No watch brand has ever put more effort into delivering a yellow case than Hublot has with its Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Yellow Neon SAXEM. The first watch in the world to use a case in the SAXEM composite in yellow, the Big Bang Yellow Neon took three years to develop, and this is just to get the material properties right. If you know the material wizards at Hublot well, you will recall the debut of SAXEM for the brand in 2019, at that time in the Big Bang MP-11 watch, which was basically green. The obvious question is why so long? Well, to answer that question, we have to understand what SAXEM is, and then the general trend in fine watchmaking towards more colourful expressions. Basically, the watch is made of the stuff of solid-state lasers!

Hublot definitely believes in embracing the ‘fun’ in function. For this story, we are zooming in on this watch, which is Hublot’s standout. Just going on looks alone, it outshines virtually anything else — we recommend pairing this watch with an all-black ensemble for maximum effect. The colour here is a function of the precise mix of rare earth metals that combine with sapphire crystal (or aluminium oxide if you want to be a little more precise). This is just like what happens with sapphires in the wild — they get their colours from metallic impurities in the crystals. Hublot has used its research and development chops to create something nature does not. No other brand in watchmaking, Swiss or otherwise, is using this material, although we feel like the new coloured sapphire crystal cases from Louis Vuitton must have benefitted from the R&D here.

No watch brand has ever put more effort into delivering a yellow case than Hublot has with its Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Yellow Neon SAXEM. The first watch in the world to use a case in the SAXEM composite in yellow, the Big Bang Yellow Neon took three years to develop, and this is just to get the material properties right. If you know the material wizards at Hublot well, you will recall the debut of SAXEM for the brand in 2019, at that time in the Big Bang MP-11 watch, which was basically green. The obvious question is why so long? Well, to answer that question, we have to understand what SAXEM is, and then the general trend in fine watchmaking towards more colourful expressions. Basically, the watch is made of the stuff of solid-state lasers!

Hublot definitely believes in embracing the ‘fun’ in function. For this story, we are zooming in on this watch, which is Hublot’s standout. Just going on looks alone, it outshines virtually anything else — we recommend pairing this watch with an all-black ensemble for maximum effect. The colour here is a function of the precise mix of rare earth metals that combine with sapphire crystal (or aluminium oxide if you want to be a little more precise). This is just like what happens with sapphires in the wild — they get their colours from metallic impurities in the crystals. Hublot has used its research and development chops to create something nature does not. No other brand in watchmaking, Swiss or otherwise, is using this material, although we feel like the new coloured sapphire crystal cases from Louis Vuitton must have benefitted from the R&D here.

MOVEMENT Automatic HUB6035 with tourbillon and micro-rotor; 72-hour power reserve

CASE 44m in SAXEM; water-resistant to 30m

STRAP Yellow rubber

PRICE S$296,900; Limited to 50 pieces