Welcome toDialed In, where we’ll highlight the very best, most interesting, and coolest new watches in the world.
The watch: the Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic in all its citrusy glory
The single best thing about this watch: Anyone who is even remotely serious about their fruits knows we are in peak citrus season, when sweet Cara Caras, juicy Valencias, and delectable little clementines fill your local market. Apparently it’s orange season in the watch world, too : Hublot’s newest release comes with everything but a juicer. Who needs subtlety, elegance, or pared-down design when you can instead have this citrus bomb on your wrist?
The backstory: Every hallmark of a luxury timepiece is here: the watch has a skeletonized dial that makes the movement visible to the wearer. And while you’re looking down at your wrist, let your eyes drift to the tourbillon, the whirling dervish of a complication and one of the ultimate marks of haute horology. The sapphire material used for the case has also become a plaything for luxury watchmakers over the past decade or so. Sapphire cases are super durable and scratch resistant, and give a candy-like sheen to the orange. Even the vibrant shade is sending a message: from any recent Richard Mille release to last year’s Oyster Perpetual collection from Rolex, the fanciest watches on the planet are embracing big color.
This watch matters in the world of watches because: Boy, is it nice to have watch releases back on schedule. Last year, as the coronavirus spread, watch brands carefully dismantled their rollout plans. Events like Baselworld, where a year’s worth of new watches would be trotted out one after another, were cancelled. And while no one is gathering in Switzerland this year, either, the show-and-tell is back on track, courtesy of an all-digital watch week from fashion conglomerate LVMH. Brands like Zenith, Bulgari, and Hublot are showing off new releases. And this orange Big Bang shines the brightest of the novelties.
The apeelof an orange watch: Just think about the pun potential here! You might say that this watch has the juice, or set up some elaborate knock-knock joke before unveiling this not-banana-colored watch to a friend. But the real draw is a little simple, and a lot less punny: buy this watch, and you’re gonna have the boldest wrist in the room.
Where and when to buy it: The Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic watch, which is limited to only 50 pieces, is priced at $169,000 and currently available at Hublot’s website.