HANDS-ON: The Hublot Classic Fusion 40 Years Anniversary yellow gold
Brands such as Rolex, Richard Mille and Patek Philippe have all incorporated rubber into their high-end watches, but there can only be one pioneer who got the party started. Forty years ago, Hublot founder and designer Carlo Crocco took the watch world by storm, pairing a porthole-inspired yellow gold watch with a rubber strap integrated into its case. While they were not necessarily the first watch company to take inspiration from nautical design, Hublot was the first to make rubber straps a staple in luxury wear back in 1980. Upon the release of the original Classic Fusion, it immediately caught the eye of royal family members and watch collectors around the world. Hublot’s risk came with high reward – they understood what buyers wanted before they even realised it themselves. Today, Hublot is celebrating the “Classic Original” watch that birthed the precious rubber craze with a new and limited collection of three watches. The most faithful nod to the past is the Hublot Classic Fusion 40 Years Anniversary yellow gold. The case The case has been enlarged by 9mm to a modern 45mm, which is more in line with Hublot’s current catalogue of dimensions. The Classic Original of 1980 was…
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At first glance, many assume that in order to get your feet wet in the horology hobby you have to shell out thousands and thousands of dollars to get a quality watch. The reality is there are plenty of more affordable options in the marketplace to elevate your wrist game, and gain the attention and respect of even the most serious collectors. Here are eight watches that get the nod from watch snobs – all under $1000. Seiko Prospex “Save the Ocean” SRPE33K Starting this list off with a bang, this has to be the most gorgeous blue dial (or dial period) available for under $1000 AUD. Go ahead, try to think of a better dial at the price point. I have the utmost faith you won’t be able to, as this scratched blue dial is a true piece of oceanic artwork. It really looks like a penetrating birds eye view of the ocean, with manta ray silhouettes just in view as if they are playfully hiding beneath the surface. The Seiko Prospex “Save the Ocean” SRPE33K automatic diver houses a reliable Seiko movement, is water resistant to 200 metres, and features a Rolex Cyclops style date magnifier that will…
The complexity is tangible, the feeling is tingly yet disturbing. I’m seeing the unreal sight of the MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual EVO, or any MB&F for that matter – on a moulded soft rubber strap in an image surely done with a green screen CGI. I mean, mountain biking or hiking with a piece of highly strung horological art worth close to $300,000 AUD on your wrist, surely not. And the heat that seeps from that fiery orange within the movement: if I was an A.I. this would mean a sensory overload and system crash; intriguing seems a proper understatement. This is sports casual on a level higher than we are used to on a normal weekday — have a look at our first look at the the MB&F Legacy Machine 1 here to understand the intriguing contrast. But yes, the images are true to life, and that is the first Atomic Orange PVD/CVD movement plate ever fitted to a piece of Haute Horlogerie, also available in a now very demure black – or a delicate blue. But why did I get the feeling the brightness of the case polish was somehow different too? An intensely labour-intensive Zirconium case envelops the…
Despite being one of the most well-known and regarded watchmakers in Switzerland, Hublot is a relatively young brand when compared to its 18th and 19th century peers. Hublot was founded in 1980, a mere four decades ago. In celebration of this milestone, the brand is marking its 40th birthday with the all-new Hublot Classic Fusion 40 Years Anniversary collection, which pays appropriate tribute to the first watch to ever have Hublot on a dial. The Hublot Classic Fusion 40 Years Anniversary collection comprises three limited edition references, with 100 available in yellow gold, 200 in titanium and another 200 in black ceramic. Compared to the micro-mechanical marvels that Hublot are well known for producing in 2020, this collection is reserved, expressing a distillation of the core Hublot aesthetic that was established by founder Carlo Crocco. The crucial aspects of this aesthetic include the precious metal watch on a rubber strap (a world first in 1980), as well as the exposed case and bezel screws that are still present in many Hublot designs today. Hublot Classic Fusion 40 Years Anniversary collection price and availability: The Hublot Classic Fusion 40 Years Anniversary in yellow gold is AUD$35,100 and limited to 100 pieces.…
We love classic pilot watches. Tough, no-nonsense brushed steel case tools that are a faithful reminder of the aviation glory days of yesteryear. What we want is a simple, clear dial and legibility on point, and monochromatic efficiency. But what if we had all this as a base, for a fully customisable watch not always wanting to be the demure quiet tool? Let’s introduce the FullGear Pioneer — it is all of the above and more, with a bright twist. FullGear is launching the Pioneer pilot’s watch on Kickstarter today, on October 12, designed by a team of veterans from the watch industry in Hong Kong. The Pioneer is, by all accounts, more than one watch if you want it to be, as this is fully customisable from the start. And not only that, we have the magic of tritium tubes included for what is night-time legibility on a different level. The tritium tubes used by FullGear are the pick of the crop, manufactured by mb-microtec AG in Switzerland, which, by virtue of their gas tube construction, do not need charging to light up your life. As an added bonus, the Nightmaster model dial also has applied Japanese LumiNova to its…
Divers, the tough tool watches that become our best buddies on adventures, strapped on with a wetsuit as backup to a dive computer. All this sounds wonderful, though for those of you in lockdown they have an even more important task, which is to remind us of what will come, as well as adventures spent; keeping our spirits up. The Albany Watches AMA Diver is launching this week on Kickstarter, with the Albany name paying tribute to the WA city where the founder’s father grew up. This is a classic ’60s skindiver with an inspiration as beautiful as it is ancient. For more than 2000 years the Japanese female Ama pearl divers have kept their tradition alive, freediving off the coast. The numbers may be dwindling, but the oldest freediving Ama women are the toughest septuagenarians in the world, and an intrinsic part of Japanese history. The case is a simple, perfectly sized 40mm classic skindiver, with the all-important lug to lug being an ergonomic 48mm, depth tested during production and after assembly. The legible dial is classic diver chic, with the tempting choice of mother-of-pearl, blue or black, and the pleasant pop of a teal accent. This frames the…
After the success of the previous Swatch x 007 collaboration, another tough and colourful watch is back, now exclusively in time for the release of No Time To Die. In his infinite wisdom, Q has tinkered away in his basement and come up with the Swatch x 007 ²Q. Here we have a brash and colourful openworked sports watch in the SKIN Irony series, with a tough steel body, intensely Swatch, with a few tricks up its sleeve. In a world turned upside down, for 2020 Swatch and Q has done the same to the Swatch x 007 ²Q, with spectacular results, as the sporty vibe is just as cool in reverse, with added intricacy. The openworked calibre of the Swatch x 007 ²Q takes centre stage, framed by a wide silver sunray chapter ring, blue indices and lumed hands, cool characters to the brash red villainous colour of the rehaut, a bold move by the designer, Bond’s costume designer Suttirat Anne Larlarb. A superb mix of a sporty tool vibe with the smooth elegance of the lugless steel Irony case that works damn well. The inside-out vibe is underlined by the calm tartan print on the smooth brown leather…
If you’ve got $1mUSD to build a watch collection in 2020, you’re used to the finer things in life. But what would you do if you could only select watches that were released this year? This is the question that has been put to the T+T Team, and in this article the team will show how they would build a $1m 2020 watch collection. Here goes. Andrew McUtchen’s Picks Patek Philippe 5370P-011 What a difference a dial makes. Identical to the 2015 version, with a black grand feu enamel dial, this top pick is all about how a vital blue grand feu enamel dial brings a mid-Century era watch into the present, 70 years later. Purists prefer the black, but I find it thrilling how this simple change can give the whole watch a sense of relevance and modernity, especially at its pitch perfect case size of 41mm. Few movements on earth can compete with this split-seconds chronograph for beauty and complexity, proudly on display through the clear caseback. Price: USD $260,000 MB&F x H. Moser LM101 The head says the H. Moser x MB&F Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon, for the fact that it’s more novel and more of an even-handed…
Germany is solidifying its position as among the very best go-to alternatives to Switzerland for wrist-worn marvels. While we all know that the Glashütte-based A. Lange & Söhne, Glashütte Original, Nomos and Sinn produce top-notch alternatives to the Neuchâtel valley, here is an ode to the lesser-known maisons. These are fiercely independent brands showing their 2020 models, many of which you will not find even in our comprehensive Time+Tide archives. We will endeavour to broaden your Germanic horizon with five German independent watches, from traditional Haute Horlogerie, through Bauhaus and classic Flieger style. Kudoke The Kudoke 2 Nocturne Stefan Kudoke is one of the top independent proponents of classical Haute Horlogerie, seen here underlined in his 2020 model, the Nocturne. After the award-winning Kudoke 2 in 2019, this is a sharp limited edition piece infused with a calm minimalism in dark galvanic grey. There is no distraction from a moving seconds hand, a perfectly bevelled plaque above 6 o’clock and a brushed steel rhodium-plated chapter ring with a fine bevel against the rehaut. What grabs the attention, though, is the beautiful engraved domed motif that makes for an imaginative 24-hour display at 12, framed by a delicate chapter ring. The…