Hublot - A 2013 vintage year in carbon and Ferrari red
Virtuoso Masterpiece
The eagerly awaited Masterpiece, or MP as it is referred to by friends, is the latest in a line of highly sophisticated Manufacture-made models issued by Hublot in limited series about every two years. 2013 sees the arrival of the MP-05.
This watch is monumental in more than one respect. Technically, it comprises 11 series-coupled barrels, amounting to no less than 50 days' power reserve - a record-breaking achievement.
Nonetheless, the essentials of such a creation do not lie in its impressive horological assets, but rather in the ability to arrange them in a smooth, coherent manner that is also wearable - the latter factor being apparently obvious but unfortunately not universally acknowledged.
The MP-05 "LaFerrari", as its full name runs, radiates truly perfect aesthetics. While clearly visible, the barrels are nonetheless not ostentatious. The model is also equipped with a tourbillon, but the Manufacture has clearly grasped the fact that the added value lies in its barrels. The tourbillon has thus been placed beneath the dial and may be viewed through a 'porthole' (hublot in French) in the front vertical face, offering a plunging view into the very heart of the movement. Finally, a roller-type display indicates the colossal almost two-month power reserve. With its 637 parts, the MP-05 "LaFerrari" is the most complex watch ever made by Hublot.
This partnership with Ferrari is also taking a new turn that involves dropping sponsorship of the Formula 1 racing team and instead focusing on the Ferrari brand and its exceptional vehicles. Hublot will thus switch from an ultra-visible partnership of four to five annual Grand Prix races attracting global coverage, to over 150 annual events scattered around the world and dedicated to devotees and collectors. In short, a shift from public to private exposure.
Hublot sets carbon like gems and simplifies the Anthikythera
Known for its creative and inventive explorations of its favourite fusion theme, Hublot once again teams up elements that might initially seem incompatible. While high-tech materials such as carbon fibre are not generally associated with gemsetting, the brand now offers several successful examples of this innovative combination, showcased in four new lightweight 44 mm Big Bang models stunningly set with baguette-cut gems that define the colour theme of each model.
Moreover, although this move may seem more discreet in the eyes of the public, Hublot will for the first time be casing up its in-house Unico movement within its famous Big Bang models, whereas so far only the Ferrari model in this line had been thus equipped. This is liable to be a lasting evolution.
Finally, whereas Hublot's initial developments based on the historical Anticythere movement comprised 14 complications, the 2013 version will have 'only" half that number. The timepiece nonetheless retains its characteristic case, in harmony with the spirit of the clocklike mechanism found on the seabed off the Greek island of Antikythera in 1901.
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