One of cheap Hublot‘s flagship timepieces has achieved surprising ceramic success.
Back in 2006, I happened to see a very unexpected watch produced by a very unexpected company. This watch is a Quenttin tourbillon from Jacob & Co., is (and is) a large timepiece with an unprecedented power reserve of 31 days and a vertical tourbillon. Quenttin started a new way of competition among watchmakers. In watches before Quenttin, the longest power reserve is usually found in pocket watches, which usually takes eight days. A longer power reserve means multiple barrels or a very large barrel, while a longer power reserve usually means that rough timing can be performed at any extreme of the running time. The company that eventually broke the record was Hublot. Its Ferrari (La Ferrari) was launched in 2013 with a 50-day power reserve; as far as I know, no one has ever tried absolute records to keep the watch’s record since then. Long-term power reserve.
Of course, there is also Vacheron Constantin Twin Beat, it has two independent oscillators, you can switch between these two oscillators, and in the case of using a lower frequency balance (1.2 Hz), the watch will run 65 day. However, this is not meant to be worn in this way, nor is it to keep the time particularly precise. Instead, this is basically the standby mode of the watch. If the watch is not worn for a long time, the universal calendar can be kept up to date. Even with modern technology, exceeding La Ferrari’s record may cause the watch to become unwearable (La Ferrari is already Ursine heft’s watch, to borrow a word), and may require innovation in escapement technology. (The theoretical power reserve of the Parmigiani Fleurier Genequand Oscillator Concept Sheet is 70 days, but Parmigiani has apparently abandoned the project, at least for now.)
Holding the brass ring tightly, Hublot seems to have stepped back a bit without any further absolute record in the pursuit of power reserve, but it is still very active in the niche market of long power reserve watches. Currently, their flagship product is the MP-11 watch, which has seven tandem barrels and a 14-day power reserve. Although the size is still large, 45mm x 14.50mm, they have much higher wear resistance compared to products like La Ferrari (or Quenttin). Since its launch as a platform for the HUB9011 movement, MP-11 has appeared in several different case materials, and was launched in January this year with Hublot’s patented Red Magic ceramic at LVMH Watch Week in Dubai.
Now, before going any further, I think it must be pointed out that the long power reserve meter certainly does not need to be a red-lighted clock-extroverted fire engine red visual device. Vacheron Constantin has created a long power reserve meter that looks as impressive as the seats on the White Shoe Bank’s board of directors (or at least as impressive as previous seats of this kind). And the more powerful scale is more or less given with a long power reserve watch, but the fact is that Hublot MP-11 Red Magic looks like this, there is no technically necessary way, but because this is how Hublot Hope it looks (by the way, people assume how Hublot thinks customers want this watch to look like this).
I say this because, although you can compare Vacheron Constantin and Hublot from the perspective of technical watchmaking, I think there is almost no place in the world. It is difficult for anyone to compare the two, now or in the future. Scratch your head when making a choice between. For Hublot customers, it is likely not only to repeat the Hublot client, but for them, the attention-seeking aspect of its design is not a burden, nor is it accidental, but an asset, in fact, the whole reason for existence Watch.
Although it is the holder of a technical record, from an aesthetic point of view, I don’t think anyone would call La Ferrari the culmination of modern watch design. Although the super long power reserve is undoubtedly impressive, its design always shocks me, followed by the technical complexity of the watch, and the bio-shaped case seems to be a rather clichéd attempt. It looks cool and futuristic.
So when I saw the first photo in Jon Bues’ introductory post in January, Big Bang MP-11 Red Magic surprised me. I had hoped that if someone had just described this watch to me, even if it was not forgotten, at least it would not be able to find it convincingly. However, it seems feasible to combine it in some way (though in its own way), but some other MP-11 watches, and of course Ferrari watches, do not. I personally face-to-face-like ceramics-I finally managed to get through the day with my firm beliefs.
I think the success of the MP-11 Red Magic is largely due to the amazing depth and richness of the red ceramic. Using different materials, the overall design may not be so successful (the Red Magic ceramic version is the only version I actually have the opportunity to see and operate), it provides the watch with a light and comfortable feeling that can be expected from the ceramic case ( Of course, in relative terms-this is still a 45mm x 14.5mm watch, nothing wrong). This material has the same fine grain and texture as the baked enamel dial, it can capture light, and the tone changes in a distracting way as the light changes-not to say that this is a watch that used to be. It will never attract people’s attention, but it is true. There are many things worth paying attention to.
I said that the MP-11 Red Magic looks like it, because that’s what Hublot wants it to look like. Of course, this is obvious on one level, but not every design attempt can successfully achieve its goals. This is also true. Making such a watch is much more risky than making a watch made of precious metals for limited time wear or making a diver’s watch (both types have accepted design vocabulary). Normally, the watchmaking industry represented by MP-11 Red Magic has not achieved its ambitious goals, but in this case, I think the case material combines unexpected depth and richness, as well as the technical aspects of the cheap watch. , Which makes me think it’s an excellent time to continue to attract people – it’s fun,
Hublot MP-11 Red Magic: Case, 45mm x 14.5mm red ceramic, with a special shaped sapphire crystal, which can hold a barrel. The movement, Hublot’s 14-day movement HUB9011, runs 39 jewels at a speed of 39,800 vph; seven barrels connected in series.
