Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot says it has scored another first by making a totally transparent watch. 

The new Hublot Bang Unico Sapphire is cut straight from sapphire, without losing the material’s unique and rare character.

Five hundred of these watches will be produced and this is a first as sapphire had never previously been cut on such a large scale, the manufacture adds.

Sapphire is an extremely difficult material to machine and has until now been reserved for one-of-a-kind pieces or very private collections, explains Hublot.

Now, following its ambitious MP05 LaFerrari Sapphire model, Hublot says it has extended its expertise in sapphire cutting by interpreting it in a series of 500 pieces. 

It is a collection of absolute transparency that “consecrates the acclaimed architecture of the Big Bang model and the performances of the brand’s Unico movement”.

The case middle, bezel and back of the watch are cut from blocks of sapphire, a material which is almost as hard and scratch-resistant as diamond (9 on the Mohs scale as opposed to 10 for diamond). 

Hublot called on the expertise of a Swiss specialist develop the unique material. 

Only a few pieces forming the spine of the watch - the screws, the crown, which is over-moulded with silicon, and the deployant buckle - are made from titanium.

Its skeleton dial, made from transparent resin, reveals all the gears of the Unico HUB1242 movement and its finishes. Complementing its ethereal silhouette, its strap is transparent, so that one’s skin can be seen through it. 

Available as a 500-piece limited edition, the Big Bang Unico Sapphire is water-resistant to 50 m.

“Through the art of fusion, Hublot reveals all. A transparent case that reveals the soul of the watch— the Unico movement – and an absolute transparency extending to the strap, which has become invisible. Beyond the symbolism and the play on words, the Big Bang is laying itself bare. It has nothing to hide and everything to show says CEO Ricardo Guadalupe.