Hublot Big Bang - Ceramic + Rose Gold version

[TomRiddle]

This is my 3rd piece added to my 'collection'..

one is my UPO (which right now is in danger of not being worn due to the HBB, lol), another is a Rolex YM I bought for my dad as a gift and this one.. the latest HBB

first off let me say.. the HBB has won design awards and whatnot and I can see why.. it's not because of their propaganda about fusion of materials.. the genius in the design is the combination of textures..

brushed, polished, ceramic, steel, smooth sleek lines and unforgiving sharp cut angles lead to an imnho, flawless presentation

wear this on your wrist and instantly you'll be enthralled and captivated.. the slightest movement have everything dancing on the Big Bang.. the television in the background, the sunlight, the computer screen.. it just dances.. it's not a "bling" effect.. but I liken it to a "diamond cut" in that no matter what angle or side you look at it.. there's always something that catches your imagination

I got my HBB from Angus based mostly on the strength of his reviews.. all throughout this site circuit (all the rep sites).. I have seen positively glowing reviews of him and even testimonies of him going out of his way to earn the business of his customers in the past..

sure enough, thee days--his forum section is almost dead without any watches being offered for sale but that's mostly due to him probably being involved in a ton of projects.. I still had to try, he was really the only one I was going to trust with my $800 with :X he delivered strongly and I know if I encounter problems with this watch in the future he'll try to help me resolve it

anyhows on to the pics, I hope you guys enjoy, I'm no expert photo like Pug or others nor do I even bother stopping the seconds hand, so forgive me for the shoddy pics, it can't do the watch justice and I'll explain why later..

first shots I took, just goofing around

some angled shots for the AR.. again it doesn't do it justice because the AR is magnificent on these wherein it doesn't have to be angled for it to have a vanishing effect.. every single time I look at my wrist I have to stop for a second in admiration because it's that clear

case back shot, T misaligned but not as bad as a static picture shows.. it really depends on the angle you view it, but no question the T got drunk

I mentioned above how the watch "catches fire"... here's some shots I hope shows some of it.. it just traps it and the watch becomes enhanced.. almost highlighted really.. in natural conditions.. this watch excels

the Hscrew is kinda rainbowish because it's reflecting the television above the watch -.- lol yes the screws are polished

ultimately.. this watch *EXCELS* in natural condition.. it's beautiful without being pretentious.. for the life of me.. I couldn't capture the Polish on the Ceramic.. it's a shame because these pics I've taken honest to god, doesn't compare to the watch.. there's a certain synergy with the entire thing that can't be captured with pictures.. *specially* with the polished ceramic which is close to a mirror sheen, anyhows these next shots I call unfiltered.. basically just the watch and me trying to capture it naturally

natural shot with a slow-sync flash

I'll post a follow-up later on my thoughts overall on the HBB, the pros the cons what I want to hopefully come, etc etc

anyhows, I hope you all like the pics ^^

[Dutchy]

Beautiful watch and great pics!! Thanks for the review!! And you are very right, it really does "catch fire"!!!

[Wolf]

Awesome watch and good pics! I agree with all your 'positive' comments about the watch. I am loving mine. It really does look like a $20k watch when its on the wrist and its very difficult to capture it on camera. It is indeed a real eye catcher.

[bertieng]

What I am afraid of is the gold plating will not last long.

Still can see one of the screw on the lug plate poping up and not sitting into the slot properly. Hope it won't fall off when wearing it as I have already lost a few on the bezel and lugs.

[TomRiddle]

What I am afraid of is the gold plating will not last long.

Still can see one of the screw on the lug plate poping up and not sitting into the slot properly. Hope it won't fall off when wearing it as I have already lost a few on the bezel and lugs.

just be careful with polishing/etc ...

ie: don't use cape cod

also, tighten those H-shaped screws... some of them are loose, a cheapo way to do it is basically take a springbar link remove (someone else's tip) and the tiny end will have a V shape to be able to tighten them, it's what I did

also look into that "loctite" thing, doing my homework on that now.. what loctite is/where to get it/etc what specific one to use

other than that, no worries.. and if you really worried about the plating, get the SS or the black magic but the key is this: Polished Ceramic ..

it 'makes' the watch

[italiano17771]

also look into that "loctite" thing, doing my homework on that now.. what loctite is/where to get it/etc what specific one to use

other than that, no worries.. and if you really worried about the plating, get the SS or the black magic but the key is this: Polished Ceramic ..

it 'makes' the watch

i got a bottle of loctite at ace hardware...like $3. they also have cape cod cloths if you need them for any other watches.

[alant]

That's indeed a real beauty! It's really one of the nicest watch around. TomRiddle, thanks for sharing with us the pictures and the finer points of this watch. Btw when you said "Polished Ceramic... it 'makes' the watch", what do you mean? Thanks.

[triosLescano]

THANKS

Very good post and very good photos

I have a question for you

I love HBB rosegold but I have seen gold reps whit black dial 8as Daytona) and they have a defect, dial Gen is matt but in rep is very clear.

Dial of gen HBB is very matt because is in carbonium. Has Your rep a dial so similar to gen? And hands are very similar ?

The Zigmeister in a post to day claim that HBB is not good. What do you think about it ?

Thanks for answer

[TomRiddle]

THANKS

Very good post and very good photos

I have a question for you

I love HBB rosegold but I have seen gold reps whit black dial 8as Daytona) and they have a defect, dial Gen is matt but in rep is very clear.

Dial of gen HBB is very matt because is in carbonium. Has Your rep a dial so similar to gen? And hands are very similar ?

The Zigmeister in a post to day claim that HBB is not good. What do you think about it ?

Thanks for answer

the outside presentation of the HBB is flawless, the inner engine sucks

is it worth it?

every person answers that for themselves

but keep this in mind, the recent price-hike is due to the demand of HBB's.. it's a blatant milking of $$

if this happened before i got my HBB, no I would not buy one now

but I already had mine

ultimately, is it worth it? each person answers that for themselves..

[Richard Tracy]

Your's was the first post that made me even consider,.. if only for a moment ,.. the purchase

of the Big Bang, which to this point I could not, for the life of me understand it's allure,..

[triosLescano]

the outside presentation of the HBB is flawless, the inner engine sucks

is it worth it?

every person answers that for themselves

but keep this in mind, the recent price-hike is due to the demand of HBB's.. it's a blatant milking of $$

if this happened before i got my HBB, no I would not buy one now

but I already had mine

ultimately, is it worth it? each person answers that for themselves..

Thanks for answer. Another question. The Zigmeister in a post in "general discussion" claimes that NBB has a malfunctioning movement. In your experience, has your HBB problems of functioning ? Thanks

[TomRiddle]

ok, the eyecandy was done.. but my impressions I've waited a bit to post so the novelty can wear off a bit and I can really post my true impressions for one of the most controlversial reps ever due to the price :X

Pros:

-Flawless Presentation: this right here is the single greatest triumph of the Big Bang.. the reason it has won design awards is not because of the so-called fusion of materials... the truth lies in the blending of textures.. as I said above.. you have mirror-polished ceramic, brushed rose gold edges, polished rose gold, carbon fiber textured dials, rose gold numerals with sharp diamond cut angles.. this watch is simply unforgiving in its beauty

-Natural Rubber strap is highly comfortable :X I thought this would be a weakness to it but really the natural strap is highly pliable and surprisingly comfortable

-Attention Magnet

-amazing AR coating.. seriously amazing

-excellent materials used (doesn't look cheaply made)

Cons:

-price

-sticker letter rottor

---misalignments

(if you're worried about this, the HBB should never come off your wrist.. people, it's game over as soon as people see it's a stick-on.. the real HBB's have it engraved.. so hello! don't nitpick over a little misalignment when it's the stickons you should be nitpicking about)

-H-shaped screws need reinforcing for peace of mind (Loctite it up)

-Clasp Edge: the reason it's "uncomfortable" is the underside of the clasp has a very hard ridge on it which digs into your skin.. easily easily fixed by self-adhesive padding (I use Dr. Scholls which I cut to size) or some people file it down.. either way, it's comfortable afterwards

-NOT A DAILY BEATER: only because it attracts too much attention.. seriously, people cannot help but be enthralled by it

-gold plating worries (comes with the territory)

Overall:

With all that being said.. what are my overall impressions of the watch? Is it worth the $800 price I paid for it..? Without hesitation.. I can look anyone in the eyes and tell them, "This is the best watch I've ever owned".

My.. "problem" is this.. it's too good.. bloody hell! IT IS TOO DAMN GOOD. I live in NYC.. for the life of me, I can't picture me riding the subways with this badboy on.. thankfully I walk to work (only a few blocks away) but imagine if you gotta ride the subway with this or the bus or what have you..? It's a risk to be wearing this out in public.. it's not a daily beater

it's an amazing change of pace watch.. it's a foolproof attention magnet.. but that's a bad thing folks.. sometimes, attention isn't what we want.. so that's where my reservations come in.. if you're gonna be travelling in public.. well.. it's risky :X

anyhows, those are my feelings/impressions about this amazing rep ^^ thank you for reading

[triosLescano]

ok, the eyecandy was done.. but my impressions I've waited a bit to post so the novelty can wear off a bit and I can really post my true impressions for one of the most controlversial reps ever due to the price :X

Pros:

-Flawless Presentation: this right here is the single greatest triumph of the Big Bang.. the reason it has won design awards is not because of the so-called fusion of materials... the truth lies in the blending of textures.. as I said above.. you have mirror-polished ceramic, brushed rose gold edges, polished rose gold, carbon fiber textured dials, rose gold numerals with sharp diamond cut angles.. this watch is simply unforgiving in its beauty

-Natural Rubber strap is highly comfortable :X I thought this would be a weakness to it but really the natural strap is highly pliable and surprisingly comfortable

-Attention Magnet

-amazing AR coating.. seriously amazing

-excellent materials used (doesn't look cheaply made)

Cons:

-price

-sticker letter rottor

---misalignments

(if you're worried about this, the HBB should never come off your wrist.. people, it's game over as soon as people see it's a stick-on.. the real HBB's have it engraved.. so hello! don't nitpick over a little misalignment when it's the stickons you should be nitpicking about)

-H-shaped screws need reinforcing for peace of mind (Loctite it up)

-Clasp Edge: the reason it's "uncomfortable" is the underside of the clasp has a very hard ridge on it which digs into your skin.. easily easily fixed by self-adhesive padding (I use Dr. Scholls which I cut to size) or some people file it down.. either way, it's comfortable afterwards

-NOT A DAILY BEATER: only because it attracts too much attention.. seriously, people cannot help but be enthralled by it

-gold plating worries (comes with the territory)

Overall:

With all that being said.. what are my overall impressions of the watch? Is it worth the $800 price I paid for it..? Without hesitation.. I can look anyone in the eyes and tell them, "This is the best watch I've ever owned".

My.. "problem" is this.. it's too good.. bloody hell! IT IS TOO DAMN GOOD. I live in NYC.. for the life of me, I can't picture me riding the subways with this badboy on.. thankfully I walk to work (only a few blocks away) but imagine if you gotta ride the subway with this or the bus or what have you..? It's a risk to be wearing this out in public.. it's not a daily beater

it's an amazing change of pace watch.. it's a foolproof attention magnet.. but that's a bad thing folks.. sometimes, attention isn't what we want.. so that's where my reservations come in.. if you're gonna be travelling in public.. well.. it's risky :X

anyhows, those are my feelings/impressions about this amazing rep ^^ thank you for reading

Good post, thanks !

[alant]

Thanks for sharing TomRiddle!

And you know what over at my side only 3 ADs in the country are carrying the HBB. Went to them, all said the HBB all sold out and have to be on waiting list which is around 3 months! And buyers have to pay 20% deposit to be on the waiting list. Gosh even the gen market is so 'hot' for this HBB!! And people are actually paying and waiting for the watch without even getting to see the watch, feel the watch and try it on their wrist! Haha I just tried on three of the rep versions yesterday, I must say they are drop dead gorgeous!! Best part these 3 pieces are pre-ordered too and they are on the way to their new owners.

[alant]

Next, moving on to the movement. I have also read The Zigmeister's post on this topic. Basically the HBB is using an Asia 7750 movement. I'm not sure if I interpret it correctly, The Zigmeister did said in other post that the Asia 7750 movement is a pretty fine movement especially with a little servicing. Whereas in this case, the complications arised because of the changing from the Asia 7750 movement to another 7750 movement. A lot of time and effort is needed as it's not a straight forward process and The Zigmeister did used a fair bit of materials too. Now, back to the watch itself straight out from the box without doing any modifications. Is it still that bad? Yes The Zigmeister did point out some potential issues like the close spacing of the hands etc. So if one is buying the watch without planning to do any modifications it may not be that extremely bad. Of course we can't classify this watch as a value for money watch too. Well, the above are just my personal opinions. I would welcome more feedback so that we could learn more too. Cheers!