During the first week of October, Hublot went back to Anticythère. This little island in the South of Greece is well know by the manufacture : that’s where the brand saw the Anticythère treasure for the first time. It was found there, lying on the sea ground by 70 meters, and several expeditions took many parts of it back on the shores. Many parts, but not the whole of it. And that’s why Hublot, along with scientists and archeologists, went back there in order to bring back some other parts of this 22 centuries-old treasure.
Reconstructing the Anticythere mechanism
During the first missions, Hublot helped the diving teams identify and understand the Anticythère mechanism, un uncommon machine (for that time) able to calculate an amazing number of astronomic information. A year later, Hubot reconstructed it and presented a model of it both in Greece and in Paris, France. And finally unveiled a wrist version of it, a unique piece not for sale.
A few months later, Hublot presented the SunMoon, a simplified – read ‘understandable’ – version of the Anticythere, this one available for sale.
This week-end, the latest chapter of the story was open : Hublot unveiled on site, in Anticythere, a dive watch. That’s the expected development for a company that spent so much time underwater, seeking for new treasures. But not that much expected from a company that never stood in the field of diving watches. In fact, there was only one model of ‘diver’s watch’ in Hublot’s portfolio, the Oceanographic 4000. The piece required 18 months of development and was presented in Monaco. And that’s upon its basis that Hublot created the EXO4000, its new diver’s watch.
A new divers watch
The piece as such is very close to the original Oceanographic : same shape, same size, same caliber. However, the case has been changed to a carbon case, while the strap is now delivered in white. Pretty interesting for collectors, but not a new watch as such.
However, the EXO4000 is not Hublot’s main point here. The big picture is really about helping the greek government and the whole team of for 90% of it. Because, and even if what they have brought up so far is amazing, there’s much more to be discovered. The treasure is part of a scientists, historians, archeologists and divers get as much as possible from the Anticythere treasure, which is still 70 meters below the surface boat that carry up to 200 tons of freight. And there’s not just one boat down there, but two – at least.
Hublot is now one of the most active sponsors of the expedition. Which, unfortunately, can send divers underwater only a couple of weeks per year, given the streams and winds around the site. The teams are out there these days, mapping the ground under the sea in order to optimize the time spent under water with the Exosuit, a never-see-before blend of diving suit and human scaled submarine. On which Hublot hung its EXO4000, of course.