Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon
Hublot takes on a Chinese trinity
A symbol: an eastern dragon also known as the ‘loong’
Two ancient art forms: paper cutting and marquetry
An artist: Chen Fenwan

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Drawing inspiration from the traditional Chinese art of paper cutting, the Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon layers its hands, wheels and H-shaped screws to form a 3D silhouette of an eastern dragon. Hublot presents a rubber strap with a marquetry design for the very first time. Created in collaboration with the Chinese artist Chen Fenwan, this limited edition of 88 pieces is the perfect fusion of tradition and modernity, combining metaphors and symbols in the spirit of Hublot: first, unique, different!

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon

In the Chinese calendar, 2024 marks the return of the Dragon, which comes around every 12 years. This celestial creature, revered in Chinese culture, is associated with prosperity. A symbol of luck, strength and wisdom, the dragon is also an imperial icon that embodies life and immortality. Loong is a symbol, an icon, and the universal auspicious meaning is the foundation of Loong culture.

Equivalent to the year 4722 in the Chinese calendar, 2024 marks the year of the Wood Dragon. Through artist Chen Fenwan’s paper-cutting expertise, Hublot pays homage to wood through the natural fibres that form the soul and spirit of paper.

So, can you recognise what’s hidden within the dragon?

This piece is a metaphor for the ‘Art of Fusion’ and the art of continually reimagining materials and their areas of expression. A symbol of Hublot’s philosophy, the Hublot creates a different way to interpret times, through its distinctive features. The components of its pieces: hands, cogs or screws, are positioned in multidimensional layers to form a dragon’s silhouette created in paper cut-outs by the Chinese artist Chen Fenwan. The dragon’s head is made up of five layers that alternate between hands, wheels and H-shaped screws, with a body and scales that extend onto the strap. The colours reflect those of the paper cut-out sculpture created by Chen Fenwan.

A metaphor for the ‘Art of Fusion’

Celebrating the Year of the Dragon, this watch is also a metaphor for the ‘Art of Fusion’ embodied by the
eastern dragon. Also known as the Loong, it takes on the features of nine different animals—the eyes of a
prawn, the horns of a deer, the mouth of a bull, the nose of a dog, the whiskers of a catfish, the mane of a
lion, the long tail of a snake, a fish’s scales, and an eagle’s claws. A dragon whose metamorphosis has taken place over several thousands of years. Under Chen Fenwan’s touch, this sacred animal, talisman and totem, celebrates one of the greatest cultural legacies of Chinese art: the art of paper cutting. This is a craft that originated in China around 2,000 years ago, coinciding with the invention of paper. Chinese paper cutting has been on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2009 and is used to express the moral principles, philosophies and aesthetic ideals of its creators. It is used in festivities to honour events such as weddings and births, and paper-cut decorations symbolising happiness and good luck are intrinsic to Chinese New Year celebrations.

Hublot invites Chinese Tradition into 2024 with a Hublot first: a rubber strap with a marquetry design Hublot has invited Chinese artist Chen Fenwan to combine traditional Chinese “sculpture in the round” with contemporary art, creating a majestic and dynamic loong, which conveys an auspicious atmosphere as it rises to the heavens. This artwork symbolizes the ever-renewing totem of life. Expressing Hublot’s philosophy Be First, Unique and Different.

In a 42 mm titanium case, Hublot transposes the layered effects of paper cutting into a multi-level dial construction overlaying a base panel with several levels of appliqués that incorporate the aesthetic codes of Hublot’s components. The dragon’s silhouette extends onto the rubber strap, which features a rubber marquetry motif—a first for Hublot. Each of the dragon’s scales is coloured and nano-vulcanised to be integrated into the strap. This delicate decorative operation is carried out entirely by hand and takes around 8 hours per strap. The Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon, offered in a limited edition of 88 pieces, comes with a second titanium-grey Velcro fabric strap. This Chinese New Year celebration features a HUB1710 automatic movement and power reserve of 50 hours.

Chen Fenwan

Chen Fenwan graduated from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and currently lives and works between Guangzhou and Foshan. When she was younger, she was heralded as one of the top upcoming paper artists in China by the media. Most of her works lie in the language of paper, bringing imagination of narrative on flexible materials, usually with large scale and multi-dimensional pieces. She excels at combining her personal experience with universal memories, in which the emotional tension of collective resonance gather to communicate with a wider audience and inhabit public spaces.

Chen Fenwan was named as one to watch by the Chinese Modern Art Archive (CMAA) in 2019. In 2022, her two in-site works Hello, Walls and Papercut on the Earth’s Window exhibit in Art Field Naihai Guangdong. In 2021, The West Lake in Vectorial Dynamic was created as a public work through solicitation. One of her Representatives Lucky Garden participates in the 2021 Chengdu Biennale Exhibition, as well as the ten-year exhibition of Zhejiang Art Museum in 2019. Infinite has been touring exhibited for 11 times from 2018 to 2021. In recent years, she has taken “symmetry” as her personal research topic, to continue to her large-scale artworks such as A Symmetrical Nature series and Jintian in Tianjin, constantly giving new understanding to stage by way of contemporary paper cutting.

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon Technical Specifications

Ref. 646.NX.6600.RX.CHF24 – 28’000.00 CHF / 30’800.00 EUR / 29’500.00 USD / 25’400.00 GBP

Movement

  • HUB1710 Self-winding movement
  • Frequency (Hz): 4 (28’800 A/H)
  • Power reserve: 50 hours
  • Number of components: 166
  • Jewels: 27

Case

  • Satin-finished and Polished Titanium
  • Diameter: 42 mm
  • Thickness: 13.8 mm
  • Water Resistant: 10 ATM / 100 M
  • Dial

Multi-level dial with 3D effect, based on the works of artist Chen Fenwan

Strap & Buckle

  • First Bracelet: Black Rubber, with Dragon Scale Decoration
  • Additional Grey Fabric with Velcro
  • Black Ceramic Buckle
  • Titanium Deployant Buckle Clasp

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