Hands-On with the new Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Berluti
Last year, at Baselworld 2016, Hublot demonstrated again their concept of “fusion“, this mix of different materials, sometimes rather unusual for watches, with an interesting combination. The brainchild of a partnership between the watchmaker and Berluti, the famous Parisian shoemaker, they applied patinated leather not only for the straps but also on the dials – creating what I personally found one of the most appealing creations of the brand. Today, the same concept is applied on a chronograph, the Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Berluti.
The entrance to the venue for last Friday’s Australian launch of Montblanc’s UNICEF collection was unassuming: commuters and shoppers on Melbourne’s busy Chapel street walked right past the narrow door wedged between two shopfronts. Blink and you’d miss it – we nearly did. A discreet sign was the only clue. But as soon as the door opened we knew we were in the right place. The narrow stairs of the Victorian terrace were littered with art – a Degas bronze on the landing and floor to ceiling canvases on the walls. As we reached the top of the stairs it was clear we had left Melbourne far behind, and were now in the Aladdin’s cave that is David Bromley’s personal studio. One of Australian’s best-known contemporary artists, Bromley’s work is instantly recognisable, full of bold colours and graphic lines. His painting and sculpture was everywhere in the studio: on walls and nestled in between displays of ethnographic artefacts, Venetian glass, giant Japanese bottles and art – everything from massive modernist oils, fine lithographs and pop culture prints was represented. In the middle of all this splendour – looking perfectly at home – was Montblanc. Lovingly displayed on long tables were leather goods,…
Editor’s Note: This year the watch that had tongues wagging at Baselworld was, without doubt, the Tudor Black Bay Chrono. Last year it was the Rolex Air-King, with its bold minute track and cheerful green and gold logo. Now that the Air-King is on wrists all over the world I’m struggling to justify the fuss. Sure, this masculine entry-level Rolex might not be to everyone’s tastes, but you know what – that’s OK. The story in a second It was definitely a surprise when we saw it at Baselworld, but now the unconventional design of the new Rolex Air-King is starting to win us over. Rolex famously espouses a philosophy of evolution, not revolution – and its product releases are so reliably incremental that you could, well, set your watch by them. Except when they’re not. Every so often Rolex does something that breaks from its evolutionary mantra. Witness the Sky-Dweller, the platinum Daytona and now, the latest generation of the Air-King. There’s so much new about this watch that the only real link to the Air-Kings of yore is the name, so it genuinely shocked people when it was unveiled at Baselworld, and has polarised opinion since. But now the watch has…
