In the 1970s there were special chronographs called “Soccer Timers” with markings on the registers for counting the 45 minute halves of a match. Hublot has taken things much further fake Hublot here with the Big Bang Unico Bi-Retrograde Chrono, building a mechanism from the ground up that is optimized for this function. The two retrograde hands clock the seconds and minutes on a specially designed scale and a window at the center of the dial shows which half is being timed. The main timekeeping is separated in a smaller dial at 6 o’clock, so you can wear the watch off the pitch. replica watches uk
The foundation of the Big Bang Unico Bi-Retrograde Chrono is the new in-house movement. The caliber HUB1260 was built using the same dual-coupling column-wheel technology as the UNICO caliber, but with the marked difference of having two center-mounted retrograde hands for the chronograph mechanism. This 385-part movement is the first bi-retrograde caliber from Hublot and is patent-pending.
You’re probably wondering at this point how the soccer-timing functions work. It’s as simple as using a typical chronograph, but the display makes all the difference. Pressing the green pusher at 2 o’clock starts the green seconds hand; each time it reaches 60 it snaps back to zero and the yellow minutes hand advances one spot. The minutes scale is marked in red at 45 minutes – the end of regulation time for a half – and you can track the added time until the replica watches half closes out. When you stop the chronograph with the green pusher, the window at the center will advance as well. It displays first half, half time, second half, and end of match. The green and yellow color scheme pays tribute to Brazil, the host of the 2014 World Cup.
Managing energy for this combination of two retrograde displays and a jumping digital display is no easy feat, especially if you still want the timekeeping function to be accurate. The display for that function is a small dial down at 6 o’clock. Additionally, the three-pointed disk at 9 o’clock is continuously in motion, letting the wearer know that everything is functioning properly and that the movement is keeping time. The power reserve for the HUB1260 is approximately 72 hours and is self-winding.
The case, bezel, and dial are exactly what you’d expect from Hublot. The 45.5mm Big Ban Unico style case is rendered in either ceramic or “King Gold,” a proprietary red-gold alloy containing more copper and a little platinum, both with carbon-fiber bezels. Titanium H-shaped screws and textured rubber straps finish off both editions.
The Hublot Big Ban Unico Bi-Retrograde Chrono is a limited edition, with 200 numbered pieces in replica watches uk ceramic ($26,300) and 100 numbered pieces in King Gold ($42,400). For more, visit Hublot online.
