Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Hublot · Big Bang
Hublot Big Bang 43 mm Meteorite Stainless
Reference 15217ST.21
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Hublot
- Collection
- Big Bang
- Model
- Hublot Big Bang 43 mm Meteorite Stainless
- Reference number
- 15217ST.21
- Year / era
- 1996 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Minute repeater
- Movement
- In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Dial type
- Meteorite
- Strap / bracelet
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Water resistance
- 50 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 43 mm
- Case thickness
- 14.1 mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Bezel
- Smooth polished
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Meteorite
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 50 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 27D — In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 70 hours
- Number of jewels
- 21 jewels
- Complications
- Minute repeater
- Functions
- Chronograph, tachymeter, date
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1996 – 2004
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Jean-Claude Biver studio
The reference was drawn by the manufacture's internal design office, where case, dial and movement architects work alongside the watchmakers rather than as an outside commission.
Historical significance
Hublot Big Bang 43 mm Meteorite Stainless sits within Hublot's Big Bang line, introduced in 1996. It carries the house codes established since 1980 — stainless steel case, meteorite dial and in-house automatic, superlative chronometer — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
The House
Hublot
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1980
- Founder
- Carlo Crocco
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Big Bang, Classic Fusion, Spirit of Big Bang, MP Collection, Square Bang
- Signature technologies
- Anti-magnetic silicon escapement · Hand-applied guilloché dials · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house automatic, chronometer certified · In-house automatic chronograph · In-house manual-winding
- Notable watches
- Hublot Big Bang 36 mm Salmon Stainless (1980) · Hublot Big Bang 43 mm Salmon Stainless (1982) · Hublot Big Bang 43 mm Meteorite Stainless (1996) · Hublot Classic Fusion 44 mm Meteorite 18k (1992)
Brand history
Hublot has spent more than 46 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Big Bang, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Carlo Crocco established Hublot in 1980, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Hublot calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1980
Carlo Crocco founds Hublot in Switzerland.
1990
Hublot enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Hublot continues to produce Big Bang, Classic Fusion, Spirit of Big Bang and other icons in limited numbers.