Is that a Hublot on your wrist or are you just happy to see me?
Hublot watches. They most certainly have a unique presence. Very visible and attention grabbing yet somehow not too over the top. If you see someone on the opposite side of the bar with one of these on, you’ll notice. You’ll also notice that it’s not a Rolex nor Omega, or even any of the other usual suspects of the Swiss elite.
So what am I doing with one of these luxury objects, that a pleb like me could only ever dream of? Well, my friend Adam kindly lent me his to photograph and I really can’t imagine a better subject for some macro shots. Adam’s daily driver is his Rolex stainless steel Daytona (gorgeous), and doesn’t get to wear his Hublot as much as he’d like – hence the loan. Whenever I come across Hublot on all the numerous watch blogs I follow, it’s usually the various Big Bang models which are really in your face. This is the Aerofusion Titanium model. It’s light and very comfortable to wear and whilst fairly large at 45mm, doesn’t feel like an oversized monster. |
When I opened the box, I wasn’t sure what to expect to be honest. First impressions, the polished indices and hands have loads of shiny angles and surfaces that catch the light and whilst you can see that this is clearly a skeleton dial, it’s not until you get up close with a macro lens (or loupe) that you can really appreciate the craftsman ship that’s gone in to the watch.
Take for instance the date wheel, it’s all blacked out (I like) and it’s barely visible until you get close. Pulling the crown out, the date wheel moves very slowly and smoothly and I eventually work out that there is a white panel behind the 6 o’clock position that helps highlight the date. So it’s a black on white date complication. Looks fantastic. However, I will say this. My eyes are ok, but in my mid 40s I can tell glasses will soon become a necessary evil. I put the watch in front of my 15 year old son and he had no hope working out what the date was either. Getting some daylight on it, he eventually made out the date. So, moral of the story, looks fantastic but possibly not that practical. |
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Further on the dial, this is a chronograph movement and obviously allows you to time things. Perhaps Adam uses it to do just this, but owning a few chronographs myself, I am guessing that’s unlikely. As is the case with most chronopgraphs, the large seconds hand does not move when not timing things, the moving seconds hand is left to the smaller dial on your right.
The top right hand side button engages the timer. It’s fairly spongy feeling, a bit like the first 2/3rds engage the spring only until you get the crisper ‘click’ on the final 1/3rd, same goes with the reset button. It’s very different feel from my other chronographs. A highlight is that you can see things move and engage through the dial as you play around with this functionality. That could get addictive pretty quickly. The crown is a perfect size, easy to grip and feels super precise. |
The sapphire crystal is excellent and anti reflective coating is truly impressive.
On to the lume. There is no lume. Nevertheless, due to all the lovely shiny surfaces, you’ll notice the watch even in minimal lighting conditions but you won’t be able to tell the time. I suppose you can always ask someone what time it is or pretend you're checking an urgent incoming blahblah on your phone. So, if you’re not 15, you can’t really see what date it is, you probably won’t be timing things and if it’s getting a bit dark you’ll have no idea what time it is. Unusual indeed for a watch, particularly one that sells at AU$ 21,000 at full retail....So, Why in God’s name would you buy one? Well, as Adam said. “I saw it and fell in love with it immediately”. I can see that, it has that effect on my family so far. Even my wife, notoriously difficult to impress, likes it. That skeleton dial is truly stunning, it’s hard to stop staring at it. It feels bit like staring into a robot’s heart, a robot that wants you to feel special and loved. I imagine there would be the odd person that would size you up wearing this and immediately dismiss you as someone with a unnatural urge to pleasure yourself, but this is ultimately not a watch that you buy to show off with, you will truly like wearing it. Nothing gives machines more personality than flaws. Flaws that exists only to make you love them more. Would it make sense to have lumed indices for instance? Yeah, for time telling purposes it would…but, look at those gorgeous glittering things on the dial and those high polish hands. Is that not better than caring about what time it is in the cinema? If the movie’s that boring, just leave. |
"It feels bit like staring into a robot’s heart, a robot that wants you to feel special & loved"
Another detail that’s admirable is all the design nods to the brand. The seconds hand counterweight is the Hublot H, we have a H signed crown, you have the H shaped bezel screws that would look just as home on a submarine dial as they do here, even the clasp has H shaped features built in to the buckle. The rotor on the display back has HUBLOT spelt out and the back of the display case has Hublot in all caps on the screw down back. Also, the inside of the alligator strap on both ends, the visible parts of he clasp and of course finally the logo on the dial.
Too much? It would seem so reading this perhaps, but you have to go look for most of these details, it does not feel over the top. I’m not one for such extreme branding approaches but I can honestly say, it doesn’t feel overdone. So, I obviously really like the watch. Is there something I would change if it was my company? A couple of things perhaps. I’m not sure I really love how the strap attaches to the case, it seems to be almost a little too big and sticks out a millimeter or two but this is the same on all Hublot watches so it’s clearly treated as a design feature. There is also some sort of rubber gasket looking thing between the titanium bezel and the metal case. Not sure what it’s for. It doesn’t look bad, just unexpected (If you're a Hublot fan, you're probably thinking right now, it's for the [ insert thingamajig ], you idiot). |
Another thing, there are a LOT of little surfaces, nooks and crannies on the watch. If you’re a bit OCD, you’d constantly be walking around with a cleaning kit to keep the various areas clean. Just the spaces between the buttons could be a nightmare to keep clean from sweat and grime, even the back of it has some space between the screwed in back and the case of the watch that’s certainly picking up some dirt, even in my short time handling it. Is that different to any other jewellery? No, I’m nitpicking.
In closing, this is a stunning watch with a lot of personality. Pictures doesn’t do it justice and if you’re even remotely interested, I would highly recommend trying one on, and most definitely borrow a loupe. Yes, it’s a luxury item but it’s not a diamond encrusted bling beast (not this model anyway, they certainly do make them). That brushed titanium is just...cool. Would I buy one if I had the disposable cash? There are a few others I’d get first on my 'You wish' list. But, I would certainly engage someone that wore one in conversation and complement them on their good taste. Cheers, Esbjorn |
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