The brand, which famously built its reputation on porthole-shaped watches, introduced the Spirit in 2014, a typically ostentatious design which aimed to embody the boldness of the original Big Bang in a suitably statement-making tonneau case.

Hublot has honoured each Chinese new year of the past decade with a limited edition, but this is the first time a Spirit has been used as the blank canvas on which to create an image of the appropriate animal – and the new best replica watches UK does an impressive job of combining ancient and modern.

The ‘ancient’ comes in the use on a style of artistry rooted in the Tang dynasty of more than 1,200 years ago, while the ‘modern’ is manifested in the material used to create the dial design.

Here, carbon fibre marquetry surrounded by ‘cloisonee style’ gold-plated brass depicts the stylised head of a dragon horse – a working method, says top fake Hublot watches, that was inspired by the gold embroidery used on Chinese ceremonial robes.

Also known as a Datong, the dragon horse originated in China 4,000 years ago and, celebrated for its exceptional endurance, was optimistically claimed to be capable of galloping up to 250 miles per day.

The ‘dragon horse’ moniker, however, comes from another unusual feature: the fact that the bones in the animals’ foreheads (technically known as bosses) are so prominent that they resemble horns.

An association with resilience combined with a little whimsical story-telling makes for marketing magic in the eyes of watch makers, and Hublot is quick to emphasise that the dragon horse ‘embodies Hublot’s own philosophy’ of ‘always moving forward, never standing still’.

With that in mind, the carbon marquetry image has been given an animated appearance, with flowing mane and the hint of a raised hoof that suggests the sort of untameable invincibility that the perfect Hublot copy watches is intended to evoke.

The matt black carbon horse’s head, which is mounted on a black lacquer base for contrast, is echoed in the 42mm, frosted carbon case that’s fitted with a moody smoked sapphire back, through which the tried, tested and suitably black-plated HUB1710 movement can (just about) be seen.

A robust automatic, it offers 50 hours of power reserve and not much to go wrong, while the rubber strap makes it a realistic possibility to take your ‘horse’ for a paddle in order to make the most of its 100 metre water resistance.

Hublot CEO Julien Tornare told World Tempus that, despite its generous proportions, the ‘Spirit’ line is proving popular among Chinese buyers.

“The Chinese adopted buy clone Hublot watches almost from day one and, although it’s often said that larger watches are less sought-after in Asia, we ‘ve found that, if buyers go Hublot, they prefer the bigger ones.

“We chose the high quality fake Hublot Big Bang Spirit of Big Bang watches as the basis for the Year of the Horse design both because we wanted to bring an artistic dimension to the model and because it gave us a chance to demonstrate the new, higher level of finishing that we will be using in the future.

“In terms of sales, China has not really recovered since Covid – but because we only sell there through our own boutiques we can keep a really good eye on the market, and the results have been encouraging. We are in a recovery phase,” says Tornare.

We wish Hublot luck in that regard. And, if you’re familiar with Chinese superstition, you won’t be surprised to learn that the spirit of Big Bang Year of the Horse will be made in a lucky-for-some 88 examples.

And if you’re a scholar of Chinese astrology, you’ll also know that people born in a ‘horse year’ are generally active, energetic, socially outgoing party animals – just the type, in other words, who can get away with wearing a Hublot.

The cheap replica Hublot Big Bang Spirit of Big Bang Year of the Horse watches costs CHF 33,000/ EUR 37,700/ USD 37,900.