18 February 2023

Spirit of Big Bang Black Ceramic Rabbit by Hublot

The fusion of traditional Chinese culture with contemporary fine watchmaking has given rise to new ideas

In traditional Chinese culture, the rabbit is considered sacred and auspicious, and thus the Year of the Rabbit 2023 is recognized as “the lucky year”. Hublot wanted to give green light to an artist in order to celebrate this Lunar New Year. Wen Na created a New Year-themed painting in her vibrant artistic language, using unbridled imagination to visualise 12 double-hours in a unique way. A group of charmingly naive rabbits, which are having fun with a lion dance, or holding firecrackers or indulging themselves in other traditional Chinese activities, marking the wonderful moments as time goes by. This scene depicts a vigorous and prosperous Year of the Rabbit and also conveys the atmosphere of the Lunar New Year, an occasion for family reunion.

Spirit of Big Bang Black Ceramic Rabbit di Hublot. Copyright © Hublot.

As the Lunar New Year is approaching, Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot has invited Wen Na to craft a new Year of the Rabbit painting and present the Spirit of Big Bang Black Ceramic Rabbit. The fusion of traditional Chinese culture with Contemporary Haute Horlogerie has given rise to new ideas: Wen visualised 12 double-hours from the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches and combined them with traditional elements of the Lunar New Year. We therefore can find festive lanterns, firecrackers and lion dance in the artwork, to create an intriguing world to usher into the new year. The time is brimming with wonder and excitement at each double-hours, giving full expression to Hublot’s Art of Fusion spirit.

Coming from China, Wen Na is acclaimed as one of the leading young contemporary Chinese artists for her distinctive artistic style. She graduated with a major in printmaking and developed an indissoluble bond with “fusion of arts” during her university years. From mural paintings to sculpture and from art to music, Wen has constantly experimented with the fusion of various art forms, leveraging unique aesthetic concepts to inspire new thinking about modern art. The “fusion of arts”, which Wen believes is the driving force behind inspiration and imagination and also is in line with Hublot’s Art of Fusion brand concept.

A Year of the Rabbit-themed painting is vividly rendered into a festive scene on the dial with playful rabbits at different double-hours, thanks to the brand’s exquisite craftsmanship. Hublot artisans use a variety of brushes to paint the dial, with some details presented in hair-thin fine strokes. Each hand-painted dial is created through a complicated process that takes over 40 hours. Each dial of the 12 pieces is different from the others, therefore all are unique artworks that showcase the brand’s exceptional watchmaking expertise.

This timepiece adopts the tonneau-shaped case, a signature design code of the Spirit of Big Bang collection, and incorporates all the classic design elements of Big Bang watches: the six H-shaped screws on the bezel, the lugs either side of the case, the over-moulded rubber screw-down crown decorated with the iconic H, and the sandwich type construction. Additionally, the Spirit of Big Bang Black Ceramic Rabbit is made of black ceramic to provide a perfect contrast with the gorgeous image on the dial where rabbits are celebrating the Lunar New Year. Housed within the 42mm-diameter case is the HUB1710 self-winding movement with a 50-hour power reserve.

Edited by editorial staff

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