Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Eduardo Serio spotted wearing Hublot

Eduardo Serio, the polarizing and high-profile founder of the Black Jaguar White Tiger Foundation, was recently spotted wearing one of the more visually arresting Hublot collaborations of the last decade: the Big Bang UNICO Italia Independent Skeleton in yellow gold, reference 411.YL.5190.NR.ITI15, limited to just 500 pieces worldwide.

The watch is built around Hublot's in-house HUB1242 UNICO movement, a 330-component automatic flyback chronograph calibre beating at 28,800 vph with a 72-hour power reserve. The skeletonized architecture of the movement is the centrepiece of the dial, with the open-worked bridges and plates left deliberately exposed. What distinguishes this particular reference from the standard UNICO Skeleton is the Italia Independent treatment — the brand co-founded by Lapo Elkann applied its trademark striped fabric motif to the dial surround and strap, giving the piece a fashion-forward identity that sits firmly within Hublot's long tradition of cross-industry collaborations.

The 45mm case in polished and satin-brushed yellow gold gives the reference a warm, opulent presence. The bezel follows Hublot's iconic six-screw design, rendered here in matching yellow gold. The sapphire crystal caseback allows a full view of the UNICO calibre in motion — a feature collectors of skeletonized pieces particularly value. Water resistance is rated to 100 metres, practical for a dress-sport hybrid of this nature.

From a collector standpoint, the Italia Independent collaborations occupy a niche but dedicated corner of the Hublot secondary market. The 500-piece ceiling keeps supply genuinely constrained, and the combination of a precious metal case with an in-house flyback chronograph movement provides a technical foundation that pure fashion collaborations often lack. It is a piece that appeals equally to Hublot movement collectors and design-focused buyers.

Serio, whose foundation claims to have rescued thousands of big cats and other animals across Mexico and the United States, has cultivated a flamboyant public persona — and the Big Bang UNICO Italia Independent, with its layered complexity and limited status, fits that image precisely. At an original UK retail of approximately £18,900, grey market values have fluctuated with broader Hublot demand trends, though precious metal UNICO references with genuine scarcity tend to hold their ground more reliably than stainless steel variants.