Each year in Munich, the steins are filled (and re-filled), and the men don their short leather breeches to celebrate Oktoberfest. This year, Hublot joined the festivities by partnering with local tanner Meindl to produce a distinctly Bavarian incarnation of its popular Big Bang watch that has had so many versions caused by various collaborations. The Hublot Big Bang Bavaria may be the first Big Bang to have a bronze case, and it seems as though the material was chosen because of its rustic color and properties to match the hand-embroidered deer leather strap within the Bund style, evoking a link with the German region of Bavaria’s traditional garb.
Bronze like a watchmaking material is becoming increasingly popular, using its distinctive vintage looks and unique patina developing over time. The Hublot “art of fusion” design concept is at play here with a mixture of materials such as 18k polished gold screws providing a subtle visual contrast in the brushed bronze case and matte black skeletonized dial. Splashes of green adorn the 2nd hand and minute track, that really help to link the watch face with the green embroidered deer head decorating the strap. Within the Big Bang Bavaria beats Hublot’s Unico manufacture movement that provides a flyback chronograph complication and 72-hour power reserve.
The dial from the Big Bang Bavaria is wonderfully three-dimensional, in the floating Hublot logo on the sapphire towards the exposed date ring using its discreet aperture at 3 o’clock. Both the hour and minute hands are full of luminescent material towards the tip and partially cut away in the base, to better display the exposed gears of Hublot’s Unico movement underneath. This combined with extensive use of lume for the hour markers, chronograph hands, quarter-hour “pips” around the minutes register, and hour “pips” around the hours register should alllow for good nighttime readability. The contrast of gold against black also appears to make the Big Bang Bavaria one of the most legible models that Hublot has released recently.
Naturally, the large Bang Bavaria was launched with an event at Hublot’s boutique in Munich, with LVMH Head of Watchmaking Jean-Claude Biver and company CEO Ricardo Guadalupe joined by Marcus Meindl for the tapping of the keg and picture-taking. Meindl is a family-run tanner and boot maker since 1683, and their current factory in Kirchanschring, Bavaria, has been in operation for over 300 years. The straps of each watch are hand-crafted while using family’s ancestral techniques, with every individual deer hide taking 3 or 4 months to tan. Traditional sewing methods create a three-dimensional effect for the deer head insignia, which serves to boost the textural and visual appeal from the watch as a whole.
Bund straps were originally invented for use by German pilots during World War II to prevent the watch cases from freezing or searing the wearer’s skin at high altitudes or in the event of a cockpit fire. Along with providing yet another link to local history, this style of strap also perfectly complements a bronze watch to avoid oxidization turning the wearer’s skin green, although Hublot have focused on those wishing to replace the strap having a non-Bund alternative by manufacturing the caseback from black ceramic. Another strap (not pictured) can also be included and easily interchangeable thanks to Hublot’s “One Click” attachment system, that provides a slightly dressier look in “altsalzburg” (black-brown) colored deer leather with oak leaf embroidery. The buckle consists of black PVD titanium with a brushed bronze deployant clasp insert, providing a modern touch to an otherwise old-world aesthetic.
The size of the Hublot Big Bang Bavaria will probably be a sticking point for many. Hublot’s Big Bang watches already wear quite large using their 45mm cases, and the Bund style strap makes this model appear even bigger on the wrist. That being said, the deer leather getting used here has been meticulously hand-worked by the craftsmen at Meindl to achieve a velvety soft texture and help it wear more comfortably. This piece also offers a strong vintage vibe along with a real connection with Bavarian history, that ought to appeal to lovers of German culture or anyone seeking to accessorize their Lederhosen to the extreme for Oktoberfest or any Bavarian-themed occasion. The Hublot Big Bang Bavaria has been offered in a limited edition run of 100 pieces, at a price of 27,900. hublot.com
