28 September 2020

THE BIG BANG UNICO SANG BLEU II ALL BLACK GETS INKED IN BLACK

For this new artistic collaboration between Hublot & Maxime Plescia-Buchi, Hublot's All Black concept has been etched in black ink like a blackout tattoo (consists of covering parts of the body with black ink). Bold and monochromatic, the Big Bang Unico Sang Bleu II All Black showcases the full three-dimensional geometry of the talented grapho-typo-tattoo-genius. Its material – injected with black, polished and satin-finished, angled and faceted – reveals an interplay of light and shade in its relief. An iconic monochrome which is now indelible.

“When we created the first All Black watch in 2006 along with its concept of "invisible visibility", we dared to go beyond its primary function – timekeeping – to showcase it as a work of art which could uphold and affirm a state of mind. In Maxime's work, we find exactly the same approach of going beyond the primary meaning of things. The art of blackout tattooing is already a highly sophisticated form of the art reserved for a select few; it is the ultimate in tattooing and both this type of tattooing and the timepiece which it inspired go beyond their primary meaning or purpose.”

Ricardo Guadalupe

HUBLOT CEO

Maxime Plescia-Buchi has made his tattoos into works of body art which are both fascinating and intriguing. Since 2016, the artist has been collaborating with Hublot, designing watches with the same confident strokes as the lines which he marks out on people's bodies, drawing shapes which are hypnotic and architectural in equal measure. This new interpretation, the Big Bang Unico Sang Bleu II All Black, is completely inked in black – the favourite colour of the watchmaker and the artist.

“All black is a dialectical process of withdrawing elements of style in favour of the pure expression of forms and intentions. This process exists on the body with a tattoo in the same way as on a horological piece of art. The “blackout” tattoo is maximal in its craftsmanship, but minimal in its expression, and it reveals the body below, emphasising its curves and natural shapes. The Big Bang Sang Bleu II All Black, with its specific shape, reveals the sophistication of its structure. All black watches and tattoos are pieces that exist outside of time and style, which is the ultimate goal of any artistic project. ”

Maxime Plescia-Buchi

FOUNDER OF SANG BLEU AND HUBLOT AMBASSADOR

The "All Black" concept of working with the same black in a tone on tone style, conceived by Hublot in 2006, was a groundbreaking vision set to become an iconic signature: "Invisible visibility". Perhaps coincidentally, 2006 was also the very year in which Maxime Plescia-Buchi made black ink his signature medium for expression. In the spirit of blackout tattooing, the abstract geometrical shapes which he would usually draw directly onto the skin are fully black and here cover the body of the watch with a black which is both deep and symbolic. Just as demanding as this fully black ink, requiring even greater precision and skill on the part of the artist, the monochromatic material used here also demands perfection. On a case measuring 45 mm in diameter, cut from black ceramic and black PVD-coated titanium, the master tattooist alternates and superimposes hexagons, diamonds and triangles, measuring the time from the bezel to the HUB1240 Unico manufacture self-winding chronograph movement, visible under a skeletonised dial and an open case back.

This monochrome watch loses nothing of its dimensional effect, quite the opposite in fact: the play of polygons created by the tattooist is highlighted in the light reflecting directly off the polished and satin-finished material, which is carved and chiselled, angled and faceted.

The Big Bang Unico Sang Bleu II All Black gets inked, like a tattoo, it's… indelible.