Hublot has never been a brand to shy away from forward thinking ideas.
Proud to continually push the boundaries it appreciates that art and horology are intrinsically linked and is dedicated to create luxury watches that are both intriguing and eye-catching.
With that in mind earlier this year Hublot announced it was joining forces with Maxime Buchi of Sang Bleu to create awe-inspiring timepieces to stand out against the crowd.
The construction of each piece in the Big Bang collection is reminiscent of the symbolism in the geometric shapes so dear to Sang Bleu, taking inspiration from Leonardo de Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. Inspired by the symmetric effects that have guided humanity since the dawn of time and played a part in creating the greatest architectural projects in the world, Maxime is known for his quest to echo this perfection in his design work.
Speaking of his passion for design, Maxime told ROX Man: “I don’t remember when my passion for design began, I think it was always there. I think it’s natural, kids like to draw, imagine, express and are attracted to simple shapes but their environment progressively changes this. I found something in visual expression something that was supported by my family and later helped me to integrate into society.”
However, Maxime’s path to fame as a designer wasn’t as straight forward as some might expect with the artist choosing to originally study psychology at first than take up a creative job.
“I feel like I should have tried a creative career much sooner than I did,” he revealed.
“But then retrospectively I’m also very glad that I didn’t. I think a lot of people who got into design in the generation just before me really struggle to adapt to the evolution the field.
“I am relatively old for someone who embraced digital tools the way I did, but I did, very early on. Maybe my interest for science prepared the ground for what I’m doing now.”
Despite originally being inspired by graffiti style design and tattooing, Maxime soon began to find himself being championed by fashion houses such as Chloe taking him down yet another design route.
He added: “Moving from graffiti to designing for fashion houses seemed like a natural progression to me. It’s branding as an end rather than a means. Ironically that is what tattooing is too, but from a more literal point of view. The term “branding” coming from the marking of cattle.”
IT CAME FROM A DESIRE TO REPRESENT A CONTEMPORARY, WHAT I CALL “TRANSVERSAL” PERCEPTION OF CULTURE
Fast forward to 2006 and such was Maxime’s desire to share his passion for design with the world that he set up Sang Bleu with the help of wife Hope – a contemporary multi-disciplinary media platform and creative agency responsible for creating Sang Bleu magazine, fine art, literature, tattooing and much more.
As well as its notable partnership with Hublot, Sang Bleu is also respected for its work with celebrities such as Kanye West and FKA Twigs as well as leading fashion brands Balenciaga and Rick Owens.
Sharing his inspiration behind the design power house, Maxime said: “It came from a desire to represent a contemporary, what I call “transversal” perception of culture – a culture where people don’t identify strictly with one but a kind of set of cultural expressions, often fluctuating, with a more stable core. This is as opposed to a traditional “vertical” perception where individuals identify rigidly to a specific culture and its occasional correlates.”
And so when Hublot approached Maxime to get involved in creating a bespoke timepiece that encapsulated the essence of creativity and style, he jumped at the chance to be able to take his vision to the next level with support from the luxury brand.
The designer heralded the process of designing the Big Bang, a true celebration of the art of fusion, as ‘exceptional’ crediting Hublot for making his creative vision a reality.
“It was exceptional. By far the most pleasant experience of working with a client other than myself,” he revealed. “The key of it being that they trusted me and let me do what I do. They put in all their know-how and support to help me adjust my ideas to what was possible but never questioned my ideas, only tried to make them work or very thoroughly showed my why they couldn’t. I wish it was always like this!
“The collaboration was simply a process of revealing underlying structures then selecting them for their aesthetic qualities. Like I do on a body or a garment.”
Looking to the future Maxime, who has been a watch enthusiast since his 20s, revealed that there are plans to work on a new design for 2018 as well as a range of other exciting projects.
As for the future of Sang Bleu he added: “Looking ahead the plan is to mostly develop the media/editorial side, the creative/art direction and the products such as our clothing lines and jewellery. But, really, there are too many projects to mention!
“We are now in a very interesting transition and many things that we’ve been doing in the background, we’ve had great success so far, using our clothing lines of TTTism as an example, so I have decided to take a step back and set them up also as standalone brands incorporated in a larger network of businesses.
“We are in the middle of structuring this and obviously, it is a gigantic and stressful endeavour. We are also exploring strategic partnerships and financing which is something new and exciting too. But by end of next year, you can expect to hear a lot from us!”
Hublot is available online and in our ROX Argyll Arcade, ROX Edinburgh and ROX Newcastle boutiques.
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HUBLOT BIG BANG UNICO GMT | TIME TRAVEL MADE SIMPLE
Think time traveller and one man more than likely springs to mind – Dr Who. However, you don’t need to don a long stripped scarf or hop in a Tardis to get from A to B, and you certainly don’t need to make your way across galaxies to lay claim to a GMT timepiece. In fact, for any modern man who finds himself jetting off on holiday with his family and friends or off on a business trip a GMT model is the perfect accessory.
CLASSIC STYLE MADE SIMPLE
Time might wait for no man but style is eternal. Proud to stand out from the crowd, Hublot has long been a brand that has dared to be different. Continually pushing forward new and innovative ideas, it is a champion of the art of fusion creating timepieces that are both charming and contemporary.