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foversta
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Baselworld 2011: my visit at the Hublot booth

Baselworld 2011 was a very busy fair for Hublot: I've attented a lot of presentations for ages but I don't remember having seen such huge number of novelties gathered in a one hour rendez-vous... I'm still a bit confused 4 days after but maybe the reason why is because I'm not a Hublot specialist: the Jean-Claude's fans would be able to sort them all, to recognize them at a glance... that's not my case. But at the end, that makes the report easier. For me there are big families in the collection and I organize this report according to my own perception. I would like to underline that I missed some novelties so the report is not comprehensive. But well, I think that we were very efficient due to the time slot...

First of all, I start with the Big Bang powered by the 7750 or others ETA calibers.

One of the most visible novelties is without any doubt the Big Bang Leopard. The watch has a 41mm case diameter and features a gems setting. You will notice that the strap and the dial share the same pattern.












These Black Green are nice, the combo green & black works pretty well:









The Black and White Caviar have faceted ceramic cases: I really like the black one, the watch looks very precious on the wrist. I find the white version rather disappointing though. It almost looks like a plastic watch which is absolutely not the case of the black one. The Black Caviar is maybe my fav Hublot novelty, it attracts the light.













One of the key novelties is this King Power 4000. The watch is huge, thick... and too excessive for my taste. The protected crown at 2 o'clock is used to operate the inner bezel. Titanium Case has a 48mm diameter. The King Power 4000 is sold in a LE of 500 pieces.  Franckly speaking, I don't like this watch. I had the feeling to have an anvil on the wrist. Things improved when I wore the Carbon version. But the design remains the same and I was not convinced by any version of this watch.





























Back to the classic offer from Hublot with these two ceramic watches: their colors are almost perfect, not too aggressive, maybe almost soft (the Blue Ceramic is a true beauty!). Two very nice Big Bang still powered by the 7750.









Now, we enter a new dimension with the King Power Unico Red Magic. Why? Because the watch is powered by the in-house movement Unico.

The big question is to know if, at the end, this new caliber would bring an added-value to the reliable 7750. The answer is yes for two main reasons.

First reason is the behaviour of the caliber: the pushers are much smoother and it is quite nice to press them. What do I say: "quite"? Because there is a little something which is missing (at least for the watch I tested) to have a perfect behaviour: the "click" you feel when the chronograph starts. The pusher is smoother than the 7750 but I didn't feel the very precise moment when the second hand starts to move. But, well, forget the 7750: we don't play the same league with the Unico.

Second reason is an aesthetical one: the colomn wheel is visible dial side, that's an interesting way to design the lay-out of the caliber. And when you turn over the watch, the show is much nicer than the 7750:there is a very technical design which is appropriate in the context of the King Power. In a few words: better behaviour and improvement of the design, the Unico has reached its target.

The King Power Unico Red Magic is an impressive watch and gathers what I prefer at Hublot: the "aerobang" dial style, a comfortable watch on the wrist despite its size, an efficient caliber: good point to Hublot with this watch!
























Let's discover an upper segment now with the two Masterpieces.

I will be honest with you: I feel mixed emotions with these watches.

Let's start with the MP-02 which actually was unveiled two years ago.

The MP-02 is in fact a redesigned Clé du Temps from the Confrèrie Horlogère: I think that the new design improved the watch: the first version was totally confusing (the "dial" was a mess...), the MP-02 is at least very readable which enhances the concept of the watch. But of course, we still have this unusual and very thick case shape. The designers worked well, they managed to give a sort of flowing style despite the bulky side of the case.

The point is that the complication is not funny at all. It may be fascinating when we discover the concept (and again it is a two years old concept...) but when the watch works, the magic doesn't meet our expectations. The complication which allow to slow down or to speed up the flow of time requires... time to be felt. If you change this speed and look at the watch a few seconds, you feel nothing. Let's take the Temps Suspendu from Hermes. Of course, it is not the same complication but it is a similar concept: you switch from the "real time" to "an other time". With the Hermes, an "impossible time" is displayed, at once. You enter a parallel world in a second. With the MP-02, you have to wait... and quickly the complication loses its interest. It is the proof that you don't need to create a complicated watch to be original.

















The MP-01 is a very technically impressive watch and I love the lay-out of the monopusher movement, back side: the three barrels (wich give a 10 days power reserve to the movement) and the bridges shape create a very enjoyable view. But I am not convinced by the design of the watch: the tonneau shape of the MP-01 makes us think about a sort of Richard Mille watch full of testosterone: the design has good ideas (the way the indexes are extended on the bezel), the location of the subdials etc... but at the end I found the MP-01 too rough. I think that the watch lacks of subtility to be attractive. A pity IMHO because the potential of the caliber is real.




















Sadly, I missed some other novelties but I'm sure that I will have more opportunities to see them later this year.

So how can I sum up this 2011 offer from Hublot? I would say: strong and consistent when Hublot stays on its usual tracks, rather disappointing despite some good ideas when Hublot enters a different world.

I would like to thank a lot the whole staff at the Hublot booth for the warm welcome: despite being one of the busiest of the fair, they dedicated me a lot of time which was highly appreciated.

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