Serious collector’s watches are one thing. Fun watches are one other thing. Fun collectors pieces are just in between, and here is the proof ! Today, Hublot unveiled a nice limited edition of its Classic Fusion. We’re not talking about an outstanding complication, or about the use of a never-seen-before ceramic. We’re just talking about a watch in….denim. Yes, a watch made out of a pair of jean’s !
The man behind the story is Laurent Picciotto, serious collector but above all founder and president of Chronopassion, one of the top 5 places in the world for haute horlogerie – and, thus, a trend setter.
A couple of months ago, as Picciotto was hanging around St Tropez, South of France, he saw some Hublot models with a dial and a strap in denim. Picciotto, one of the key men behind the rebirth of Hublot when Jean-Claude Biver gave it a brand new start, was not aware of it. But’s that not the most important thing : he thought there was a way to do better, based upon this denim idea.
Hublot Jeans – One idea and a few phone calls later…
A few phone calls later with the Nyon-based manufacture, Picciotto finalized his own personal jean’s piece. We were in May and the watch just landed in Chronopassion’s diplays this month. In fact, the guideline remains unchanged : a Hublot with a dial and a strap in denim. But Picciotto made several changes.
First, the Classic Fusion will be available in two sizes : 42 and 45 mm. Each of them will be offered in 25 units. The small version is labeled at 8’000 euros, while the second one is at 8’500 euros.
These two different sizes might mean two targets : men and women. However, some shall remember that 42 mm remains a large diameter for a woman’s wrist. Even if the piece is clearly positioned for the casual days, therefore with more freedom of style than for business days, it’s a big one. And, after all, 45 mm is not a small piece for men neither ! But that’s Hublot’s spirit and, in the end, a good thing that it’s has been respected with this Classic Jean’s.
Second, Picciotto added the killer-detail on the back of the watch. See that small label through the saphir back ? It’s the exact copy of the label to be found on pockets of traditional jean’s. Completely unuseful, completely stylish !
Hublot Jeans – A good bet to take
However, denim is made out of natural fibers. It means that the raw material used here has a percentage, even small, of water inside of it. Unlike traditional and stabilised dials, the denim might let escape some condensation.
Moreover, like any other denim, its color may changed through the years. That’s the kind of thing we usually appreciate on our trousers, to see them live and reach their final color as we wear them. But the case of a watch is different, mostly because the dial (under its sapphire crystal with interior anti-reflective coating) and the strap might adopt differents shades of blue, due to different exposures to the sun, for instance.
In the end, this Hublot Classic Fusion Jean’s might stand as a bet, but it’s one of the funniest to take these days. The limited edition as such will probably help it keeping a fairly high price in a near future, even if this kind of casual piece is quite unlikely to be seen in auctions someday. One more reason to keep it in his collection !
Hublot Jeans Classic Fusion – Technical Details
- Reference 511.NX.2700.NR.PIC13 (45mm) or 542.NX.2700.NR.PIC13 (42mm)
- Series 25-piece limited edition
- Case “Classic Fusion” Diameter 45 mm, polished and satin-finished titanium
- End-pieces Satin-finished titanium
- Bezel Titanium with 6-12 o’clock satin finish, polished flank – 6 x 5N gold screws
- Crystal Sapphire with anti-reflective coating
- Bezel lug Black composite resin
- Crown Polished titanium
- Case-back Titanium – Sapphire crystal with interior anti-reflective coating “Jeans” typed Hublot transfer
- Water resistance 5 ATM or approximately 50 metres
- Dial Jeans style, with rhodium-plated appliques and window at 3 o’clock
- Hands Rhodium-plated, faceted and polished,
- for the 45mm: Movement HUB 1112 self-winding movement with red date disc and white transfers
- for the 42mm: Movement HUB 1110 self-winding movement with red date disc and white transfers
- No. of components 63
- Jewels 21
- Date Window at 3 o’clock
- Power reserve Approximately 42 hours
- Bracelet Black rubber strap with denim
- Clasp Steel, 2 x 5N gold screws
More resources about Hublot Jean Collection on ChronoPassion, The Watch Press and WatchProSite.