Hublot have been in a celebratory mood since reaching the 20th anniversary of the Big Bang last year. Having already modernised the original closed-dial Unico with the Big Bang Original Unico, the logical next chapter was to do the same for its open-dial counterpart — one of the collection's most iconic and recognisable expressions. At Watches & Wonders 2026, Hublot delivered exactly that with the launch of the Big Bang Reloaded, available in a core collection and two athlete special editions.
The Big Bang Reloaded is primarily an aesthetic overhaul of the existing Big Bang Unico, with a clear focus on improving legibility without losing the open-worked character that defines the collection. The movement inside is unchanged — it is still the Unico HUB 1280 automatic with a 72-hour power reserve, 4 Hz frequency and a flyback chronograph with date. The real story here is what has been done to the dial and case.
Dial Updates
The most significant change is that the dial is, paradoxically, less open-worked than before. The previous generation left the centre of the display entirely exposed, revealing the bare movement plates beneath. The Reloaded introduces a central disc with a grained texture that covers the less visually interesting portions of the movement, while retaining apertures to showcase the components that actually matter — specifically the column wheel and oscillating clutch, each labelled along the edge of its opening so the wearer knows exactly what they are looking at.
This creates a solid backdrop behind the central hands, making the hours, minutes and chronograph seconds considerably easier to read at a glance. The date window has also been relocated from 3 o'clock — where it previously overlapped with one of the subdials — to a new position between 4 and 5 o'clock. Mechanically nothing has changed; the date disc still passes through the same path, which is why you can still glimpse it through the open subdial at 3. It is a small but welcome improvement in the overall layout.
The subdials have also been rethought. Both now use complete 60-second and 60-minute scales in intervals of ten, and crucially they are now the same size — removing the previous big-eye asymmetry and creating a more balanced, symmetrical dial. The equal sizing also means the small seconds subdial is larger than it was before, which in turn makes it more readable.
Case & Materials
The case retains its 44mm diameter and the broad structural DNA of the Big Bang. The bezel has been updated with a two-part construction that allows for more varied material combinations. Five versions make up the core collection: Titanium Ceramic, All Black Ceramic, Blue Ceramic, Dark Green Ceramic, and Magic Gold.
Despite Kylian Mbappé having been a Hublot ambassador for eight years, the Big Bang Reloaded Kylian Mbappé is the brand's first formal watch collaboration with the footballer. The timing is deliberate — 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of his first professional goal in 2016, and 10 is also his shirt number at Real Madrid.
That number anchors the design: on the dial, the 10 o'clock numeral is rendered in King Gold while the remaining hour markers are silver, making it the immediate focal point of the display. The gold and white colour scheme carries through the rest of the watch. The 44mm case combines white ceramic with King Gold, and the bezel features a ceramic core with a King Gold band around the outer edge — engraved with Mbappé's personal motto, 'Trust Yourself'. The central chronograph seconds hand carries a KM counterweight as a further personal touch.
Inside is the same Unico HUB 1280 movement as the core collection, visible through the exhibition caseback and the open portions of the dial. The watch comes on a King Gold coloured fabric strap with Velcro fastening as well as an additional black and white rubber strap.
The second special edition pays tribute to Usain Bolt, and it may be the more creatively interesting of the two. The 44mm case is black ceramic, with a bezel constructed from frosted carbon and 18ct yellow gold. Like the Mbappé edition, the outer edge of the bezel is engraved with the athlete's motto — in Bolt's case, 'Anything Is Possible, Don't Think Limits'.
The green and yellow accents found throughout the watch are a direct tribute to Jamaica, the nation Bolt represented across his Olympic career. The chronograph seconds hand is shaped like a lightning bolt — mirroring his signature celebration pose — and the same motif appears on the caseback, which is made from soil taken from Bolt's original training ground in Jamaica, sandwiched between two sapphire crystal plates.
The most inventive detail, however, is hidden in plain sight. The hour numerals do not follow the conventional alternating pattern. Instead, looking at the lower quadrant of the dial, the sequence reads 6, 5, 8 — with the 5 printed upside down. If you invert the dial so that the 5 reads correctly, the three digits suddenly read 9.58: Bolt's world record time for the 100 metres, set at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. It is the kind of detail that rewards careful observation and elevates the watch from a straightforward ambassador piece into something genuinely thoughtful.
Like the Mbappé edition, it houses the Unico HUB 1280 automatic with a 72-hour power reserve and comes on a yellow gold coloured fabric strap with Velcro fastening, along with an additional black, yellow and green camouflage rubber strap.
