For some time now, watch brands have recognised the benefits of partnering with top chefs, and Hublot has been one of the leaders of that movement with no fewer than eight gastronomy ambassadors amongst its ranks.
Teaming up with a culinary whizz not only provides the watchmaker with a parallel narrative with which to explain its own craft, but it also helps it to widen its potential customer base: Where there is an epicure or bon vivant, there may also be a fine watch fan lurking.
Andreas Caminada has been one of Hublot’s friends since 2017. The talented chef opened a restaurant at Schloss Schauenstein, a castle in Fürstenau in eastern Switzerland in 2003. This high-end eatery has gone from four employees to 70 and garnered three Michelin stars and 19 GaultMillau points in addition to consistently making “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list.
As for Hublot, whose own modern-day rise can be traced back to the mid-2000s as well – with the advent of its Art of Fusion tagline and the launch of the first Big Bang – the Swiss watchmaker obviously sees a bit of itself in this Swiss chef and his acclaimed ability to reinvent the fine dining experience.
To celebrate the first two decades of Caminada’s gourmet restaurant at Schloss Schauenstein, Hublot has collaborated with the 47-year-old to create a special 20th anniversary limited edition: The Hublot Big Bang Unico All Black Schloss Schauenstein.
Dark Looks
As its name suggests, the Big Bang Unico All Black Schloss Schauenstein is almost entirely based around a dark palette of tones, inspired not only by Caminada’s own looks and wardrobe, but also Hublot’s quest to explore “invisible visibility in high fashion style”.
The matte black hands, chronograph counter, small seconds and stencil-like indexes contrast with grey-toned elements like the Andreas Caminada logo emblazoned on the small seconds.
To match the face of the watch, the 42mm case and the bezel have been made in microblasted black ceramic and they are complemented by satin-finished and microblasted blackened titanium chronograph pushers. The crown is covered in black rubber. And naturally, the watch comes on a black lined rubber strap with black ceramic and black titanium deployant buckle.
And visible through much of the dial is the HUB1280 Unico automatic, flyback column-wheel chronograph and date calibre made in-house by Hublot and easy to assemble because of its modular escapement. This features an anchor and escape wheel in silicon. That energy-saving material, plus extra-long mainspring, helps give a sizeable 72-hour power reserve. As usual for this movement, you get a nice dial side view of the column wheel.
Chef’s Knife and Knife Block
Limited to just 20 pieces, the Hublot Big Bang Unico All Black Schloss Schauenstein is priced at CHF 25,900 excluding taxes. And with each watch, owners will get a signed booklet by Andreas Caminada, plus custom-engraved chef’s knife and knife block.
For those wanting an even more exclusive serving of this watch, a unique piece (pictured above) will be auctioned off for charity during this year’s Andreas Caminada Golf Tournament on Tuesday, June 11th. Instead of Caminada’s corporate logo, it features the rainbow-toned emblem of the chef’s Uccellin Foundation that supports burgeoning talent in the culinary and service industry.
And watch out later this month for our full interview with Andreas Caminada himself, with topics like knowledge transmission, Swissness and the pressure to be creative all on the menu!
For more information on the Hublot Big Bang Unico All Black Schloss Schauenstein, please visit the Hublot website.
