This is not to say that everything Hublot does is successful, and that’s especially true if you measure success based on a watch’s appeal to a conservative, traditionalist group of blue-blooded watch enthusiasts. Case in point, the Hublot Big Bang Integrated Tourbillon Full Blue Sapphire AAA Replica Watch is as ridiculous a watch as any to have on and it is so for three good reasons.
The Hublot metal bracelet is your regular three-piece link affair spiced up with some ragged edges and a steep, vertical link profile which really isn’t much to write home about. Presenting this perfectly practical and ubiquitous design in full sapphire, however, certainly is. It’s like an SUV, but with lambswool floor mats.
Second, you really need to have a fondness for bracelet link screws, spring bars, and every inch of your forearm, because you’ll be seeing a lot of them with this sapphire bracelet-equipped luxury Cheap Hublot Replica. Unlike most metal bracelets, where the three or so links nearest the case are permanently fixed without any visible screws, on this blue sapphire crystal bracelet, every link is individually set and secured by a screw and is therefore easy to replace.
This will certainly come handy when any of these links shatter upon impact with a sharp object or a hard floor. An interesting little detail that might escape many is how this bracelet appears to be a three-piece link design (like the metal and ceramic Integral bracelet on other Hublot Replica Watches) while in fact, these are long, complex, U-shaped links where each covers the full width of the bracelet.
The official guidance we received regarding the shock and impact resistance of sapphire was this: A ceramic bracelet might shatter if dropped from a height of 1 meter (3 feet) onto a hard floor. A sapphire crystal bracelet might do that after a drop from half that height. We then asked whether it could break if the Hublot Replica Watches For Sale was banged around while being worn. By contrast, this is highly unlikely and the watch can be worn with peace of mind.
Despite the durable and rugged connotations of an integrated bracelet and the porthole design, none of these will ever survive a dive either. Water resistance remains just 30 meters, in part to keep the gaskets slim and virtually invisible in this all-on-show execution, and in part because sapphire components can’t be squeezed together as tightly as their metal counterparts because, you guessed it, sapphire will crack.
Once machined — over the course of tens if not hundreds of hours — each part takes tens of hours of manual labor to fully remove the opaque surface that remains after machining and bring every facet to its translucent glory.
Speaking of tourbillons, the Hublot Swiss Replica blue sapphire watch is equipped with the openworked Caliber HUB6035, a self-winding manufacture movement with a tourbillon.This sort of money will get you grand complications with three or more times the components than in this HUB6035, and better finished, too. Getting this watch for the movement is of course missing the point entirely, but it is an interesting indicator of how the emphasis has shifted as far as preferences are concerned when justifying such a purchase.
On the wrist, the 43mm-wide Hublot Big Bang Integrated Replica in sapphire feels light, smooth, and top-heavy — it will wobble around. With its glossy translucence, and especially in this blue, it looks like a prop from a dated ’80s sci-fi movie and, just like one of those, it will likely cheer you up.