A few years ago, on the occasion of the launch of the Apple Watch, an innovation dismissed by the “serious” Swiss watch industry as doomed to the dustbin, and now one it takes a bit more seriously (it has go on to outsell the entire Swiss watch business), one watch boss spoke to Esquire about his thoughts on its potential.
“I don’t know why they made it square,” he reasoned. “Everyone knows men don’t buy square watches.”
Perhaps it is no surprise that guy no longer has that job.
The success of the Apple Watch aside, of course men buy square watches. That would be to ignore the entire business model of Bell & Ross. And to discount square designs would also mean discounting indisputable design classics like Tag Heuer’s Monaco, Panerai’s Luminor, Cartier’s Santos and, depending on how strict you are with your protractor, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso and most G-Shocks.
Breiting’s Top Time has a case shape also described as a “squircle”, which is a real shape that you can look up in the dictionary. Just FYI.
Anyway, the latest entry into the square watch category is Hublot’s Big Bang Square Unico.
The hyper-luxury brand is noted for its belief in space-age materials matched only by its out-of-this-world price tags. It’s “art of fusion” stapline is embodied by unconventional use of carbon, titanium, steel, ceramic and magnesium and its invention of its own type of gold, for good measure. Another defining factor has been its tonneau case shape, a curvy rectangle design popular during the Art Deco movement, that makes Hublot watches instantly clock-able to those in-the-know.
Now it has made a square watch.
The Hublot Big Bang Square Unico comes in five different versions, including titanium, ceramic, it’s own ‘King Gold’ and an all-black finish version.
All models measure 42mm x 42mm.
As per other Unico models it features a skeletonised dial and a flyback chronograph movement.
According to Hublot, one tricky factor was hiding the watch movement, typically a round wheel, inside a square case – a geometrical challenge that “bewitched” Hublot.
“The square watch is a very specific object that most watchmakers dare not tackle,” says Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot’s CEO.
“This is a divisive, disruptive and unconventional shape that no one has known how to rework for decades: it was just waiting for us! Hublot decided to get to grips with the shape in order to explore its power and create a totally unique time piece."
"Like any Hublot, the Square Bang Unico has no equivalent!”
Available from the end of April. Prices range from £19,000 to £35,000. hublot.com
