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Event
One million dollars BB
Invisible visibility for one million $ or how Hublot makes material disappear
The Watch Quote™ - April 4th, 2007
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A world first. A dream become reality. A ‘performance on a par with Fabergé’s egg’, say experts. Thanks to the creativity, ingenuity, skill, confidence, madness, perseverance, enthusiasm and exceptional know-how of its designers and creators, the One Million $ BB is today unveiled in all its ‘invisible visibility’.
Claude Sanz, chairman of the Bunter SA workshop, and Jean-Claude Biver, head of Hublot watches, were the perfect match. Together they launched into a crazy challenge that captured their imagination… Surrounding themselves with the finest craftsmen and specialists, they developed and utilised the most advanced technology to explore new avenues, driving themselves on to the point of ‘madness’, if not beyond. They could never have risen to the challenge a few years ago. While the idea had taken root, the tools were lacking to shape it. Sophistication in micromechanics enabled craftsmen to work to the 1/100th degree, but what really made it possible was the fusion between man and machine.
This type of setting already existed, although not in such a complex form. Jean Zehfus, a grand master in the fine art of diamond setting, having taught some of the best craftsmen in this skill, has now retired. Full of admiration, he attended the presentation of the work of one of his old apprentices, exclaiming: ‘However did you manage it, I didn’t teach you that!?’.
Although similar in lines to the Big Bang, the One Million $ BB with invisible setting conceals a monobloc construction in white gold. Therein lies the full magnitude of the mystery: not one ounce of gold is visible! The setting is spirited away as if by magic, the diamonds sparkle in all their glory without a claw to be seen. They have been shaped by a mysterious hand that leaves no hint of the device used to secure them. Jean-Claude Biver describes this invisible visibility as a ‘harmonious vibe’: ‘When every detail is totally under your control AND your two minds are one, you can’t see it on the outside, but there’s an inner vibe of harmony that’s visible and sensible to the eye of the perceiver’.
The One Million $ BB is the very symbol of the fusion between jewellery and watchmaking. A grand total of 493 Top Wesselton baguette diamonds of different sizes conceal a Tourbillon movement. The natural rubber bracelet has a deployant buckle with a diamond-set clasp. Crafting such an exceptional timepiece has required a huge creative and emotional input. More than 2,000 hours have gone into its making, from design through to research and development, machine programming, choice of (micro-)precision tools, the cutting of the diamonds, the visual examination of each part, setting, casing and fine-tuning. Each stage in the operation has contributed to the tremendous achievement we see before us today.
One Million $ BB
| Boîtier | : | Or blanc 18 K serti de 322 diamants baguette (24.65 cts) |
| Glace | : | Saphir |
| Fond | : | Or blanc 18 K avec glace saphir |
| Couronne | : | Or blanc 18 K sertie de 12 diamants baguette blancs (0.8 cts) |
| Cadran | : | Or blanc 18 K, 150 Palladium, sertie de 129 diamants baguette (6.40 cts), cadran à deux niveaux, deux types de sertissage. Sertissage traditionnel autour de la cage Tourbillon. Partie supérieure du cadran sertissage invisible |
| Aiguilles | : | Aiguilles squelettes facettées diamantées en toit |
| Mouvement | : | Mécanique, manufacturé, remontage manuel, Tourbillon volant 60 secondes, HUB Solo T exécution spéciale |
| Dimensions | : | Diamètre : 13 ¼ ’’’ (Ø 30.00 mm) Épaisseur : 7.10 mm |
| Nb composants | : | 148 |
| Nombre de pierre | : | 24 rubis |
| Ponts | : | Décor façon sertissage baguette |
| Balancier | : | Masselotte de réglage Gyromax |
| Alternances | : | 21'600 A/h (3Hz) |
| Cage Tourbillon | : | Ø 13 mm |
| Réserve de Marche | : | 120 heures |
| Bracelet | : | Réglable en caoutchouc naturel noir lisse avec logo Hublot |
| Fermoir | : | Or blanc 18 K avec coiffe sertie de 30 diamants baguette (3,33 cts), déployant Or blanc 18 K |
| Pièce unique | ||
La Mini-D de Dior
