Introduction to the Hublot King Power
If there’s one brand that’s famous for making extra-large and boldly designed luxury watches, it is Hublot. Sporting 48mm cases, the King Power watches are some of the largest ever made by Hublot. Although the King Power is no longer in production, pre-owned versions can be found in the secondary market.
History of the Hublot King Power
In 2005, Hublot launched what would become its flagship model—the Big Bang chronograph. With its oversized 44.5mm case, porthole-inspired bezel with exposed screws and a fusion of materials like ceramic, steel and rubber, the Big Bang became a sensation.
Four years later, Hublot doubled down on the oversized watch trend with the introduction of the King Power model. While the King Power was similar in style to the Big Bang, it sported a massive 48mm case with sharper angles and more exaggerated details. Hublot specially designed the King Power watch to eventually house the company’s newly announced (but not yet manufactured) in-house made UNICO chronograph movement.
The debut model was the Hublot King Power Foudroyante All Black, which combined black ceramic, black rubber and black PVD titanium. Hublot quickly expanded the King Power collection with a wide assortment of materials including ultra-luxurious versions in gold. Additionally, Hublot launched various complications within the collection, including King Power GMTs, tourbillons and minute repeaters.
Numerous limited-edition King Power models were released over the years, almost always in honor of a specific Hublot partnership. Examples include Hublot King Power F1 watches, King Power Alinghi watches and King Power Black Mamba watches made in collaboration with the late Kobe Bryant. Hublot also made dive watch versions called the King Power Oceanographic, in association with the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.
In 2017, Hublot quietly dropped the King Power models from the brand’s catalog.
King Power Timeline
- 2005 – Hublot Big Bang watch launched
- 2009 – Hublot King Power released
- 2009 – Hublot announced as Official Watchmaker of Formula 1 (until 2012)
- 2011 – King Power Oceanographic 4000
- 2012 – King Power UNICO models introduced
- 2017 – King Power models discontinued
King Power Features and Maintenance
While the Hublot King Power chronograph collection is diverse in terms of materials and complications, almost all of the models share the following design features:
- A 48mm case
- A bezel with six H-shaped screws
- A rubber molding around the bezel
- Chronograph functionality
- Two chronograph pushers flanking the winding crown
- A scratch-resistant sapphire crystal over the dial treated with anti-reflective coating
- Rubber straps
The King Power Oceanographic diving watches also include:
- An inner rotating timing bezel operated via a crown at 2 o’clock
- A helium escape valve at 10 o’clock
- Water-resistant to either 4,000 meters or 1,000 meters deep
In 2012, Hublot released the King Power Alinghi 4000 dive watch to commemorate the brand’s partnership with Team Alinghi. Water-resistant to an incredible 4,000 meters deep, the watch features a carbon fiber case and was limited to 100 pieces.
In true Hublot fashion, there were numerous King Power watches to highlight the brand’s many partnerships. Below are some popular limited-edition King Power models released over the years:
- King Power F1 in micro-blasted black ceramic; 500 pieces only, released in 2009
- King Power F1 Monza in micro-blasted black ceramic; 200 pieces only, released in 2010
- King Power F1 Tourbillon in 18k gold; 50 pieces only, released in 2010
- King Power F1 Great Britain in 18k gold and carbon fiber; 250 pieces only, released in 2012
- King Power Austin in titanium; 250 pieces only, released in 2012
- King Power Usain Bolt in black ceramic; 250 pieces only, released in 2012
- King Power Black Mamba in 18k gold and ceramic; 15 pieces only, released in 2013
- King Power Black Mamba in 18k gold and ceramic with diamonds; 3 pieces only, released in 2013
- King Power Los Angeles Lakers in black carbon fiber and ceramic; 50 pieces only, released in 2014
Though the limited-edition models and high complications pieces often garnered plenty of attention, the true flagship models of the collection were the baseline automatic King Power UNICO chronographs. UNICO is the name Hublot gives to its range of in-house made movements. These models all came with skeletonized dials (for a view of the movement). Popular versions included:
- King Power UNICO in titanium: Reference 701.NX.0170.RX
- King Power UNICO in black carbon: Reference 701.QX.0140.RX
- King Power UNICO “Black Magic” in black ceramic: Reference 701.CI.0170.RX
- King Power UNICO “King Gold” in 18k rose gold with carbon fiber bezel: Reference 701.OQ.0180.RX
- King Power UNICO in 18k rose gold: Reference: 701.OE.0128.GR
Hublot King Power Prices
Hublot is known to make some of the priciest luxury watches in today’s market. Hublot Big Bang watches without in-house movements start at $12,500 at retail for the most basic versions, whereas Big Bang UNICO versions start at just under $19,000.
Since the King Power is no longer a part of Hublot’s current lineup, they can only be sourced from the secondary market. Although pre-owned King Power watches are often discounted compared to their original retail prices, they are still expensive, starting at $10,000. However, prices can easily jump two to three times that, depending on the materials used. The limited-edition Hublot King Power F1 price point usually ranges from $15,000 to $35,000. It is not uncommon to find high-complication versions of the King Power valued in the six-figure range.