While the Apple Watch is the most common smartwatch by far, quite a few Swiss luxury watchmakers have recently jumped into this newer form of horology. Hublot released its very first connected watch, the Big Bang Referee, in 2018 in celebration of the World Cup held that year in Russia, and now the brand is now ready to bring us its second connected watch — the Big Bang e.

Transforming Hublot’s most recognised collection into a digital-friendly version, the Big Bang e is substantial on the wrist with a 42mm case, and is available in black ceramic or titanium with a “sandwich” construction. The watch comprises 42 components including the scratchproof sapphire crystal “touchscreen” and rubber strap with patented One-Click buckle for easy strap change. The hour numerals are metallised underneath the sapphire, while the rotary crown with integrated pusher is used to activate the controls for its electronic module in the same fashion as the mechanical version.

What’s unique about connected watches is the endless possibilities that present themselves in the look of the watch face. Other than the analogue “time only” option, the wearer of a Big Bang e can go for any number of  various watch face designs, including a Perpetual Calendar with moon phase and second GMT time zone with a real-time earth. The watch is also water-resistant to a depth of 30 metres and runs on Wear OS by Google, so the usual Google Assistant and Google Pay functions are all available.

For the launch edition, Hublot has teamed up with artist Marc Ferrero to create a series of eight dials. The dial changes colour every three hours, and a five-second animation will pop up every full hour. Colour options for the straps are also available to match this fun digital art project.