Handcrafted Magic by Hublot

The watchmaker has unveiled a type of gold which it has literally "grown" by itself.

It's no secret at Hublot that there's something intrinsically magic about the company's achievements. The years of work, modern equipment and a deep understanding of materials are all indispensable of course, but a little magic is also a necessary ingredient.

It's no coincidence that the name Magic Gold was chosen for the 18-karat scratch-resistant gold alloy introduced in 2011. Magic Gold has a hardness rating of 1000 Vickers compared to the standard 400 Vickers for high-quality 18-karat gold.

It solved a problem which had been a headache for manufacturers working with this material for centuries. Next came the King Gold alloy, which  contained platinum and had a warmer tone.

Last year the company unveiled a model which uses a new type of gold never used in the watch industry before: Hublot had grown its own gold crystals in the company's labs.

The dials were decorated with patterns created by gold crystals in the literal sense. The company won't reveal how exactly it reproduces nature's "recipe" (gold crystals are the rarest form of gold on Earth), although some details are known.

The 24-karat gold is heated to its melting point of 1064.18 degrees Celsius, vaporised into a gaseous mixture, and then the material takes on a new crystalline form as the gold cools. Each crystal created is unique.

Last year, these gold crystals were framed by a Classic Fusion case, which was also Hublot's first concept model in the Art of Fusion.

In 1980, Hublot married two design elements which were once thought to be incompatible: a gold case and rubber strap. The canvas chosen for this year's gold-crystal masterpiece was another of Hublot's recognizable cases — the barrel-shaped Big Bang.

The Spirit of Big Bang Gold Crystal still has the same fundamental idea behind it: dazzling gold set against the backdrop of a black dial and framed in a black case with a black strap.

The watch is available in two case sizes: 39 and 42 mm. Hidden inside them is the automatic Hublot HUB1710 movement which beats at a frequency of 4 Hz and has a 50-hour power reserve.