Hublot Celebrates the Chinese Year of the Dragon with a New Big Bang Limited Edition

Collaborations between luxury timepiece makers and artists have become a popular trend in the world of horology. These partnerships often result in limited-edition watches that combine the precision and craftsmanship of watchmaking with the creativity and artistic vision of renowned artists. Such collaborations lead to unique and collectible timepieces that appeal to watch enthusiasts and art connoisseurs alike. Celebrating such creative alliances, luxury watch brand Hublot and Chinese artist Chen Fenwan have joined forces to create an 88-piece limited-edition Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon (Ref. 646.NX.6600.RX.CHF24) watch. Inspired by the Chinese art of paper cutting and heralding the Year of the Dragon, the new timepiece features the eastern dragon, also known as  Loong. A symbol of luck, strength, and wisdom, the dragon is also an imperial icon that embodies life and immortality.

Of course, this is not the first time Hublot, known for its bold and avant-garde designs, has collaborated with names to reckon with in the art world. Its partnership with French contemporary artist Richard Orlinski resulted in the Classic Fusion Chronograph Orlinski timepiece launched at the 2023 Watches and Wonders. With the Chinese New Year fast approaching, Hublot has now collaborated with Chen Fenwan, a graduate from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. Her works thrive in the language of paper, bringing to life flexible materials, usually with large-scale and multidimensional pieces. 

The 42 mm Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon watch gets a titanium case, bezel, H-shaped screws, and two bumpers at 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock with a titanium crown. The multilevel dial boasts a 3D effect, based on the works of Fenwan; it has no hour markers, only the hour, minute, and central second hands. The dragon’s hands and cogs or screws are positioned in multidimensional layers to form a dragon’s silhouette, created in paper cut-outs. The dragon’s head is made of five layers that alternate between hands, wheels, and H-shaped screws, with the body and its scales extending onto the strap. 

The colours reflect those of the paper cut-out sculptures, created by Fenwan. The dragon takes on the features of nine different animals — the eyes of a prawn, the horns of a deer, the mouth of a bull, the nose of a dog, the whiskers of a catfish, the mane of a lion, the long tail of a snake, the scales of a fish, and the claws of an eagle. In the 42 mm titanium case, Hublot transposes the layered effects of paper cutting into a multilevel dial construction, overlaying a base panel with several levels of appliqués that incorporate the aesthetic codes of Hublot’s components. 

The rubber strap features a rubber marquetry motif — a first for Hublot. Each of the dragon’s scales is coloured and nano-vulcanised to be integrated into the strap. This delicate decorative operation is carried out entirely by hand and takes around eight hours per strap, which also gets a titanium deployant buckle clasp. An additional grey fabric strap with a velcro black ceramic buckle accompanies the watch as well.

The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon timepiece is powered by the in-house self-winding automatic Calibre HUB1710, with 50 hours of power reserve. Turning the watch over showcases the sapphire transparent titanium caseback with a titanium oscillating weight. This timepiece comes on a black rubber strap with a dragon scale decoration with a titanium deployant buckle clasp. There is also an additional grey fabric strap with velcro black ceramic buckle.