Hublot dispense with their traditional octagonal ‘port-hole’ form to pay tribute to the late Kung Fu icon on what would have been his 75th birthday. Have the playful brains at Hublot disgraced their ancestors? Will this watch of ‘truly epic proportions’ be able to restore the honor of their monastery? Overview of the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang for Bruce Lee Chronograph.
In the year 2015 it is almost impossible to OVERstate the role Bruce Lee, the San Francisco born son of a touring Hong Kong acting family has had on modern action films. In a day and age where the lion’s share of what you see on screen in a movie is CGI, Lee’s movies, though sometimes quaint looking by today’s standards, are packed with a life’s dedication to mastering King Chun and Jeet Kune Do style Kung Fu. More importantly, Lee’s brief TV and movie career still serves as the archetype for the modern action hero. Hint: when you look at Keanu Reeves in the “Matrix Trilogy”, what you see is one huge homage to Bruce Lee. And while it is a mixed-martial-arts-metaphor, Uma Thurman’s character “Beatrix” in the “Kill Bill” Quentin Tarantino series wears a similar yellow and black jump-suit to Lee’s in “The Game of Death”. Yet, in spite of his ever-present impact on today’s action films, Lee died 43 years ago at the age of 32.
“Obey the principles without being bound by them.”
Hublot have teamed with the Bruce Lee Foundation to celebrate the “Legend Never Dies: Bruce Lee 75th anniversary Memorial Exhibition.” In conjunction with the celebration of Lee’s life in Hong Kong during the last week of November at the Harbor City Shopping Mall in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hublot unveiled two new limited edition pieces, the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang for Bruce Lee. The creation of these pieces adheres to one of Lee’s own philosophies: “Obey the principles without being bound by them.”
Hublot, long known for their masculine sandwich construction watches in the shape of a porthole (in the event that you haven’t picked-up on this yet, or didn’t study French: Hublot means porthole) decided to break from the normal mold to create the Bruce Lee watch. The 601.CI.1138.VR.BLF15 chronograph feature the traditional Hublot case construction – secured by the eight famed “H” screws – this time on a tonneau-shaped case. The case measures 47.7mm by 56.3mm and is crafted out of microblasted black ceramic. The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang for Bruce Lee Chronograph is powered by the Calibre HUB4700, an automatic winding, 36,000 vph movement that, when fully wound, gives a power reserve of 50 hours (and now you know that it is based on a Zenith El Primero, as both brands are part of the LVMH Group and managed by J.C. Biver).
The Hublot / Bruce Lee watches feature a black, semi skeletonized dial showcasing yellow dragons – Lee’s astrological sign in the Chinese calendar and also the mythological symbol of power and luck. The watch comes presented with either black and yellow rubber / calf-skin strap (a nod to the “Game of Death”) or a traditional black rubber / alligator strap.
