Following hot on the heels of their latest collaboration with Jeff Koons, Hublot are continuing to expand their range of artistic collaborators by introducing London-based, Nigerian artist Soldier into the fold. Full name Leonard Iheagwam, Soldier’s artworks explore themes of migration, cultural diaspora, and the military. Here that’s presented in the form of the 50-piece limited edition Hublot Big Bang Soldier All Black, which I’ve been hands-on with.
Out of the box, the Big Bang Soldier All Black looks similar to previous All Black models due to its monochrome design. The 42mm case is made from microblasted and polished ceramic with black titanium hardware for the chronograph pushers and crown. The chronograph pushers incidentally are some of the lightest I’ve ever pressed, requiring barely any pressure to get the central chronograph hand jumping into action and with an instantaneous reset.
Because of the full black construction, it’s only when you look closer at the watch under appropriate lighting that the core artistic concept becomes visible. The bezel and dial feature an X-shaped bandolier of silhouetted toy soldiers – your classic, Toy Story-style green plastic men. The small seconds hand is also shaped like one of those toy soldiers, the tip of his gun brushing the inside edge of the scale to act as the time indicator.
As an artistic concept, the message is two-fold. First there is Soldier’s Nigerian background and Lagos upbringing. In Nigeria, it is illegal for civilians to wear military camouflage, and so Soldier often uses camo and military themes in his art as a form of campaigning for self-expression. Secondly, there is the notion of a ‘toy’ soldier – one of the most aggressive, dangerous, and morally contentious jobs in the world being served directly to children. Glorifying war with the ease of a disposable bit of plastic instead of the weight it should carry. Both of those are very worthwhile messages to spread in the modern era.
Visually, the toy soldier motif does make the watch very difficult to read on top of the fact that the hands are already black against a black base. The asymmetry of the dial and uneven shapes of the soldiers above a semi-openworked dial that reveals sections of the movement underneath such as the date wheel means you have to take a moment to comprehend what you’re actually looking at. Bizarrely, that does tie back into the theme of the watch because the shapes of the toy soldiers act as a quasi-camouflage pattern.
It comes with a choice of three straps to keep it on the wrist. The standard option is a pure black fabric number with Velcro fastening while the other two are rubber with red or green uppers. Those are the only dashes of colour across the entire piece and are a reference to the core, thematic colours used throughout Soldier’s work. Those colours are also present on the front of the bespoke display case that the watch comes with. For swapping the straps, it uses Hublot’s quick change system where there is a trapezoid-shaped button on the upper side of the integrated lugs that releases the strap when pressed. It’s actually the easiest quick change system I’ve encountered.
Undoing the strap and looking at the Big Bang Soldier All Black’s caseback shows a sapphire exhibition window through which you can see the HUB1280 automatic movement. It beats at 4 Hz with a 72-hour power reserve supplied by an automatic winder. Like the dial, it’s a full black design including details like the balance wheel. As noted earlier, you can also see parts of the movement through the openworked portions of the dial.
For pricing and availability, the Hublot Big Bang Soldier All Black is priced at £22,900 in a limited edition of 50 pieces. That actually puts it on the lower end of the ceramic Big Bang price range just above the £20,700 series, which is unusual for an artistic collaboration. Ultimately, I think this is a watch that will divide opinion because it is so heavily aimed towards a specific target audience. But for that target audience, I think it explores some relevant topics in a way that is much deeper than it may first seem on the surface.
Price and Specs:
More details at Hublot.
