Each January when LVMH Watch Week rolls around, fans clamber to take a gander at the latest novelties from brands such as TAG Heuer, Zenith and Bulgari, but this year, things are a little different. After a steady rise to prominence, Hublot’s avant-garde approach is beginning to sink in and its latest MP-10 Tourbillon is a perfect example of why. A true feat of modern horological engineering, the Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium features no dial, hands or oscillating weight, making us contemplate if it is even a watch at all.
Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium
- Brand: Hublot
- Model: MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium
- Reference: 910.NX.0001.RX
- Diameter: 41.5mm
- Movement: HUB9013 Manufacture Automatic Skeleton Tourbillon
- Water-Resistance: 30m
- Power Reserve: 48 hours
- Availability: Limited to 50 pieces worldwide
- Price: 250,000CHF (AUD$439,000)
One of Hublot’s most ambitious releases to date, the new MP-10 Tourbillon arrives after five years of extensive research and development. Importantly, however, none of the 592 components that comprise the monobloc aluminium piece work to operate hands, as this very unique watch has precisely zero. Instead, Hublot has adorned the watch with four constantly rotating displays. Specifically, the hours and minutes in the upper third of the dial, the circular power reserve in the central third, and the seconds in the lower third which are indicated directly on the tourbillon cage.
While that might sound impressive, it’s how the piece comes together that should be acknowledged. In a truly innovative design move, Hublot has fused the calibre with the dial, allowing the time to be read from top to bottom, fluidly and naturally. A completely new take on watch design, the format doesn’t exactly allow for traditional winding, which of course, forced the brand to try something new.
As Hublot explains, its designers developed a system of shock absorbers, with two vertical weights that engage a rack, enabling you to wind the movement bidirectionally. The watch is wound manually via the crown at 12 o’clock, while the time is set using a second crown nestled on the case-back side. This exclusive patent-pending Hublot development offers a power reserve of more than 48 hours.
The more you look at the watch, the less it feels like a real development. Like a work of modern art, the new Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium is a marvel of design, highlighting the very level of refinement that the Maison has always aimed for. As Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot CEO explained, the MP lineup is Hublot’s most expansive and this new piece could well be its crowning achievement.
“For a piece to be part of our MP collection, it must not only reinvent existing complications; it must create something exclusive, invent, build and open up new avenues in watchmaking R&D,” Guadalupe said. “I gave our designers and watchmakers carte blanche, and this is the fruit of their labours. From now on, people will talk about the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System in Titanium in terms of ‘before’ and ‘after'”
While the new Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium is undoubtedly the maison’s most impressive release this year, it wasn’t the only new addition to make its debut at LVMH Watch Week 2024. The watchmaker also unveiled a series of colourful new pieces, including a special edition Lunar New Year option.
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon
- Brand: Hublot
- Model: Spirit of Big Bang Year of the Dragon Titanium
- Reference: 646.NX.6600.RX.CHF24
- Diameter: 42mm
- Movement: MHUB1280 UNICO 2 Manufacture – Self-winding Chronograph Flyback
- Power Reserve: 72 hours
- Availability: Limited to 100 pieces
- Price: AU$45,000
To celebrate the incoming Year of the Dragon, Hublot unveiled a new Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon, which brings the mythical beast to life in a truly remarkable fashion. Inspired by the traditional Chinese art of paper cutting, the latest timepiece layers its hands, wheels and H-shaped screws to form a 3D silhouette of an eastern dragon.
Housed inside a 42 mm titanium case, the Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon features an HUB1710 automatic movement and power reserve of 50 hours. The new watch is limited to 88 pieces worldwide and arrives on a rubber strap, which features a rubber marquetry motif—a first for Hublot.
Hublot Big Bang Unico Saxem Green
- Brand: Hublot
- Model: Big Bang Unico Saxem Green
- Reference: 441.JG.4990.RT
- Diameter: 42mm
- Movement: MHUB1280 UNICO 2 Manufacture – Self-winding Chronograph Flyback
- Power Reserve: 72 hours
- Availability: Limited to 100 piece
- Price: AU$175,000
The Big Bang Unico has been one of Hublor’s best-loved pieces for a while now and in 2024, the brand is going green. The new Unico Saxem Green is a 42 mm timepiece that highlights the unique properties of the material by diffusing it into the contours of the case and bezel. This bezel is then studded with six of Hublot’s iconic titanium H-shaped screws.
Inside, Hublot has opted for the UNICO 2 calibre, a new-generation flyback chronograph, the HUB1280. While still self-winding, the new movement now offers a high-performance tungsten oscillating weight, visible through the back of the Green SAXEM case. Fans will note the iconic column wheel at 6 o’clock, along with the date disc, entirely visible around the movement, with the aperture set in the centre of the 60-minute counter at 3 o’clock.
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang King Gold Rainbow 32mm
- Brand: Hublot
- Model: Spirit of Big Bang 32mm Jewellery
- Reference: 682.SX.9900.LR.0999, 682.OX.9900.LR.0999, 682.SX.9000.RX.1604, 682.OX.9000.RX.1604, 682.SE.9000.RW.1604, 682.OE.9000.RW.1604
- Diameter: 32mm
- Movement: MHUB1120 Self-winding Movement
- Water-Resistance: 100m
- Power Reserve: 40 hours
- Price: AU$121,000
Blurring the lines between high-end jewellery and watchmaking, the new Spirit of Big Bang 32mm Jewellery is a glitzy and glamorous collection that delivers a lot. The portfolio comprises six 32-mm releases, crafted in white gold or King Gold – the manufacturer’s 18K gold alloy, warmer than 5N gold – or stainless steel.
“Since 2007, we have created a gem-set model each year. What motivates us? Above all, passion! We value innovation, breaking new ground, creating exceptional pieces… And the Spirit of Big Bang 32 mm Jewellery embodies this,” Ricardo Guadalupe said. “These full-set pieces showcase our jewellers’ perfect mastery and excellent craftsmanship, from the meticulous selection of the gemstones to their exquisite setting. Achieving aesthetic and technical feats, and mastering the highest level of precision is an art which we practise every day and which we cultivate at Hublot with unwavering enthusiasm.”
Hublot Classic Fusion Tourbillon Orlinski Sky Blue
- Brand: Hublot
- Model: Classic Fusion Tourbillon Orlinski Ceramic
- Reference: 505.CY.119Y.RX.ORL23, 505.ES.5129.RX.ORL23
- Diameter: 45mm
- Movement: MHUB6021 Manufacture – Manual winding Skeleton Tourbillon Movement
- Power Reserve: 115 hours
- Price: AU$143,000
Embracing the era of hyper-pop, Hublot has used LVMH watch week to unveil two new Classic Fusion pieces in ‘Yellow Magin’ and ‘Sky Blue’. The Hublot Classic Fusion Tourbillon Orlinski Ceramics are, as the name would suggest, inspired by the work of renowned French sculpturist Richard Orlinski. Bright and bold, these 45mm tourbillon-powered timepieces are characterised by an intense playfulness that feels, in a sense, at odds with the premium mechanics.
From a design perspective, the crown and the six H-shaped screws around the bezel appear “suspended in space” by black PVD skeleton bridges. Between 8 and 9 o’clock, the power reserve indicates the five-day capacity, while at 6 o’clock, the tourbillon keeps the time ticking.
“By giving me carte blanche, Hublot has enabled me to explore new creative frontiers”, Richard Orlinski said. “I’ve had the freedom to be able to take the Classic Fusion to the limits of its potential. Smooth yet dynamic, like the edges of its ceramic case, it embodies a kind of animality, the ‘Born Wild’ spirit that is a constant theme running through my work. I first imagined this design in 2004. That was 20 years ago. Today, I’m very proud to be showing the world, together with Hublot, that we’re still far from finished.”
