Hublot has spent years experimenting with how a watch can look through materials such as coloured ceramic, sapphire and Magic Gold. With the new Big Bang Original Soft Touch, the Swiss watchmaker is turning its attention to how a watch feels.
Unveiled in two striking All Black and All Red versions, the new collection introduces an exclusive textured rubber compound that extends across the case, bezel, dial and strap. Rather than simply applying a coating to the watch, Hublot has developed an overmoulding process that integrates the texture directly into the material during production.
The result is a microscopic surface made up of thousands of fine elements, designed to create an unusually soft tactile sensation while retaining the durability and resistance associated with Hublot’s rubber components.
All Black Gets a Tactile Reinvention
The Big Bang Original Soft Touch All Black revisits one of Hublot’s most recognisable design concepts.
The watchmaker first introduced its All Black approach in 2006, using an entirely monochromatic aesthetic to place greater emphasis on the shapes, surfaces and architecture of the watch.
Twenty years later, Hublot is taking that philosophy in a different direction. The colour remains resolutely black, but texture becomes another part of the experience.
A deep-black titanium case is paired with black DLC-coated pushers and the new soft-touch rubber construction, creating a watch where the monochromatic design extends beyond appearance to the way its different surfaces feel.
All Red Turns Colour Into Sensation
The Big Bang Original Soft Touch All Red, meanwhile, draws inspiration from another important chapter in Hublot’s material development.
In 2018, the manufacturer introduced its vividly coloured Red Ceramic, demonstrating how high-tech ceramic could combine technical performance with an intense, saturated colour.
The new All Red takes that visual identity and translates it into the Soft Touch concept. Titanium is combined with the textured rubber material to create a bright red watch intended to deliver both visual impact and a distinctive tactile character.
Together, the two models demonstrate two very different interpretations of the same material technology: understated and monochromatic in All Black, and deliberately bold in All Red.
The Big Bang Original, Reworked for 2026
Underneath the new material treatment remains the recognisable architecture of the Big Bang Original, the design that established itself as a Hublot icon following its debut in 2005.
For the Soft Touch models, Hublot uses a 43mm titanium case, partially enveloped by its newly developed rubber compound.
The material treatment continues onto the dial, which features a carbon-style pattern, raised counters and tone-on-tone rehauts. These layers give the dial a more three-dimensional appearance while keeping it visually connected to the textured exterior.
Other refinements include bevelled edges, smoother and more curved lugs, a rubber-clad crown and rectangular chronograph pushers incorporating Hublot’s familiar rubber inserts.
The strap is equipped with the manufacturer’s One Click system, allowing it to be swapped without disrupting the integrated appearance of the case and strap.
Unico Power Inside
The material may be the headline feature, but Hublot has paired it with its fully in-house Unico chronograph calibre.
The movement incorporates five patented innovations, including its column-wheel chronograph construction, dual-clutch architecture, layered design and optimised gear train. A skeletonised tungsten rotor shaped around Hublot’s “H” motif can also be found within the movement.
The Unico provides a 72-hour power reserve, giving the Big Bang Original Soft Touch three days of autonomy when fully wound.
It is an important combination for Hublot: the new exterior provides the experimental side of the watch, while the Unico reinforces the manufacture’s mechanical credentials beneath it.
Material Innovation You Can Actually Feel
The Big Bang Original Soft Touch represents a slightly different approach to Hublot’s long-running “Art of Fusion” philosophy.
Where innovations such as sapphire cases and vividly coloured ceramics immediately communicate their differences visually, Soft Touch is designed to add another sensory dimension. Its defining feature only becomes fully apparent when the watch is handled and worn.
Even the presentation box follows the idea, incorporating a matching textured Hublot logo that echoes the surface of the watch.
The new Big Bang Original Soft Touch collection is available at selected Hublot points of sale and online at hublot.com.
