One of the most confusing, interesting and, I think, elegant watches in 2019 was launched by Hublot Big Bang Sang Bleu II. It was, in a sense, a typical Hublot, another love – or hate-it was comically over-designed and awesome — neither of us wanted to be seen wearing it, but at least for a few months. Yet amid all this uncertainty, one thing is certain: I love this thing, especially its existence.
Since the second part of Thornburgh’s book is quite an impressive first impression, allows me to begin with a theoretical perspective and then move on to something more practical and technical. I won’t bother you if I’m the only one who knows what I’m going to say, but since I’ve seen many of my watch lovers show the same inclination in their taste for replica watches, I’ll go on. In recent years, in my limited personal experience, I’ve found that WIS on the Internet become visibly and consistently less angry/frustrated/crazy when they receive a top-of-the-line watch.
At this point, I am years beyond getting mad at brands who step out of their groove in search of a more exciting product. One exception, though, is that I do factor in how the said product is officially presented by its manufacturer. Because we are by nature wired to be mad about something all the time, I, in turn, find myself getting mad at brands who do nothing exciting at all. I am thinking about all those once-great companies that have taken a head-first dive into their archives and haven’t returned since, as far as their more affordable products are concerned.
Before anyone reaches for their Zippo and torch, let me say this — and then you can light up if you still want to — I would love to see vintage and vintage-inspired watches co-exist with modern creations in historic brands so that these desirable companies could cater to every customer. But I think at least some of you will agree with me when I say that, yes, watches like this replica Hublot Big Bang Sang Bleu II Chronograph brings a healthy dose of unrestrained creativity and modernity to the stale, regurgitative blue-dialed misery that so many of the big brands are turning into.
All of this is enough for me to say that I love this fake watch, but a close look at it reveals amazing and interesting details. In fact, the dial is just a 12-hour ring, two basic sub-dials, and a 60-minute ring on the outside. The hands, however, made the “face” of the sample a reality — a nightmare for some and a spectacular design for others. The obsession with lines and diamonds is obvious — but I do find some logic in this apparently deliberate mess.
When I got hold of one of the two versions of the Big Bang Sang Bleu II chronograph, I began routinely setting its main pointer to 10:10, both for photo shoots and to see what the traditionally clear configuration looked like. I’m happy to see that when set to 10:10, the hands are perfectly aligned. The short, thick hand and the larger minute hand geometry are designed to overlap perfectly, giving the dial a temporary relief. One can easily hold it so that the main hand’s shiny frame is still black and almost invisible, leaving only large, white hands full of hours and minutes to appear. So readability isn’t really too bad, because it might annoy angry purists. I can tell you I’ve seen a Rolex date that’s even harder to read.