Hublot is a brand unashamedly focused on partnerships and creative collaboration. These principles, along with their famed Art of Fusion, have resulted in some of the most inventive, boundary-pushing examples of horological design in the last 20 years, all of which are built on the incredibly powerful and versatile platform of the Big Bang.

The latest power collaborator to push the limits of the Big Bang design is Samuel Ross. Ross is equal parts artist and fashion designer, with dual roles that ensure he is uniquely suited to working with Hublot to create wearable design objects. Having said that, he first worked with the brand in 2020, creating a sculpture called ‘Reform‘, to celebrate the brand’s 40th anniversary. This work, consisting of a perforated piece of industrial metal sitting astride a polygonal granite base, is an abstraction that calls to mind Donald Judd and the aerospace industry in equal measure — all while being entirely on brand for Hublot. This sculpture led to Ross’ first formal partnership with the brand, an organic, orange take on the Big Bang, with a honeycomb-like mesh made from titanium. Lightweight and ergonomic, this motif would become central in Ross’ work with Hublot.

It’s certainly present in the latest example, the ponderously named Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Carbon SR_A by Samuel Ross, which plays off the same formula, and adds in frosted grey carbon and blue details, following on from the orange and green of previous editions.

A new colour and case material isn’t deviating too far from the formula, but why would you when the formula itself is just so good. Samuel Ross has done what Takashi Murakami, Richard Orlinski and Sang Bleu have done before — make the very familiar 20-year-old Big Bang design feel fresh and relevant. And this rejuvenation is the result of more than just a fresh coat of paint. By elongating the bezel and trimming the edges, Ross has managed to significantly change the fundamental feel of this watch on the wrist — there’s a more aerodynamic aspect at play. This smooth, streamlined feeling is accented by the broader lugs, which in this edition are the best place to see that hexagonal titanium. The package as a whole is reminiscent of one of the great watch (and criminally underappreciated) designs of the last 30 years, Peter Yee’s Timebomb for Oakley. One other side effect of this sleek, aerodynamic design is lightweight. Titanium and carbon are both light materials, and the open-worked tourbillon movement (HUB6035) doesn’t carry too many excess grams either.

It’s worth noting that while this is the most monochromatic of the Samuel Ross collabs to date, there’s still plenty of colour to be found. A few dashes of blue on the crown, hands and hour markers, and then, of course, the strap. The strap also deserves some praise of its own. It would be easy for the strap to be seen as an afterthought, but here, it’s an integrated design in the truest sense of the word. It flows from the edges of the case, but there are also ridges accenting the lines of the bezel and even the honeycomb pattern in the centre of the strap. It’s a seemingly small thing, but this attention to detail really amplifies the whole package.

Hublot is at its best when it works in partnership with others – and the partnership between the brand and Samuel Ross has opened up fertile new design possibilities that are as relevant as they are stylish, proving that the Big Bang will still be stirring up trouble for decades to come.

Tech Specs: Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Carbon SR_A by Samuel Ross

Movement: Self-winding HUB6035 Manufacture; 72-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours and minutes; tourbillon
Case: 44mm × 13.75mm; shiny microblasted titanium and frosted grey carbon; water-resistant to 30M
Dial: Skeletonized
Strap: Dark blue rubber with additional black rubber strap
Price: CHF 130,000
Availability: Limited to 50 pieces