The group is now a duo.
Dépêche Mode only has two members left, following the death of Andrew Fletcher in May 2022. Alan Wilder and Vince Clarke, for their part, left the ranks of the British New Wave pioneer born in Basildon a long time ago.
Despite the sudden death of “Fletch”, the group's true center of gravity, in March 2023, Depeche Mode nevertheless announced its big comeback with the launch of Memento Mori, its fifteenth studio album, and a world tour.
The memory of Fletch of course floats on this album and this tour, whether it is their baptismal name or the skull which symbolizes them.
“Remember that you are going to die”
… Since ancient Rome and Stoic philosophy, Memento Mori have also been objects intended to remind us of both our inevitable mortality and the memory of a deceased person.
This is also the case for the new Hublot Spirit of Big Bang watch, with its skull decorated with an hourglass.
This hourglass occupying the center of the dial of this tonneau case watch contains small black ceramic balls which symbolically flow in one direction or the other, depending on the movements of the wrist.
A new Hublot Spirit of Big Bang for Depeche Mode.
Porthole
The initials DM, logo of the British group, appear at 6 o'clock.
The indexes in the shape of pyramidal pins are reproduced on the black ceramic bezel.
The 42 mm diameter sandblasted and polished black ceramic case houses an automatic movement offering a power reserve of 50 hours.
Each copy of the Spirit of Big Bang Depeche Mode comes with two bracelets.
The first is made from recycled materials and Velcro to support the sustainable development efforts advocated by The Conservation Collective.
The second, in black rubber, takes up the pyramidal pins already present on the bezel and the dial, for a very rock look.
Each of the 100 copies in this limited edition will be delivered in a specific box containing a collector's vinyl single of the Depeche Mode title, Wagging Tongue, only available in this box, and produced in recycled PVC using green energy.
A new Hublot Spirit of Big Bang for Depeche Mode.
Porthole
“Memento Mori encourages us to become aware of the fragility of our existence,”
explains Martin Gore.
With this in mind, joining forces once again with our loyal friends at Hublot to raise public awareness of environmental issues and support The Conservation Collective in its fight to safeguard our planet and the life it supports makes perfect sense .
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Indeed, this watch also aims to be useful: for fourteen years, Hublot and the group with 100 million albums sold have worked to raise public awareness and raise funds for different causes.
Their renewed partnership with each tour has raised more than $2.3 million for charities such as Teenage Cancer Trust and charity:water.
This time, this watch will help fund Conservation Collective, a charity uniting a network of regional philanthropic foundations working to protect, preserve and restore natural environments.
A new Hublot Spirit of Big Bang for Depeche Mode.
Porthole
“In almost 14 years of partnership, Hublot has been committed alongside Depeche Mode to the protection of people and the environment around them,”
recalls Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot.
Memento Mori pushes us to realize that time is running out, a notion to which we can of course only be sensitive as watchmakers.
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A new Hublot Spirit of Big Bang for Depeche Mode.
Porthole
Thanks to funding from Depeche Mode & Hublot, a first series of projects tackling plastic pollution at the source made it possible to support seven impactful initiatives in seven countries in 2023, and three other rounds of funding should contribute to even more positive changes.
These projects aim to turn the tide on plastic by encouraging local waste management, plastic elimination and clean-up initiatives.
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Depeche Mode, €35,400