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 · Spirit of Big Bang
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang 36 mm Blue Quartz
Reference 49390OR.41
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Hublot
- Collection
- Spirit of Big Bang
- Model
- Hublot Spirit of Big Bang 36 mm Blue Quartz
- Reference number
- 49390OR.41
- Year / era
- 2009 · 2000s — modern production
- Complication
- Flyback chronograph
- Movement
- In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- NATO textile strap
- Water resistance
- 300 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 36 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.8 mm
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Bezel
- Emerald-set
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- NATO textile strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 300 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 81C — In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- Flyback chronograph
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, small seconds
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2009 – 2024
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang 36 mm Blue Quartz sits within Hublot's Spirit of Big Bang line, introduced in 2009. It carries the house codes established since 1980 — quartz tpt case, blue "grande tapisserie" 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 reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- 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.
More Spirit of Big Bang
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang 38 mm Salmon 18k
Ref. 20091OR.10
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang 43 mm Salmon Grade
Ref. 60899OR.41
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang 36 mm Skeletonised Platinum
Ref. 25909OR.14
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang 37 mm Slate Carbon
Ref. 63842OR.90
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang 41 mm Slate Grade
Ref. 34638OR.64