The latest SORAI (Save Our Rhinos Africa & India) piece from Hublot comes in the form of a Spirit of Big Bang, and whilst it looks great, it also plays an important part in life-saving conservation for African and Indian Rhinos.
Rhinos are a massively endangered species, so much so that their numbers have plummeted in the last 100 years. According to the WWF, half a million rhinos roamed Africa and Asia at the beginning of the 20th century, a figure that has now dropped to just 27,000! Problems such as poaching and habitat loss are the main reasons to blame for this decline, and species like the Black, Javan, and Sumatran rhino are all listed as critically endangered. In fact, the western black rhino and northern white rhinos have recently become extinct in the wild, with the only two remaining northern white rhinos being kept under 24-hour guard in Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. It is a sad fact that we most probably will see these go extinct in our lifetime.
This is why an organisation such as SORAI – Save Our Rhinos Africa & India is so important. Founded by international cricketer and Hublot ambassador, Kevin Pietersen, the foundation aims to raise awareness and funds to help protect these critically endangered animals by empowering conservation agencies to continue this work and bring positive change and reverse the decline, which is slowly happening.
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This year, Hublot and Kevin Pietersen have teamed up again for the fourth time to bring out the 2024 Hublot x SORAI in the form of the Spirit of Big Bang – limited to just 30 pieces worldwide. Done in a light grey Microblasted and Polished ceramic, Hublot has chosen to do this version in their fully skeletonised, 5-day manual tourbillon movement developed in-house. It’s a stunning-looking movement when looking at it either dial side or flipping the piece over.
Unlike many “skeleton” watches the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang SORAI is a highly skeletonized movement, and you can see via the back with the movement and bridges, or lack thereof, the majority done by the spark erosion machine at the Nyon manufacturer. If you haven’t read our article on the Watch Advice’s team visit to the Hublot Manufacture in Nyon, then it’s worth a read to learn about some of these movements and how they produce them.
The single barrel delivers the 5 days of power reserve needed once fully wound and if this wasn’t enough, there is a Tourbillon at 6 o’clock to keep the movement in check. This is held in place by three bridges and nestles nicely into the dial. Looking at the image below, you can see the dial elements coming to life with the skeleton bridges sitting behind them. Of note, the power reserve with the 5-day indicator down at 8 o’clock, tourbillon at 6 and the main dial which is also skeletonised showcasing part of the barrel and gear train.
The light grey ceramic gives this piece a different feel from previous SORAI iterations but still has that adventurous or safari feel. On the camouflage rubber strap, this is accentuated even more, and due to the ceramic construction, and in the curved tonneau case, hugs the wrist nicely and conforms to the wrist. You can see here on Chamath’s wrist, it envelopes it and sits perfectly in the middle.
The case measures 42mm in diameter, and 13.25mm thick, so it sits in that nice “not too big or small zone” in my opinion. As this piece has a bezel in the same colour, it does slim the Spirit of Big Bang SORAI somewhat compared to other versions that have a coloured ceramic bezel on the titanium case. That being said, the differences are ever so slightly noticeable. The middle case is Hublot’s composite material which adds to the aesthetics of the watch and also the weight.
As with most modern Hublot pieces, the Spirit of Big Bang SORAI has Hublot’s patented quick-change “One-Click” system, so you can swap out straps with ease. In the case of the piece, you have a camouflage rubber strap, as can be seen in these images, but it also comes with a light grey fabric and velcro strap with a ceramic sports buckle.
Initial Thoughts
If you have never tried on a Spirit of Big Bang, then you should. The 42mm size cases are beautiful to wear and hug the wrist so nicely. They also look great on – something about the tonneau-shaped case that just works. And this new Spirit of Big Bang is no exception, done in grey ceramic and paired with either strap (although, my preference is always the rubber!). Adding to this, the skeleton HUB 6020 movement is great to look at so you get the best of both worlds here.
The other thing that I like about this piece is the philosophy behind it. Not only is it helping to raise awareness of a conservation issue – that being the endangered nature of African and Indian Rhinoceros, it’s also helping combat declining numbers with a portion of the proceeds going to Kevin Pietersen’s SORAI organisation that distributes the funds to agencies who can use this at the ground level to assist in protecting these magnificent creatures. If you are in the fortunate position to acquire one of the 30 pieces produced, then it’s well worth it!
Reference: 645.FX.8020.NR.SOA24
Specification
- Case: 42 mm x 13.25mm thickness
- Case Material: Grey polished and microblasted ceramic with Hublot’s “One-Click” System
- Dial: Sapphire crystal showing skeletonised MHUB6020 movement.
- Crystal: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
- Water resistance: 30m (3 Bar)
- Movement: MHUB6020
- Movement Frequency: 3Hz (21,600 VpH)
- Power reserve: 5 days
- Strap: Grey Fabric with Velcro and Black Ceramic Sport Buckle. Additional Bracelet: Black Rubber with Camouflage Decor, Dark Grey, Light Grey and Beige with a deployant clasp.
