SUMMER FUSION

The extremely creative Nyon-based watchmaker strikes again! And this time it is conquering the hippy-chic island for a summer decked out in blue and white, the colors that grace the new special limited edition from the Classic Fusion Chronograph Ibiza collection.

Like Mykonos, Ibiza (or Eivissa, in Catalan) is well known for its party nightlife ranging from bohemian to glamorous which the jet-set are so fond of. However, having survived the mass tourism boom, this Balearic island located approximately 100 miles off the coast of Valencia, in Spain, and popularized by the hippy community in the 1960s, is brimming with natural marvels such as the inlets accessible only by boat, the pine-tree covered hills and its traditional whitewashed cubic houses, all under an intense blue sky. On 17 July, with the summer season in full swing, Hublot opened a pop-up boutique located in Port Esportiu Eivissa Nova, opposite Dalt Vila, Ibiza’s fortified old town. To mark the opening of this store, a 50-piece limited edition was created, the Classic Fusion Chronograph Ibiza.

At the heart of this Classic Fusion Chronograph Ibiza beats the HUB1143 caliber, a self-winding movement providing 42 hours of power reserve.

Price: 13,800 CHF www.hublot.com

By Sharmila Bertin

A MEMORABLE EDITION

With challenging weather conditions, the latest edition of the Bol d’Or will be etched into our memories just like the limited edition unveiled by Hublot to mark this exceptional race.

Around 500 boats on a 125 km course. The Bol d’Or Mirabaud is the most important inland lake regatta in the world. The unpredictable winds of Lake Geneva make this a technical competition for both amateurs and experienced sailors. As the official timekeeper of the competition since 2013, Hublot has released a limited and numbered edition, the Classic Fusion Chronograph “Bol d’Or Mirabaud 2019” created specially for the 81^st edition of the race. It takes the shape of a 45 mm polished satin titanium case topped with a screw-in bezel. The gray dial combined with the deep blue bicompax counters are reminiscent of the colors of the French-Swiss lake. This marine decor provides the background for the time information and the short-time measurement, all powered by the HUB 1143 caliber regulated to vibrate at a frequency of 28 800 oscillations per hour. The self-winding chronograph movement provides a power reserve of around 42 hours.

Limited to 81 pieces, the Classic Fusion Chronograph “Bol d’Or Mirabaud 2019” was awarded to the winners of the Bol d’Or Challenge, the Bol de Vermeil Challenge, and the ACVL-SRS Trophy.

Price: 11,500 CHF www.hublot.com

By Dan Diaconu

A WATCH THAT PACKS A PUNCH

To celebrate its Night of Champions gala dinner in Las Vegas, Hublot unveiled a limited-edition chronograph, champion in its class.

Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Evander Holyfield, Sugar Ray Leonard… All the great legends of the noble art were there for the gala evening organized by the WBC (World Boxing Council). This fundraising event was held in aid of the José Sulaiman Boxers Fund created in partnership with Hublot in 2012, which provides help to retired boxers in difficulty. All the boxers attending the event received a Big Bang Unico WBC. This 100-piece limited edition combines a 45 mm microblasted and polished green ceramic case crowned with a bezel made of the same material and a self-winding movement. The HUB1242 calibre regulates the functioning of the time information for 72 hours once wound.

The Big Bang Unico WBC comes with a green alligator strap which is a nod to the belt awarded to a champion at the end of a world title fight. Hublot has also released its chronograph in a precious version limited to only 50 pieces in 18K King Gold.

Price: 26,900 CHF (ceramic) – 36,900 CHF (yellow gold and ceramic) www.hublot.com

By Dan Diaconu

MECHANICAL RIFF

This tattooed rebel spirit creation celebrates 10 years since the Swiss manufacturer opened its first boutique in the world in Paris. Switch on the guitars!

The limited edition is available in two materials, one in black brushed titanium, and the other in bronze. The 45 mm case of both versions houses a self-winding movement (with a power reserve of 42 hours).

Price: EUR 14,400 (titanium) – EUR 16,500 (bronze) www.hublot.com

By Dan Diaconu

A MIX & MATCH EXPLOSION

Watchmaker Hublot and artist Marc Ferrero have joined forces for a new artistic endeavor: telling a story on a watch dial. A fusion between two worlds giving rise to two very colorful limited editions.

When two talented masters of the art of fusion in their respective fields collide, it cannot fail to be astounding, explosive and, above all, a great success, as is the case with this pair of Big Bang One Click Marc Ferrero designs from Hublot. The French artist who skillfully combines different techniques and artistic trends for the storytelling art movement which he created, has left his creative stamp on the dials of two watches decorated with bright graphics.

The timekeeping is regulated by the HUB1710 caliber which offers a power reserve of approximately 50 hours. The automatic-winding movement is housed in a 39 mm steel case and topped with a bezel decorated with 42 blue topazes or red spinels, depending on the version.

The Big Bang One Click Marc Ferrero comes with two easy-to-change straps matching the dial: one made of rubber covered with calf leather cut to form patterns and the other made of alligator with tonal stitching.

Price: 16,400 CHF www.hublot.com

By Sharmila Bertin

CELEBRATE THE LEGEND

Hublot and Ferrari have been driving partners for the past six years, producing watches as powerful and attractive as a Formula 1 car, like for this anniversary limited edition.

Price: 65,900 CHF (sapphire) – 38,900 CHF (platinum) – 32,900 CHF (3D carbon) www.hublot.com

By Dan Diaconu

TIME IN A RED COAT 

The collaboration between the Swiss watchmakers and the French artist, launched two years ago, has now given rise to a chronograph designed in a hypnotically bright colour!

Even if you are not an art-lover, and unless you are a Martian, you must have come across the name of Richard Orlinski and, most of all, his easily identifiable works. The Parisian, born in 1966, has been the world’s best-selling contemporary artist for the past few years. His concept series, Born Wild, brings together a sculpted, angular, facetted and highly colourful menagerie, a means of expression transforming negative emotions into positive waves. The collaboration between Richard Orlinski and Hublot was launched in 2017, and has notably produced a limited edition of 200 Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph Orlinski Red Magic watches.

The absence of a “full” dial unveils the calibre HUB1155, a self-winding mechanical movement running at the standard frequency of 4hz and providing a power reserve of 42 hours. The hours and minutes are shown with central, dauphine-style hands and facetted, triangular indices, while the second hand has the Hublot logo as a counterweight. Two counters at 3 and 9 o’clock give split-times, while the date is shown at 6. All the display elements are lacquered in red to echo the explosive colour of the case.

The Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph Orlinski Red Magic is worn with a red (of course!) rubber strap with a steel folding clasp, coloured black.

Price: 22,900 CHF www.hublot.com

By Sharmila Bertin

ON THE GREEN

Hublot has made an ultralight, practical watch for golfers in a limited edition of 200 pieces. The watch keeps track of the number of shots you play during a round. Get into the swing!

Unlike most other sports, the best golf players are the ones with the lowest scores. But when you play an 18-hole course you still need a scorecard and a pen to fill it in. With the Big Bang Unico Golf Blue Carbon, Hublot gives you the chance to save your performance on your watch in a very simple way. There are three sub-dials on the open-work dial. The first, at 9 o’clock, counts the holes. Its counterpart at 3 o’clock records the number of shots you make at each hole. And the opening at 6 o’clock tots up all the shots played during a round. To keep track of your birdies and eagles, there are also three monopushers around the 45mm-wide case. The putter-shaped pusher at 2 o’clock activates the display mechanism for the number of shots and gives you the count for each hole. With the second, at 4 o’clock, you can go on to the next hole and reset the shot counter to zero. A press on the tee-shaped pusher at 8 o’clock resets the whole mechanism. You can then start a new round.

To guarantee that this is a very comfortable watch to wear, Hublot has made the case from a high-tech alloy, Texalium, a combination of fibre glass and aluminium. The result? The Big Bang Unico Golf Blue Carbon only weighs 98 grams! The watch can be precisely adjusted to the wrist with a velcro fastener on the contemporary strap.

Price: 32,100 EUR www.hublot.com

By Dan Diaconu

COLOURED BLUE LAGOON

With a collection of four watches set with Paraíba tourmalines, the hyper-creative brand proves yet again that nothing is impossible in watchmaking!

A cuprian-elbaite gem from the family of silicate minerals, Paraíba tourmaline was first discovered in the state of eastern Brazil of the same name in 1989. Although the deposit was quickly exhausted, others were later discovered, in Nigeria in 2001 and in Mozambique in 2005. Today, Paraíba tourmaline is a very rare gem, worth as much if not more than diamonds, emeralds and rubies. But this did not stop Hublot from signing an exclusive deal with a Brazilian mine whose aim is to respect the environment and international regulations, or from including this type of tourmaline in its new Big Bang Paraíba watches.

The Big Bang Unico Paraíba chronograph features a matt-black open-work dial, while the hour, minute and split-time elements are decorated in gold or silver and turquoise. The totaliser showing the chronograph minutes also discreetly houses the date at 3 o’clock. The watch is powered by the automatic calibre HUB1242, providing 72 hours of power reserve.

The turquoise dial on the Big Bang One Click Paraíba houses the automatic calibre HUB1710. It has tourmaline hour markers and two large, skeletoned baton-type hands. The date is shown against a black background at 3 o’clock.

Price: 280,000 CHF (Big Bang Unico Paraíba) – 220,000 CHF (Big Bang One Click Paraíba) www.hublot.com

By Sharmila Bertin

SHOW THE COLOUR!

When you combine a translucent, colourful case with a chronograph based on the legendary El Primero, you get one of the most surprising watches so far this year.

Hublot may not have access to all the alchemists’ secrets. But the brand’s ability to metamorphose materials never ceases to amaze. Since 2016, the firm has shown how sapphire can be shaped and coloured blue or red. This year, a newcomer to its colour chart can be found in the Spirit of Big Bang Yellow Sapphire. The colour of sunshine decorates the case, the bezel (held in place by six titanium screws) and the caseback. What’s more, the watch is as scratch-resistant as a diamond and surprisingly light on the wrist, thanks to the use of titanium, and weighs in at just 107 grams! Yellow is also in evidence on the dial. It is used for the central hour and minute hands, the hour markers, the running seconds and the two chronograph totalisers. These elements stand out perfectly against the monochrome grey, skeletoned workings of the mechanism.

The 100 pieces of the limited edition Spirit of Big Bang Yellow Sapphire are worn with a transparent yellow strap fitted with a titanium folding clasp.

Price: 104,000 EUR www.hublot.com

By Dan Diaconu