Swiss watchmaker Hublot has launched a successor to its 2007 Ayrton Senna Big Bang watch. As before, part of the sales revenue will be donated to the Instituto Ayrton Senna.

The Big Bang Foudroyante Senna was presented to the public before Christmas at an exhibition of Senna photographs taken by his friend, the Japanese Norio Koike. The first watch had been announced at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix but this time both Hublot and the Instituto Ayrton Senna (a charitable organisation founded 14 years ago by the late World Champion’s sister, Viviane) chose a quieter, more cerebral location in Tokyo.

Hublot was honoured by the presence in Japan of its ambassador, Bruno Senna, Viviane’s son. A talented racing driver, Bruno Senna has already made a name for himself on the circuits, having achieved second place in the 2008 GP2 Championship.

Like the first edition, the Big Bang Foudroyante Senna sports the colours of Brazil: yellow and green split-seconds hand, yellow minute markers, a Brazilian flag on the case-side element, and Ayrton Senna’s signature in green on a matt black dial.

The serial numbers on the back are engraved in yellow ink on black ceramic, and the logo ‘Instituto Ayrton Senna’ appears as a transfer on the sapphire crystal.

The ‘Foudroyante’ refers to its split-seconds chronograph movement, which features a new complication enabling timing to the accuracy of one-eighth of a second. The watch is water resistant to 100m, or a pressure of 10Atm, and comes with an adjustable ribbed black rubber strap with a green and yellow AYRTON SENNA inscription hot-stamped inside.

For further information, see www.hublot.com and, for UK readers, please visit www.marcuswatches.co.uk.

Text: Steve Wakefield
Photos: Hublot