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 40 mm Black 18k
Reference 29931OR.40
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Hublot
- Collection
- Big Bang
- Model
- Hublot Big Bang 40 mm Black 18k
- Reference number
- 29931OR.40
- Year / era
- 2006 · 2000s — modern production
- Complication
- Moon phase
- Movement
- In-house automatic chronograph
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Dial type
- Black lacquer
- Strap / bracelet
- Jubilee bracelet
- Water resistance
- 150 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 250 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 40 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.1 mm
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Bezel
- Fixed brushed titanium
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Black lacquer
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Jubilee bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 150 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 35C — In-house automatic chronograph
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 55 hours
- Number of jewels
- 31 jewels
- Complications
- Moon phase
- Functions
- Annual calendar, moon phase
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2006 – 2009
- Limited-edition quantity
- 250 pieces
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
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 40 mm Black 18k sits within Hublot's Big Bang line, introduced in 2006. It carries the house codes established since 1980 — 18k rose gold case, black lacquer dial and in-house automatic chronograph — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
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.