant clasp
Price: USD 57,500
Availability: Four colors, 10 pieces each