It would be a very boring world if everybody liked the same steel watch with the same black dial and the same locking bracelet, and that’s why we have brands like IWC and Panerai, to mix things up a bit. But for some, even these more left field brands aren’t quite left field enough—in fact, they’d prefer something completely out of the park altogether. Here are five watches for those people.

Whether we like them or not, big watches are here to stay. Thick, chunky and in your face, these are timepieces that hide under no man's cuff. Like a low, wide car, or a window-shattering concert, there's something inherently appealing about a watch that lets you know you're wearing it. Just as the Bugatti Chiron is too fast for its own tyres, and as the heavy metal band Manowar's 1994 129.5db performance was louder than a jackhammer to the face, there are a few watchmakers out there who want to see just how far they can stretch the limits. Here are three watches that took crazy to the next level.

Watchmaking can be a little unadventurous at times, a little safe. Outside the realms of companies like MB&F and Urwerk, it's not often that a watch brand takes a risk with something unusual. Every now and then, however, something unexpected happens. Whether the accountant was off sick or simply wasn't paying attention, sometimes a designer gets something through the system that's a bit more interesting. Here are five examples.

While Blancpain, the oldest watch manufacturer in the world today, was founded in 1735, Hublot... was not. Nearly two-and-a-half centuries separate the pair, and you don't need me to tell you—that's a lot. With so much ground to make up, how can Hublot possibly make its mark?

The expanding list of pre-SIHH 2017 limited edition watches continues with Hublot’s release of the Big Bang Meca-10 Magic Gold. The brand is no stranger to special edition timepieces, and this one will be limited to 200 models, combining both Hublot’s love of fusion and distinctive style.

Ten years ago, most people would have associated the word 'ceramic' with potted plants and tea parties. After all, the Greek word that ceramic is derived from—kerameikos—means 'for pottery'. But that's all changed now, and ceramics are once again at the cutting edge of material science, harder, stronger and more impressive than ever before. We take a look at four ceramic watches to see just how good the technology really is.

I’m not someone who lives a life of extremes. As uncool as it might be to admit it, more often than not, I keep to the oft-scorned beaten track—but that doesn’t stop me from being able to admire the extreme and the extraordinary. Whether that be the globe-trotting lifestyle of a world-class diver, or the large, overstated watch he might be wearing on his wrist.

Hublot makes no bones about the fact that its signature style is big, bold and overtly self-confident - it did, after all, name one of its most famous watch lines the 'Big Bang'. In 2012, though, the brand did something that no one was quite expecting by unveiling the splendidly slim Classic Fusion Extra-Thin. It shook up what the watch community expected from Hublot - and proved that the brand wasn’t afraid to try new things. The result was something that encapsulated all of the dramatic impact that the brand is known for, while being enclosed in a stylishly thin and extremely wearable case.