Gal Gadot arms herself with a Hublot Big Bang E Black Magic in Netflix’s Heart of Stone
Zach BlassJames Bond has his Omega Seamaster, Dirk Pitt has his Doxa, Six has his TAG Heuer Carrera, and now Rachel Stone has a Hublot Big Bang E Black Magic. Recently released on Netflix on August 11, Wonder Woman and Fast & Furious actor Gal Gadot and husband Jason Varsano have teamed up to produce the action thriller Heart of Stone. Gadot, who stars as protagonist Rachel Stone, plays “an intelligence operative for a shadowy global peacekeeping agency [who] races to stop a hacker from stealing its most valuable and dangerous weapon” according to IMDB.
I have yet to watch the film myself – it did just come out after all. So, the good news for those looking forward to checking out the film is I cannot spoil anything. But, it is fair to assume Gadot is put through her paces with an action-packed storyline full of chases and shootouts. Of course, every action star certainly needs a slick, cool watch to complete the espionage look.
In films like James Bond, the mechanical watches became unrealistic gadgets – working within the scope of existing technology to be adapted in an imaginative and unrealisable manner. Roger Moore’s Live and Let Die (1973) buzzsaw Submariner? C’mon. Twelve years later, however, in A View to Kill (1985) we would then see something much more technological that ran more parallel to the technical advances of the time with a Seiko TV watch. On the one hand, some would argue mechanical watches are better suited for the field as they are not prone to being hacked. But, on the other side of the coin, for a watch to have a ton of gadgetry and spy functionalities built into it, a smartwatch is simply much more believable. We saw a luxury smartwatch make its debut in Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) with Taron Egerton wearing the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 Kingsman Special Edition, and its role within the film certainly worked well.
Therefore, the wardrobe and prop department’s choice to have Gadot, or Rachel Stone rather, wear a stealthy Big Bang E Black Magic is a neat choice (although potentially a missed opportunity for a special edition). We have seen Hublot Big Bang E watches tailored for specific functionalities, like FIFA refereeing, so it’s not such a stretch that Rachel Stone’s “shadowy global peacekeeping agency” would hypothetically be able to modify the Big Bang E to their own needs. Hopefully, aside from software upgrades, they were able to (hypothetically) up the water resistance from 30 metres as that is the one Achilles’ heel to this pairing in my opinion. Functionality aside, from the screen captures above, I think the watch looks great on Gadot’s wrist – surprising considering its 44mm diameter. It camouflages itself well against her black suit catering to that stealth agent feel.
The hardcore watch enthusiast community has notoriously resisted against the notion of mechanical watch brands delving into the world of smartwatches. As the world’s number one selling watch, some have looked at smartwatches like the Apple Watch as a potential quartz crisis-like killer while others, like Jean-Claude Biver, have had a more optimistic view – that smartwatches are ultimately training the next generation to start wearing timekeepers on their wrist again. If anything, the iPhone, or smartphones rather, provided people all around the world with a highly accurate pocket watch that, since we are so glued to these screens, negated the need for a watch of any kind. Fortunately, however, many still find joy in wearing mechanical watches and the fanbase is only growing. At the same time, however, there is no reason to yuck someone else’s yum. Why should Apple, Samsung, and Google only enjoy the fruits of a smartwatch offering – especially when brands like Hublot and TAG Heuer can come at it at a different luxurious angle?
Hublot Big Bang E GEN3 Black Magic pricing and availability:
The Hublot Big Bang E GEN3 Black Magic is available for purchase now. Price: A$8,100, US$5,400
| Brand | Hublot |
| Model | Big Bang E GEN3 Black Magic |
| Reference | 450.CI.1100.RX |
| Case Dimensions | 44mm (D) x 14mm (T) x 48mm (L2L) |
| Case Material | Microblasted and polished black ceramic |
| Water Resistance | 30m |
| Dial | Digital Hublot watch faces |
| Crystal | AR-coated sapphire crystal |
| Strap | Black structured lined rubber straps w/ black composite deployant clasp. “One Click” interchangeable system |
| Movement | Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear™ 4100+ / Google WearOS |
| Power Reserve | 1 day |
| Functions | Smartwatch |
| Availability | Now |
| Price | A$8,100, US$5,400 |