INTRODUCING: The Hublot Big Bang Unico Eden Rock St Barths is an even more limited twist on the Unico Sky Blue

Zach Blass

Last year, Hublot introduced a Big Bang Unico Sky Blue – which we raved about due to its eye-popping hue in a year where blue dominated the market. Limited to 100 pieces, the watch subsequently sold out. Yet buyers who missed out may now have the opportunity to secure something similar, although subtle and clear differences make the new Hublot Big Bang Unico Eden Rock St Barths a fresh opportunity for a familiar attraction. With only 25 pieces, however, this release, in collaboration with the Oetker Collection’s iconic Caribbean hotel Eden Rock, is something to snap up fast if it’s up your alley.

The Hublot Big Bang Unico Eden Rock St Barths is 45mm in diameter and 15.45mm thick. Its playful colour scheme is executed in a combination of light blue, teal, and white ceramic along with titanium metal accents. The ceramic has mixed finishes, for added elegance, flair, and light play. The top of the bezel is vertically brushed, its flanking circumference polished. The quick release hood, which is situated between the two polished lugs on each side, also incorporates satin-brushed and high-polished finishes. The ceramic material does not just inject colour play into the watch, it also affords a high level of scratch-resistance – a neat quality for a Caribbean vacation watch. Whether the facets are polished or brushed, each of the surfaces will be well preserved thanks to its resistance against scratching – ensuring the watch will always be as beautiful as the day you bought it. Rounding out the vacation theme, the Hublot Big Bang Unico Eden Rock St Barths is water resistant to 100 metres – so it can join in on all the holiday adventures you have in store.

The skeletonised dial is very in line with what we saw on the Unico Sky Blue, with grey-toned hands, numerals, markers and running seconds registers. But instead of a sky-blue minutes track, this time around we have a light and dark teal accented outer minutes track to pair with the teal ceramic wings of the porthole-inspired case. The elapsed minutes register also has a bit of a switch-up in tone, it now also has a grey and dark teal border framing the calendar complication. The final note of differentiation are the red accents, found on the tip of the central chronograph seconds hand, as well as the Hublot branding at 12′ and the Eden Rock St Barths branding at 6′. In darker settings, the central hands (aside from the elapsed seconds), numerals, markers and registers will all glow thanks to their Super-LumiNova coatings.

Hublot is adding a lot of value to this limited edition, with three bundled strap to choose from. The first strap is a full white fabric and calf leather strap, with a blue ceramic buckle. The second is a blue and white rubber strap, its centre dominated with a matching sky blue tone, framed in white outer flanks. The case colours seamlessly blend into the rubber strap, with white aspects of the case integrating into the white of the strap, and the blue integrating into the blue. The third is a blue lined white rubber strap that has a matte pebbled texture to its surface. These straps require zero assistance from a watchmaker to swap in and out. With its quick-release system, you can seamlessly pair whichever strap you want with ease.

Underneath a laser-etched St Barths motif, the in-house manufacture caliber HUB1242 is visible beneath the sapphire glass of the exhibition caseback. The HUB1242 is self-winding chronograph movement that features a column wheel for butter-smooth start and stop actuation, and a flyback complication that allows you to reset the chronograph without having to stop the timer first. It boasts 72 hours of power reserve, so, if you want to wear the watch through a summery weekend, this watch will definitely have you covered.

Hublot Big Bang Unico Eden Rock St Barths pricing and availability:

The Hublot Big Bang Unico Eden Rock St Barths, a limited edition of 25 pieces., will initially be only available at the Oetker Collection’s iconic Caribbean hotel Eden Rock. In time, it will also be available through the Hublot boutique. Price: $25,300 USD