Hublot’s fascinating world of material innovation and complications

Part 1: We look at the Big Bang Tourbillon Novak Djokovic GOAT Edition, Big Bang 20th Anniversary “Material and High Complications” Unique Set, MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System, Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic Limited Edition and Big Bang MECA-10 42mm.

Kunaal Khemka

February 11, 2026

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Hublot’s fascinating world of material innovation and complications

Under a scorching Melbourne Sun, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic played remarkable tennis against Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz at the Australia Open Men’s Singles Final held on 1^st February. The 38-year-old 24-time Grand Slam winner was defeated by Alcaraz in four-sets. Djokovic walked over to Alcaraz’s side of the court, hugged and congratulated him, and made the crowd laugh in the closing ceremony with his humorous “I had a winning speech prepared and a losing speech prepared, let me go back to it in one second.” Being gracious in defeat is as much a hallmark of a true champion as his tennis records, unlikely to be broken for years to come.

**From left:** Blue, Orange, and Green. All three versions measures 44 mm (diameter) * 14.4 mm (thickness), are water resistant up to 30 ATM or 300 metres and feature the brand’s “One-Click” quick strap change system.

As a Hublot Brand Ambassador, Djokovic was wearing his namesake watch; the Big Bang Tourbillon Novak Djokovic GOAT Edition, a trilogy of three watches celebrating his tennis victories. Presented in three colours – Blue, Orange, and Green – it is a numbered series of 101 numbered pieces. 72 in blue signifying his hard court wins: 21 in Orange signifying his clay court wins, and 8 in Green signifying his grass court wins.

The case and bezel are made from a “special Hublot-developed composite made from Lacoste polos and Head tennis racquets.” (Djokovic is a brand ambassador for Lacoste and Head.) 12 blue polos, 4 orange polos, and 2 green polos from Lacoste, and 12 racquets from Head – worn and used by him during tournaments were used to make this trilogy, ensuring that each watch has a “little bit of Novak’s sweat, blood, and tears” in them. Should he win a tournament in the future, Hublot will add to the series “coloured according to the tournament surface.”

**Image:** Instead of a conventional mainplate, “Hublot’s engineers conceived an eye-catching three-dimensional lattice that takes the shape of tennis racquet strings. Each “string” is just 0.55 mm thick and appears to be secured into the mainplate edge by attachment points that echo those found around the inner rim of a tennis racquet. The gaps between the strings are intentionally irregular, as they would be on a tennis racquet mid-match.” What resembles a tennis ball is a steel rochet covering the mainspring barrel. Creating this “tennis ball” is a complicated process in itself.

The watch features a slow beat 3 Hz (21,600 vph) automatic tourbillon movement – HUB6035. Not just any tourbillon, because when combined with its recycled composite material case allows Djokovic to play Grand Slams with it. Just imagine being on the other side of the net facing his serve or forehand return! If it can survive Djokovic holding a tennis racquet, then it can survive most mere mortals and their daily activities. Not something one can always say about a tourbillon, one of the three classic grand complications. The Big Bang Tourbillon Novak Djokovic GOAT Edition is a Hublot masterclass in material innovation and grand complications. It is one example of Hublot’s expertise in material innovation and complications.

Also Read: Hublot unveils a sensational new watch honouring Novak Djokovic

We look at four more watches (one of which is a set of five watches) that highlight the brand’s expertise in material innovation and complications (both complications and grand complications).

Big Bang 20^th Anniversary “Materials & High Complications” Unique Set

This is a set of five grand complication watches; each housed in the brand’s iconic Big Bang case crafted from a unique material.

**Left:** Big Bang Tourbillon Chronograph Cathedral Minute Repeater 20^th Anniversary Frosted Carbon.45 mm (diameter) * 16.8 mm (thickness). **Middle:** Big Bang Tourbillon Chronograph 20^th Anniversary Water Blue Sapphire. 44 mm (diameter) * 14.4 mm (thickness). **Right:** Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic 20^th Anniversary Red Magic. 44 mm (diameter) * 14.4 mm (thickness). The movement of all three models beat at 3 Hz or 21,600 vph, are water resistant up to 3 ATM or 30 metres, and feature the the brand’s “One-Click” System.

The Big Bang Tourbillon Chronograph Cathedral Minute Repeater 20^th Anniversary Frosted Carbon showcases a sapphire dial revealing the dial side of the movement and a frosted carbon case. Powered by HUB8110, a manual-winding movement that features a tourbillon, chronograph, and cathedral minute repeater.

The Big Bang Tourbillon Chronograph 20^th Anniversary Water Blue Sapphire showcases a sapphire crystal dial and a polished water blue sapphire crystal case. Powered by HUB6310, a manual-winding movement that features a tourbillon and chronograph.

The Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic 20^th Anniversary Red Magic showcases a smoked black sapphire crystal dial and a polished red ceramic case. Powered by HUB6035, an automatic movement that features a tourbillon.

**Left:** Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic 20^th Anniversary Sapphire. 44 mm (diameter) * 14.4 mm (thickness). Water resistant up to 3 ATM or 30 metres. It features the brand’s “One-Click” System. **Right:** Big Bang Integrated Tourbillon Cathedral Minute Repeater 20^th Anniversary Blue Carbon. 43 mm (diameter) * 14.15 mm (thickness). Water resistant up to 3 ATM or 30 metres. The movement of both models beat at 3 Hz or 21,600 vph and are water resistant up to 3 ATM or 30 metres.

The Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic 20^th Anniversary Sapphire showcases a sapphire dial and a polished sapphire crystal case. Powered by HUB6035, an automatic movement that features a tourbillon.

(The HUB6035 is the same movement used in the Big Bang Tourbillon Novak Djokovic GOAT Edition.)

The Big Bang Integrated Tourbillon Cathedral Minute Repeater 20^th Anniversary Blue Carbon showcases a matt black skeleton dial and a carbon fibre case with a blue Texalium upper layer. Powered by HUB8001, a manual-winding movement that features a tourbillon and cathedral minute repeater.

Four exceptional movements housed in five cases – each crafted from a unique material. Available as a set and priced at CHF 1 million, it is the pinnacle of the brand’s material innovation and complications expertise, notably the cathedral minute repeater. The minute repeater is among the most difficult horological complication to master and is the domain of a handful of watch brands. A cathedral minute repeater’s gongs are longer than those of a traditional minute repeater, making it more difficult to assemble. When activated, the chimes are richer with more resonance and melody.

MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System All Black and Sapphire

**Image:** MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Sapphire. **Header image:** MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System All Black. Both versions measure 54.1 mm (length) * 22.4 mm (thickness) * 41.5 mm (width) and are water resistant up to 3 ATM or 30 metres.

The MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System features an alternative time display – hours, minutes, and seconds indicated by vertically positioned rotating aluminium cylinders – powered by HUB9013, an automatic movement that features an inclined 35° inclined tourbillon and a novel automatic winding system using two vertical bidirectional weights (crafted from 22K white gold). It beats at 3 Hz (21,600 vph). This mechanical symphony is housed in a futuristic case, crafted from either microblasted black ceramic or polished sapphire crystal. A vertical watch by design, the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System is among the most unique interpretations of a grand complication watch.

Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic

The Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic is the first multicolour ceramic watch in the world. It features a matt black dial revealing its open movement – HUB1280 UNICO Manufacture Self-Winding Chronograph Flyback Movement. It beats at 4 Hz (28,800 vph). The polished bi-colour black ceramic with twilight blue dots is the centrepiece of this watch as it highlights the brand’s expertise in materials.

“More than just a simple layering of pigments, achieving multi-coloured ceramic requires innovative thinking and a deep understanding of ceramics and how colours are reproduced. While others have attempted to create multicoloured ceramics, none have come close to what Hublot has achieved. Each pigment used for colour must go through different temperatures during the baking and moulding processes of the ceramic components. The challenge therefore lies in finding the perfect balance to obtain a homogeneous and flawless result – time and time again. Always leading and never following, Hublot’s new “Magic Ceramic” is born of a pending patent process and is making its debut in the Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic model, a limited edition of just 20 pieces that offers a glimpse of one of the countless possibilities that this innovation offers.”

Big Bang MECA-10 42mm

**From left:** 18K King Gold, Titanium, and Carbon Black. All three versions measure 42 mm (diameter) * 13.9 mm (thickness) and are water resistant up to 10 ATM or 100 metres.

The Big Bang Meca-10 42mm is a technically impressive hours-minutes-small seconds watch featuring a 10-day power reserve. Powered by HUB1205, a manual-winding movement that beats at 3 Hz (21,600 vph), it delivers the lengthy power reserve via two mainspring barrels. The large subdial at 3 o’clock on the matt black open skeleton dial indicates the number of days energy remaining. It is available in three case options: 18K King Gold (satin-finished and polished), Titanium (satin-finished and polished), and Matt Black Frosted Carbon.

Left and Right: Caseback view of the 18K King Gold version and Carbon Black version.

The Big Bang MECA-10 42mm proves that Hublot can combine complications and material innovation in its “simpler” watches. At 42 mm, it will appeal to those for whom the 45 mm version is a tad large.

Concluding Thoughts

Quite often watch brands repeat what has been done in the past, both in terms of aesthetics and materials. What sets Hublot apart is that it does not have a centuries old history or back catalogue from which to draw inspiration. This can be seen either as a strength or a weakness for a brand. For Hublot, it is freedom. Freedom to break convention and create watches that are unlike anything the world has ever seen.

Image: Hublot Brand Ambassador Novak Djokovic wearing the Blue edition of his namesake watch.

So whether it is Novak Djokovic firing aces during a Grand Slam tournament wearing his namesake Big Bang Tourbillon Novak Djokovic GOAT Edition, or an experienced collector enjoying the chimes of the cathedral minute repeater from the Big Bang 20^th Anniversary “Materials & High Complications” Unique Set, or a first-time collector besotted with the 10-day power reserve of the Big Bang MECA-10 42mm; Hublot proves it can continue looking towards the future.

Additional Details

Name: Big Bang Tourbillon Novak Djokovic GOAT Edition.

Reference: 429.QKB.0120.NR.DJO26 – Blue (Limited to 72 numbered pieces). Reference: 429.QKO.0120.NR.DJO26 – Orange (Limited to 21 numbered pieces). Reference: 429.QKG.0120.NR.DJO26 – Green (Limited to 8 numbered pieces).

Name: Big Bang 20^th Anniversary “Materials & High Complications” Unique Set.

Reference: 404.QK.0112.RX – Big Bang Tourbillon Chronograph Cathedral Minute Repeater 20^th Anniversary Frosted Carbon. Reference: 427.JL.0129.RT – Big Bang Tourbillon Chronograph 20^th Anniversary Water Blue Sapphire. Reference: 429.CF.0130.RX – Big bang Tourbillon Automatic 20^th Anniversary Red Magic. Reference: 429.JX.0120.RT – Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic 20^th Anniversary Sapphire. Reference: 58.YL.1170.YL – Big Bang Integrated Tourbillon Cathedral Minute Repeater 20^th Anniversary Blue Carbon.

Name: MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System.

Reference: 910.CX.0000.RX – Black Ceramic (Limited to 50 pieces). Reference: 910.JX.0001.RT – Sapphire Limited to 30 pieces).

Name: Big Bang Unico Magic Ceramic.

Reference: 441.CIB.1171.RX – (Limited to 20 pieces).

Name: Big Bang MECA-10 42mm.

Reference: 444.OX.1180.RX – 18K King Gold. Reference: 444.NX.1170.RX – Titanium. Reference: 444.QN.1170.NR – Carbon Black.

Please visit the Hublot website and Instagram page for more information.