Hublot presented its first novelties of the year, which includes a striking yellow neon Big Bang, in Singapore recently
As one of the participating brands at the annual LVMH Watch Week 2023, held this year in the tropical villas of Capella Singapore, Hublot raised yet another bar for material innovation with the Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic crafted in a state-of-the-art material called Saxem. The translucent material instantly grabs attention in striking yellow neon, the combination of which is a first in watchmaking.
Saxem is the acronym for 'sapphire aluminium oxide and rare earth mineral', an alloy of aluminium oxide, the basic component of sapphire, with rare earth elements like thulium and holmium as well as chromium. Originally developed for satellite technology, it is super resistant and possesses a greater brilliance than sapphire.
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Initially crafted in emerald green, Hublot gave itself the challenge to produce the material in a new yellow neon. Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe admitted that it had taken the manufacture three years to achieve the perfect shade. "Sapphire itself is very difficult to produce; imagine having to create the right colour for it. You also have to make sure of colour consistency. The process usually takes years of research and development," he said.