After launching it to great fanfare, albeit mixed reviews, in 2014, Hublot has rather quietly grown the newest of its four core collections, the tonneau-shaped Spirit of Big Bang, over the subsequent years. However, the latest addition to the collection, designed to evoke the waves of the Mediterranean and the beaches of the Côtes d’Azur, caught our eye as it made its debut during this sizzling summer. Read on to learn more about the new Spirit of Big Bang Blue.

The watch’s 42-mm barrel-shaped case is made of microblasted and polished blue ceramic and mounted on a blue alligator leather strap with a white rubber underside. As is typical of Hublot watches and their “Art of Fusion” mission statement, other materials also make appearances in the details: the bezel lugs and white lateral inserts in the sides of the case are made of composite resin, the six H-shaped screws that anchor the case’s “sandwich” construction are made of polished, microblasted titanium, and the crown and pushers combine satin-finished titanium with white rubber inserts.
The clear sapphire dial, bordered by satin-finished, rhodium-plated, luminous hour appliqués and swept over by similarly appointed hands, shows off the movement, a skeletonized automatic chronograph caliber that Hublot has dubbed HUB 4700 ? and whose base diehard chronograph aficionados will recognize as the famed El Primero from Zenith, Hublot’s sister brand within the LVMH luxury gro...