COLOURED BLUE LAGOON
With a collection of four watches set with Paraíba tourmalines, the hyper-creative brand proves yet again that nothing is impossible in watchmaking!
A cuprian-elbaite gem from the family of silicate minerals, Paraíba tourmaline was first discovered in the state of eastern Brazil of the same name in 1989. Although the deposit was quickly exhausted, others were later discovered, in Nigeria in 2001 and in Mozambique in 2005. Today, Paraíba tourmaline is a very rare gem, worth as much if not more than diamonds, emeralds and rubies. But this did not stop Hublot from signing an exclusive deal with a Brazilian mine whose aim is to respect the environment and international regulations, or from including this type of tourmaline in its new Big Bang Paraíba watches.
The most fascinating thing about the Paraíba tourmaline is its translucent, blue lagoon colour, shading into turquoise or watery green, depending on the light. On top of the gem’s rarity, Hublot opted to complicate the challenge even more by opting for a baguette-cut jewel, which calls for painstaking cutting technique and, most of all, a perfect gemstone. Each Big Bang, whether a Unico or a One Click, made of white gold or King Gold, has a bezel covered in 48 baguette-cut gems, while the case is coated with 176 or 118 brilliant-cut jewels, depending on the version.
The Big Bang Unico Paraíba chronograph features a matt-black open-work dial, while the hour, minute and split-time elements are decorated in gold or silver and turquoise. The totaliser showing the chronograph minutes also discreetly houses the date at 3 o’clock. The watch is powered by the automatic calibre HUB1242, providing 72 hours of power reserve.
The turquoise dial on the Big Bang One Click Paraíba houses the automatic calibre HUB1710. It has tourmaline hour markers and two large, skeletoned baton-type hands. The date is shown against a black background at 3 o’clock.
Price: 280,000 CHF (Big Bang Unico Paraíba) – 220,000 CHF (Big Bang One Click Paraíba) www.hublot.com
By Sharmila Bertin