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| Big Bang Ferrari |
Luxury Swiss watch brand, Hublot, the official timekeeper of the Ferrari Challenge, unveiled the Big Bang Ferrari in Japan during the Ferrari Racing Days Suzuka 2012, held in Suzuka City, March 16 - 18.
Ferrari Racing Days Suzuka 2012 is one of largest events in the world for the Italian car manufacturer. One of its highlights was the Concorso d’Eleganza supported by Hublot, which brought together 18 classic cars from the 1950s and ‘60s.
Hublot’s Chairman, Jean-Claude Biver, attended the event—which included a charity auction in support of Ishinomaki City, affected by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Hublot donated a Big Bang Ferrari Magic Gold, for auction. The winning bid was 4.1 million Japanese yen ($49,100). Biver personally topped topped the bid with an additional $4,800.
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| Hublot Chairman, Jean-Claude Biver |
The Big Bang Ferrari (top picture), a collaboration with the Italian car manufacturer, underwent its first update since it was launched in 2005. The design was done in collaboration with Ferrari. A larger case (45.5 mm in diameter), more power and more mechanical features, a cylindrical bezel that offers added depth, the movement which can be seen through the sapphire dial, an indexed crown (with the H logo which is automatically positioned to remain in line), elongated push buttons fixed along a rotating axis like the pedals in a car, carbon inserts on the case profile, two interchangeable straps, and the same tone-on-tone stitching used on Ferrari upholstery. The Ferrari Prancing Horse logo is featured discreetly in relief at 9 o'clock. A minute counter is positioned at 3 o'clock (completed by a yellow date window), and the hand and the style of the indexes are inspired by the counters in a Ferrari.
Finally, the Ferrari-endorsed pieces are made with Hublot’s Magic Gold, a scratch-resistant 18k gold the watch manufacturer introduced three months ago.
The timepiece was first unveiled approximately a week earlier at Baselworld 2012 in Switzerland.
In November 2011, Hublot became the watchmaking partner of Ferrari. It is a comprehensive agreement covering all the activities of Ferrari and Hublot, both in terms of brand image and the commercial activities of both companies.