Hublot, one of the new players in the connected watch market, is preparing to turn the balances upside down with the new Big Bang E model.
The combination of tradition and innovation blended with the latest technology and modern materials. At least that's what Hublot says. The reality is a bit confusing.
The path that connected watches have come technologically in recent years and the rising market shares in the general watch market are tempting not only for watch lovers but also for manufacturers. The competition is getting more and more heated with the players who enter the industry every day. The problem is that the products of technology companies, especially Apple, which do not produce watches, are extremely successful. Naturally, real watch manufacturers are a bit more difficult in the connected watch market than they seem. With all these difficulties, Hublot comes up with the Big Bang E model to change the game and to stand out from the competitors.
Years ago, while connected phones have not yet dominated the market, you will remember Vertu models, the "luxury" version of Nokia, the world leader when it comes to mobile phones. The phones using the technical infrastructure of Nokia were covered with luxurious and even exotic materials such as leather, gold, carbon-fiber, titanium. Vertu was marketed as an object of desire, a symbol of prestige rather than a mobile phone. Unfortunately, trying to sell a product with a limited lifetime, such as a mobile phone, with astronomical price tags has resulted in a fiasco.
Currently, Hublot's work reminds me of Vertu, albeit unintentionally. The features and designs of connected watches are undergoing significant improvements almost every year. The conversion time of high technology watches to ordinary products is also incredibly short. The customer base is extremely demanding, they are always on the lookout for the most advanced model, while the competitive environment is indescribably wild. Hublot's target is technology enthusiasts who decide to use connected watches as a symbol of prestige and never give up luxury consumption. To be fair, the intersection set of these features seems a little small to me.
Currently, two models were introduced. I am sure that new versions will be added to the collection in different color and material combinations in the future. Hublot features 42mm diameter ceramic or titanium cases on the connected watch model Big Bang E. Behind the sapphire crystal is a 30.8mm diameter 390x390 pixel Amoled display. It is possible to come across abundant characteristic Hublot lines on the exterior of the model, which is water-resistant to 30 meters.
The watch features a Qualcomm® Snapdragon Wear ™ 3100 processor with four cores and running at 1.094GHz. Ram capacity is specified as 1GB and memory capacity as 8GB. Equipped with features such as accelerometer, gyroscope, microphone, vibration, ambient light sensor, optical tracking sensor for the peak, Big Bang E takes its power from a 300mAh Li-ion battery and offers approximately one day of operating performance. The charging time of the battery is 2 hours and 30 minutes. Using the Bluetooth 4.2 connection protocol, which we no longer see in new generation connected devices, Hublot can work fully compatible with Android and Apple devices. Finally, I would like to mention that the device has Google Wear OS. The list price of the model, which we are accustomed to from Hublot's other Big Bang models, such as rubber strap, titanium folding buckle, and easy strap replacement system, has been announced as 4900 CHF for the titanium model and 5500 CHF for the ceramic model.
This is where the game changes. You can only get the strap of Hublot by paying the price of an Apple Watch or another connected watch with Wear Os / Tizen operating system equipped with the latest technologies. Moreover, the material quality and production workmanship levels of these watches are increasing day by day. Well, regardless of depreciation, how logical is it to pay a price surplus that of its competitors to a product that is certain to be technologically inadequate in a few years? The answer to this question is up to you.
