Classic Fusion Editorial Hublot New Releases New Watches Reviews

New 2020 watch release, the Classic Fusion Gold Crystal

The the Classic Fusion Gold Crystal in sizes 45mm and 38mm led the way into 2020 for Hublot at the recent LVMH Watch Week held in Dubai.

New 2020 watch release, the Classic Fusion Gold Crystal

The Classic Fusion Gold Crystal in sizes 45mm and 38mm led the way into 2020 for Hublot at the recent LVMH Watch Week held in Dubai.

The Innovative Brand

Hublot as we know have been pushing the boundaries to go alongside their ‘Art of Fusion’ mantra. For a company that was founded only in 1980, Hublot has come a long way. It’s now defined by its innovations — the namesake Fusion began with the then highly original combination of combining gold and rubber — and its desire to push boundaries with every new release.

This trend of creating new marvels has collectors on edge now, ever wondering what next the creative minds at Hublot are going to engineer. 

Classic Fusion Gold Crystal
© 2018 HUBLOT – ALL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS RESERVED

Enter Classic Fusion Gold Crystal, Hublot’s latest 2020 offering that was recently introduced. The highlight, the ‘Art of Fusion’ part of this watch, is its dial, that boasts the rarest form of gold on Earth: gold crystal.

Pull quote: “Every one of our Classic Fusion Gold Crystal watches is unique, truly one of a kind. A fusion of matter and design that is made possible through our mastery of the complex production process. We have been able to reproduce gold in its rarest form on earth: gold crystal. From the dawn of time to the dial of our watches, thanks to our wonderful Swiss environment, gold will always fascinate us. Here we can see it in its most beautiful and magical expression.”

Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot.

What’s Special

Hublot has put in a considerable amount of effort into creating the gold that is in the form of flakes. We are made aware that gold crystals scarcely occur in nature and Hublot’s engineers at its Research and Development Department have managed to develop a method by which they can achieve this work of art effectively inside a lab. 

This is a watch that unlike many Hublot offerings, doesn’t scream ‘look-at-me’.

Not that it’s not unique and flamboyant like other Hublot offerings. Given the gold crystal flakes are unique in themselves, all of these watches pretty much will be a somewhat unique piece.

But this one — decorated with gold crystal made from flakes of gold — has a quiet elegance to it.

Classic Fusion Gold Crystal
© 2018 HUBLOT – ALL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS RESERVED

Against a black backdrop, the gold flakes just shimmer through, almost breaking out from the dial and appearing to be floating around on your wrist.

As the gold crystals are placed on a black dial in a fine transparent lacquer treatment, the black ceramic case simply frames these gold crystal flakes, like a a work of art that’s being carried around on your wrist as you go about your daily life.

It’s essentially luxury on the go. 

Classic Fusion Gold Crystal
© 2018 HUBLOT – ALL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS RESERVED

The Options

There are two sizes — available in 38 mm or 45 mm diameters — to choose from, one more aimed at men and one at women, but it were us, we would perhaps go for the smaller one for both sexes.

The reason?

Well, it’s different.

38mm for a Hublot watch that’s flamboyant yet quiet, is a pretty rare combination, and I would suspect that it might just become the more popular of the two.

They both house a mechanical movement — HUB1112 calibre providing 42 hours power reserve — with automatic winding and come on a black alligator strap that is stitched onto rubber to provide for a more durable, daily wear appeal. 

It terms of the case design, the lugs or bezel – all in satin-finished and polished black ceramic — there is nothing new to report except they follow the Classic Fusion lines’ design language to the T. 

The Suggestions

If we were to look at any negatives about this watch, which frankly are not easy for this one given that gold just very elegantly pops out of the dial, we would say there are two.

One, the water resistance is only 50m (5 ATM); we feel that an expensive watch like this should have a standard 100m (10 ATM) water resistance rating. 

Second, reading time could be an issue.

Now depending upon which school of thought you belong to, you could either see this as a problem or simply ignore it. While watches are essentially time keeping machines Hublot isn’t a brand that makes traditional watches.

In-fact, it eats tradition for breakfast and instead produces objects that are works of art.

And in terms of legibility, there are heaps of other watches that do worse. Perhaps they could have had the seconds hand in gold as well, that should have been a perfect finishing touch to this otherwise very, if I may use the word, stealthily sexy watch.

At 9.60mm thickness of the 38mm version, there is really no doubt that this one, well, it shines. 

The new Classic Fusion Gold Crystal certainly seems to have been guided by Hublot’s policy: ‘Be First, Different and Unique’.

For more information on this and other Hublot watches, head to the Hublot website here.

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