Introducing: The Hublot Big Bang MP-11 Magic Gold

January 25, 2021

For LVMH Watch Week 2021, Hublot introduces a new version of its Big Bang MP-11, a watch which features a 14-day power reserve via a series of seven in-series mainspring barrels. This is one of the longest power reserves in any watch produced by Hublot; it has previously been released in red ceramic. That model was the subject of a Hands-On review in June of 2020. The new version is in Hublot's Magic Gold, which is a proprietary alloy made of a combination of ceramic and gold. The new watch, like its predecessor, is a relatively restrained (for a 14-day watch) 45mm x 14.50mm, and retails for $89,500, in a limited edition of 50 pieces. Initial Thoughts Magic Gold is a material with a number of interesting properties. It's an extremely scratch-resistant gold alloy, so much so that Hublot's comfortable describing it as "virtually scratchproof." The numbers seem to bear this out: 18-karat gold has a hardness of about 140 on the Vickers hardness scale, which measures the resistance of a material to a standard, diamond-tipped indenting tool (316L stainless steel, commonly used for watch cases, is usually around 150-200). Magic Gold, on the other hand, is about 1,000 on the scale.?Its extraordinary toughness is thanks to its composition. To make Magic Gold, you first start with a ceramic powder (boron nitride) and compress it in a mold. The resulting shape is then placed in a sintering furnace, at a temperature of about 2,200 C. The heat fuses the ceramic particles together but leaves the interior porous. Liquid gold is then worked into the material, again under very high pressure. The final material is, despite its composite nature, still high enough in gold content to qualify as 18k gold. It's pretty neat stuff C a scratchproof gold alloy is a major oxymoron in materials science, and I give Hublot a lot of credit for pursuing it. Magic Gold doesn't quite have the warm allure of conventional yellow or red-gold alloys, but it does have a sleek, almost green-gold sheen with its own unique appeal. While the Hublot Big Bang MP-11 Magic Gold doesn't look to the expression of traditional watchmaking for its appeal, it does have a lot of value added for anyone who wants a watch that wears its advanced technical properties on its sleeve. The Basics Brand: HublotModel: Big Bang MP-11 Magic Gold Reference Number: ?911.MX.0138.RXDiameter: 45mmThickness: 14.40mmCase Material: Hublot "Magic Gold"Water Resistance: 30 metersStrap/Bracelet: Black rubber with titanium?and ceramic folding clasp The Movement Caliber: HUB9011, hand-wound skeleton type, with 14-day power reserve from seven mainspring barrelsFrequency: 28,800 vph, running in 39 jewelsNumber Of Components: 270Other Details: Black-plated bridges; silicon Swiss lever escapement Pricing & Availability Price: $89,500Limited Edition: Yes; 50 pieces worldwide.For more info, visit Hublot.com. LVMH Watch Week is an annual launch event for the LVMH watch brands. Some of last year's coverage on HODINKEE can be found here and here. Although?LVMH Luxury Ventures recently became a minority investor in HODINKEE, we maintain complete editorial independence.