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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →UNICO makes its chronograph mechanism part of the view: its column wheel sits on the dial side, visible through the watch’s open-worked design. Hublot introduced the automatic flyback chronograph in 2010 and developed it into HUB1280, which succeeded HUB1242 in 2018. A March 2026 model notice confirms HUB1280 remains in use.
What is Hublot’s UNICO movement?
UNICO is Hublot’s family of in-house automatic chronograph calibers. Its defining design choice is to place the chronograph works, including the column wheel that controls the chronograph, on the dial side. Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe explained that the arrangement makes the column wheel visible and treats the movement as part of the watch’s design, rather than hiding it behind the dial. Hublot describes the movement’s history and design.
The development effort predates the launch. In a March 2026 interview, Hublot Chief Product Officer Sadry Keiser said the company began its in-house caliber development journey in 2008, with an early ambition to create an in-house flyback chronograph. Hublot unveiled UNICO in 2010 as its first “100% Hublot” caliber. Those dates describe different milestones: the start of development and the public introduction. Keiser’s 2026 interview gives his retrospective account.
Is the Hublot UNICO based on the ETA/Valjoux 7750?
Jean-Claude Biver, Hublot’s CEO at the time, rejected the claim that UNICO was based on the Valjoux/ETA 7750 design. In a November 2010 interview, he said UNICO used the 7750’s dimensions, but differed in its column wheel, double gearing and dial-side chronograph arrangement. His statement documents Hublot’s position; it is not an independent teardown or component-by-component comparison. Read the 2010 Professional Watches interview.
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What does a flyback chronograph do?
A flyback lets the wearer reset and restart a running chronograph with a single press, instead of stopping it, resetting it, then starting it again. That makes it useful for timing consecutive intervals. In UNICO, the flyback function is part of the chronograph mechanism displayed on the dial side.
What is the difference between HUB1242 and HUB1280?
HUB1280 is the second-generation UNICO caliber. Hublot says it replaced HUB1242 in 2018, preserving the flyback function, double-clutch chronograph mechanism and dial-side column wheel while changing the winding system and revising the architecture. The slimmer caliber also supported a 42 mm Big Bang Unico iteration. Hublot’s Big Bang Unico 42 mm page describes the technical changes.
| Feature | HUB1242 | HUB1280 |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 8.05 mm, according to Hublot | 6.75 mm, according to Hublot |
| Winding system | Pellaton-type system, as described by Hublot | Thinner automatic winding system with a double-ball-bearing reverser replacing the Pellaton-type system, according to Hublot |
| Architecture | Earlier design | Redesigned to facilitate assembly and improve operation, according to Hublot |
| Chronograph design | Flyback chronograph and dial-side visible column wheel, traits carried over to HUB1280 | Flyback chronograph and dial-side visible column wheel |
| Diameter and reserve | 30 mm diameter and approximately 72 hours, according to Hublot’s account of features carried over | 30 mm diameter and approximately 72 hours |
Hublot also describes removal of a platform, an oscillating-seconds clutch and a ball-bearing adjustment for the chronograph friction system in its account of HUB1280. The same page lists four patents for the innovations it describes; Hublot’s broader history page refers to five patents associated with the second-generation caliber. The pages do not explain the difference in their counts, so they should not be treated as directly comparable totals.
How long is the HUB1280 power reserve?
HUB1280 has an approximately 72-hour power reserve in the cited specifications. For the HUB1280 fitted to Hublot’s Big Bang Unico 42 mm, Hublot lists a 30 mm diameter, 6.75 mm thickness, self-winding flyback chronograph, 354 components and 43 jewels. Fondation Haute Horlogerie independently lists the same movement dimensions, component and jewel counts, and 72-hour reserve. These figures identify the specified configuration; they do not establish that every UNICO variant has identical component or jewel counts. Fondation Haute Horlogerie’s movement listing.
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Is HUB1280 still used in current Hublot watches?
Yes: the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry’s March 2, 2026 new-model notice identifies HUB1280 in the Big Bang Original Unico Titanium Coal Blue. That particular model has a 43 mm titanium case; the notice lists 43 jewels, a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and an approximately 72-hour reserve. These are specifications for that model, not a basis for transferring the 42 mm case measurements of the earlier Big Bang Unico configuration. See the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry’s 2026 model notice.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is not established about HUB1280?
The cited material documents Hublot’s design claims, specifications and a named executive’s account of the caliber’s development. It does not provide independent accuracy or durability testing, comparative timing results, a complete service specification, or a component-by-component supplier list. Keiser discusses vertical integration broadly in his interview but does not identify HUB1280’s individual component sources.
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