Hublot

Geneva Fair 2013: Hublot

 

The day before the start of the novelties presentation, I met the Hublot team at the Kempinski hotel. They asked me:

- So FX, what did you think about the 2012 collection?

I answered that I was seduced by some specific models like the Big Bang Ferrari in Titanium and the Classic Fusion Ultra-Thin Skeleton. Some others like the Unico GMT were not my cup of tea but as a whole, the 2012 collection was in my point of view pretty good with some interesting moves towards  improved horological contents.

Further to my reply, they told me:

- Thanks for your answer, it's good news because you won't be disappointed tomorrow!

The day after, I came back to the Kempinski to discover the Geneva Fair collection. So, several weeks after this presentation, am I as seduced as expected by the Hublot team?

It is really difficult to bring a clear answer.

Actually, I was less impressed this year than in 2012. Last year during the Geneva week, I officially discovered the Unico GMT that was a daring watch and a new complication powered by the Unico even if as you know, I didn't like the watch. I also had a preview of the Classic Fusion Ultra-Thin  Skeleton which seduced me a lot.

This year, I don't have similar feelings: maybe there isn't any weak points but clearly the strategy by Hublot was to follow the 2012 trends and to build on the strong assets of the last year. There isn't any big surprise, Hublot mainly presented evolutions of existing models. But on the other hand, I didn't see any failure. Each new model meets some market expectations and even if Hublot took a very safe and cautious path, I'm sure that this collection will have a lot of success.

Ken presented you the novelties with the Press Releases texts here:
hublot.watchprosite.com

I propose you to browse the novelties with my comments.

Let's start of course with the new versions of the big hit of last year, the Big Bang Ferrari.

If you remember well, the first versions were the Titanium and the Magic Gold ones.

The Big Bang Ferrari  was and is still a very important watch for Hublot: a new Big Bang case, the use of the Unico for a Big Bang watch, a dial full of details with a "skeletonized" lay-out and also the will to give the proof that there isn't any curse with the Ferrari partnership.

I appreciated a lot the Titanium version, less the Magic Gold one (because I was a bit disappointed by the material rendering).

This year, the new versions are (all of them with a 45mm case):

The Carbon Red Magic.

It features a red sapphire dial, a carbon fiber case and bezel and a black titanium PVD lower bezel.

Even if I don't like the carbon fiber cases, I have to confess that the case finishings are very good and that the combo red sapphire & carbon fiber case works well.

The Unico 1241 movement which remains of course a flyback chronograph:

The legibility is not the main asset of this watch especially for the date display. Anyway, the Big Bang Ferrari fans will love its more technical design:

The Carbon Red Magic is limited to 1000 pieces.

My fav of the new series is the All Black with its black Ceramic case and bezel.

This time, I found the dial much more legible:

You will notice the big red hand of the chronograph:

Still the same movement:

Hublot knows how to create big watches which are at the same time comfortable. The Big Bang Ferrari, despite its 45mm diameter, gives another proof thanks to the efficient folding clasp.

The All Black version is limited to 1000 pieces.

Last new version of the Big Bang Ferrari is the King Gold Carbon.

It combines a king gold case with a carbon fiber bezel.

Cleary, the target of this watch is made of customers who want to wear a watch with a precious metal and a sportive design.

If I only look at the dial, this version is the most convincing one thanks to gold plated hands and appliques:

This version has the best ability to catch the light. A very luminous watch thanks to the contrast between the black bezel and the gold case:

The King Gold Carbon is limited to 500 pieces.

Year after year, I have the feeling to visit a zoo with Hublot. Do you remember the Boa Bang? The Leopard Bang? So I'm happy to introduce you the Zebra Bang!

The Zebra family is made of 3 watches (L to R):

The Black Zebra Bang (black ceramic case), the Gold Zebra Bang (Red Gold case) and the White Zebra Bang (white ceramic case):

Each watch has a 41mm case and is powered by the HUB4300 movement (ETA 2894 if I remember well ie ETA 2892+ chronograph module).

After this fun digression, let's come back to watches which are closer to what I expect from Hublot. And I'm happy to present you the Classic Fusion Aero Chronograph.

This is without any doubt my fav Hublot novelty.

First of all, I've always been a fan of the Classic Fusion Chronograph. I love this case, the pushers and the purety of the dial, far from  very strange designs of some Big Bang. I consider the Classic Fusion Chronograph as a link between the Carlo Crocco and J.C.Biver phases.

And second point, the Aerobang is maybe my fav Big Bang... so mixing both could only lead to a nice result... and well, as anything is not 100% sure, it was almost a relief for me to check that yes, the Clssic Fusion Aero Chronograph is a good achievement by Hublot.

Of course, we lose the purety of the initial version but thanks to the elegance of the case, the open dial doesn't look too busy.

Two cases are available:

Titanium and King Gold both with a 45mm diameter.

The watches are powered by the HUB 1155 movement (based on the ETA 2894).

I really like the applied indexes which give a feeling of volume:

 

The date is not that legible but due the location of the date window at 6 o'clock, it is fine:

The very classic lay-out of the HUB 1155 movement:

Again, the 45mm case diameter is not a real problem here. The watch can be worn with comfort and I could appreciate the details of the dial.

Obviously, we are not talking about a true skeletonized dial as it is produced as it is. But this kind of open dials works very well with the geometric design of Hublot cases:

The King Gold version is less sober and I could notice the harmony of the hands colours. Hublot took the decision to keep the same colour for all hands in order to get a proper dial balance but it is not an issue since the watch has only two subdials.

Both watches:

The Classic Fusion Aero Chronogaph are also available with titanium and King Gold bracelets.

The Classic Fusion Ultra-Thin Skeleton was another star of the 2012 show. This year, it comes back with a black outfit (Classic Fusion Ultra-Thin Skeleton All Black).

Frankly speaking, I prefer the titanium version but  I must confess that the black atmosphere has a very positive point: it reduces the feeling of size of the case which remains, with the 45mm diameter, large  for a thin watch.

The HUB 1300 movement powers the watch. It is a handwind exclusive movement with a large power reserve (90 hours). The small second hand is off-centered at 7 o'clock.

Movement finishings are not so impressive because it is not a skeletonized movement and you feel the industrial approach. But on the other hand, like the Classic Fusion Aero Chronograph, the geometric lay-out of the bridges, of the movement dial side works well with the Hublot case design.

I consider this Classic Fusion as a very coherent watch:

Please also note that the previous versions are now available with bracelets which are well integrated inside the whole design:

The last novelty follows the same logic. Like the Classic Fusion Ultra-Thin Skeleton, the Classic Fusion Tourbillon was unveiled in 2012. It features a very aerial movement which highlights the Tourbillon behaviour.

This year, an All-Black version is presented with the same case size (45mm). Like causes produce like effects: the new version gives a very different feeling on the wrist.

The watch is more agressive and becomes more sportive, maybe more daring while losing a bit in terms of elegance.

My only concern about it is the too visible mainspring even if the barrel is nicely decorated. It is many times a tricky obstacle for the main part of this kind of watches.

Sadly, I couldn't remove the sticker on the back... which is a pity!

I have almost opposite feelings with this one than with the Classic Fusion Ultra-Thin skeleton: I think that I prefer the black version, the more aggresive design really emphasizes the presence of the Tourbillon on the dial.

This Classic Fusion Skeleton Tourbillon All Black is a LE of 99 pieces.

As you can see, Hublot has used some well-mastered recipes to build its Geneva 2013 collection: new versions of the most successful models of the previous year and a convincing combo of nice Hublot features (aerobang dial and Classic Fusion case to create the only true novelty: the Classic Fusion Ultra-Thin Aero Chronograph). Nothing really very surprising but a good collection based on the usual assets of the brand.

I would like to thank a lot the Hublot team for the warm welcome at the Kempinski.

Fx

This message has been edited by foversta on 2013-02-09 14:03:17 This message has been edited by KIH on 2013-02-09 14:32:40 This message has been edited by foversta on 2013-02-10 00:52:41 This message has been edited by KIH on 2013-02-18 04:49:14

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