You are here
Home > Wholesale Swiss Watches > Zodiac Sea Dragon Limited Edition Watch In Bright Retro Colors

Zodiac Sea Dragon Limited Edition Watch In Bright Retro Colors

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

In 2017, with Ferrari design objectively at one of its all-time highs, Ferrari has finally conceived its first ever wristwatch. They have done so in partnership with – you guessed it right – Hublot, and the result of their collaboration comes in the unusual form of the Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph. It is a watch that, by definition, has tested the horological prowess of the designers and engineers of one of the world’s leading car manufacturers.

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On
Another nod to the club is that the Chelsea lion in gold at 12 o’clock. The implemented hour markers are rhodium-plated and full of white luminescent material. Likewise, the rhodium-plated hour and minute hands will also be full of white luminescent material to help legibility in dimly-lit environments. The movement inside is the caliber HUB4100, which is really based on an ETA 2894 or Sellita equal and fitted with a chronograph module. Evidently, an in-house Hublot Unico movement could have been chosen and would’ve made the watch more desired, however, the HUB4100 is a reliable mix and it will help keep the cost down, if just a little. The grade HUB4100 beats at 4Hz and has a power reserve of 42 hours. The movement is visible through the watch’s delicate display caseback where a symbol of the crest of this club is printed.Like a season’s Classic Fusion Chronograph Chelsea FC watch, this brand new Big Bang Chelsea FC watch was designed specifically for Chelsea fanatics. Compared to last year’s version, this new watch comes in a color of blue that I think is more accurate and faithful to the house colours of the club. The Hublot Big Bang Chelsea FC watch is restricted to 200 pieces and can be priced at £13,000 (currently roughly $17,000).No watch company understands brand ventures and how to use them quite as well as Hublot. Obviously, not everyone is going to love these collaborations that span a vast range of merchandise, interests, personalities, and actions. But specific mixtures will resonate with specific consumers in a manner that not much else will. Hublot’s association with fellow LVMH new Berluti will likely go right over the minds of watch fans who don’t get menswear. But for lovers of Paris-based Berluti, that is known for leather footwear, the launch of the new Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Berluti Scritto watch will make lots of sense.The fresh Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Berluti Scritto watches build upon the success of last year’s Classic Fusion Berluti watch. And like last year’s version, the new watches use Berluti’s distinctive patinated leathers for your straps in addition to the dials, creating an impact of the strap continuing right through the watch for a very cohesive appearance.

Conceived by the Ferrari Design Center in Maranello and built by Hublot, the Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph (initially covered here) gives a fresh twist to the seemingly ever-lasting cycle of the usually extremely stale “[watch_brand_name] asks for attention by partnering with [car_brand_name]” collaborations by letting the eggheads in Maranello have their go at making a watch.

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

What do $295 quartz beaters, Movado, Cabestan, Panerai, Girard-Perregaux, and Hublot Watches Used all have in common? They all have legally made watches with the Ferrari logo on them. However, to be fair, Hublot has far and away made the most of its partnership with Ferrari (review of the Hublot Big Bang Ferrari here, for example) who, in all likelihood, must have enjoyed the idea of working with a partner actually interested in dedicating separate, well-developed, versatile collections to the prancing horse, as opposed to just name-dropping Ferrari.

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

The Geneva based watchmaker has also extended its ties to the world’s most popular basketball league, getting the Official Watch along with also the Official Timekeeper of the Miami HEAT. It’s the fastest person of all time, Jamaican athlete, Usain Bolt, that has also acquired his private version of the trademark King Power version. Hush was tasked with designing “Fame,” in the Shape of the Hublot Watches Uae Spirit of Big Bang West Coast Ceramic Black and White. Though Hush is in fact based in London, he is known for his work with frescoes throughout Los Angeles, including regions of West Hollywood, Melrose, and Santa Monica.
Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

If you’re a long-time watch enthusiast, you are at this point more than familiar with the versatility as well as strict limitations of watch design. But when I first heard about the Hublot Techframe, I did wonder what the process was like for Ferrari in understanding the spatial, technical, functional, and technological limitations (and possibilities!) that lie in watchmaking.

Both Hublot Watches Singapore and Ferrari are adamant about this watch having been primarily designed by Ferrari. And as such, under the leadership of Ferrari Head of Design Flavio Manzoni, the Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph’s unlikely looks were wrapped around Hublot’s (ex-BNB Concept) tourbillon monopusher chronograph “engine.” We’ll work our way from the outside towards the innards of the Hublot Techframe.

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

You need not look at it for long for the Techframe name to make sense: the “lattice structure” of the case is a unique case design that harnesses the combination of lightweight materials and as many negative spaces (or cutouts, if you like) as possible, without compromising structural rigidity.

Available in titanium, King Gold (which we couldn’t see hands-on, you know, “because Basel”) and PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone) Carbon, a multi-layer hypo-allergenic material made from, get this, particularly long carbon fibers. Nothing like a material that has ether twice in its name and is crafted from nice and long pieces of carbon fiber.

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Hublot is a leading watch manufacturer from Switzerland, founded in 1980. Since Jean-Claude Biver became CEO at 2004 Hublot’s victory grew quickly. Hublot has sponsored a number of big sport and celebrity events, has created watch ranges in collaborations with VIPs and employed intense marketing to communicate its own brand and models.Starting the business as an independent family firm just a few decades before, Hublot quickly entered the world of high-end luxury watchmakers, headed by the vision of its founder, the Italian producer, Carlo Crocco. What began in 1980 as the single-watch theory that for the first time brought together a valuable material and rubberized, proven to be a true revolution in the design of luxury timepieces. Today, being the part of the famed French group LVMH, the Geneva established manufacturer delivers a great number of highly complex mechanics, stunning chronographs, elegant sport watches, gorgeous jewelry pieces, revolutionary diving models and respective limited series dedicated to the new partners and ambassadors. The “Fusion” concept was too simple to develop into a fad back in 1980s, but that’d never been Crocco’s goal. With the watch which unites a valuable metal case at a porthole shape and a pure rubber band, he wished to overcome the present fashion rules and also to ascertain the doctrine of the new brand under the roof of its independent MDM Geneva Company. He predicted it Hublot which is a French phrase for a porthole. The creativity of this Fusion concept was firstly recognized from the royalty and jet-set, to be implemented by the majority of high-end watchmakers throughout 1990s. Finally, a rubber strap is also an inevitable choice for most of luxury sport watches. Therefore, for this stage, the use of rubber is not anything spectacular. But, entering the company with that notion some 30 years ago was insecure. Originality and luxury weren’t enough. Watch connoisseurs requested for exceptional style, quality and performance.
Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

The partnership between Hublot Watch 44mm 301.Pb.131.Rx and Ferrari is currently about five years old, and the two are celebrating Ferrari’s 70th Anniversary together using a brand new watch designed by the Italian carmaker with a fresh new Hublot motion as well. For Baselworld 2017, the Hublot Techframe Ferrari Tourbillon Chronograph watch honoring this 70th anniversary will arrive in three variations: King Gold, Titanium, and PEEK Carbon, every one of which will be a limited edition run of – you guessed it 70 pieces.Hublot and Ferrari have done way more than many car and observe brand collaborations, therefore it is not surprising that instead of slapping some decoration on an existing piece, we see a totally new watch entirely. The architectural and bridged design of the watch is far from being over-the-top and overdesigned, which is a relief. It is competitive where it needs to be without overcompensating, is lightweight and hard (at least when you consider the Titanium and carbon models), and is also a testament to Hublot’s triumph of becoming a severe manufacture in both layout and movements.The new HUB6311 manual-wind movement inside the Hublot Techframe Ferrari Tourbillon Chronograph is manufactured from 253 components and has a 5-day power book. It is an old-school thing of fascination once it comes to timepieces, but I adore and enjoy the discretion attracted by a single pusher. I’m not saying the watch is close to discreet, however, the pusher is just one of the few splashes of color we see here, aptly completed in P485 Ferrari red. Another reddish pushers you see from the lugs are for a simple strap shifting system, which is almost always a welcome feature.Back to the Hublot HUB6311 motion, it is performed in Ruthenium-coated Anthracite, also Hublot also boasts of an “imperceptible” crystal over the cage which holds the upper part of the tourbillon utilizing a bridge. I will have to wait to see this in action carefully, but Hublot says that the result is that the joys of a flying tourbillon while providing the stability of a tourbillon with two pivot points.

Comparable shapes on this early 2000s Ferrari 360 Modena dashboard and the Ferrari-designed Hublot U Boat Watches Techframe Ferrari case. Source: en.wheelsage.org

Being the hopeless, lifelong car lover that I am, hand on heart, the first thing I thought of when I saw the Hublot Watches Floyd Mayweather Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph case’s cutouts was the dashboard of the Ferrari 360 Modena. The combination of the circular and organic shapes seem to be shared between the two. Even if contemporary Ferrari dashboards have gone on to be more like spaceship cabins than traditional car interiors, this nod towards Ferrari’s long, though not necessarily loudly advertised link to organic design is something I presume the more dedicated fans will appreciate.

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Negative spaces have for some time been absolutely essential in great car design – as cars are getting more bubbly and inflated in their exteriors in an effort to meet ever stricter safety and emissions regulations, these “concave,” dark areas help enforce a muscular, powerful, visually more fascinating aesthetic. Watches use it almost exclusively in the skeletonization of movements, but given the pace at which case manufacturing has been advancing lately, we shall see it more often in watch exteriors as well.

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

I will say that the Hublot Techframe Ferrari was one of the watches I had been most looking forward to seeing at Baselworld 2017 – not because it was designed by Ferrari but because of the case itself. I wanted to see its details and appreciate it hands-on and then by reviewing the images I took, as opposed to just by looking at computer renders.

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

I have to add, though, that I was both amazed and disappointed by it at the same time. The case’s execution, design, and little details are absolutely incredible to look at, with the satin-finished titanium variant being my favorite of the bunch. The PEEK carbon, as high-tech as it may look, adds too much distraction with its black color and aggressive layering from the case’s fascinating looks.

It was the arrival of a Big Bang chronograph that was launched in the Baselworld 2005, attaining instant success and document orders that finally resulted in the brand’s explosive growth. The excellent quality of the timepiece was also recognized by the pros who awarded it to get the Best Design at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.Next year, Hublot introduced with a Big Bang ALL BLACK model, but 2007 was truly successful for the renowned watchmaker. It came with a gorgeous One Million $ Big Bang, a jewelry timepiece completely gem-set with diamonds which later that year won the Rings View Prize in the 2007 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. There was also the very first Big Bang Diver timepiece having an oversize 48mm case.The year 2008 was marked with the shift of the proprietor. Carlo Crocco sold Hublot into the French giant LVMH Group which owns Tag Heuer, Zenith, Chaumet, Bulgari and other luxury brands. Nevertheless headed by Jean-Claude Biver and Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot attained the record growth in the next period. It introduced the initial Big Bang exclusively designed for ladies with the diameter of 38mm, along with a gem-set bezel, as well as a fresh traditional Fusion Collection which gave an elegant note to the distinctive sporty design of Hublot’s watches.Staying faithful to its basic philosophy, Hublot produced a brand new King Power Collection in 2009. With daring sporty design and a highly effective construction, the mix of different substances got the new measurement. Same year, a One Million $ Black Caviar watch obtained the Best Jewelry Watch prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

The disappointing bit came in the proportions: the Hublot Techframe Ferrari is 45mm wide and 14.80mm thick – typical dimensions for modern, highly complicated watches. What the spec sheet doesn’t say is just how “long” the watch actually is: for starters, the lugs extend very far out from the edges of the dial (or rather the non-existent bezel) and they do so at a rather flat angle. What adds more length to the watch is the stiff rubber strap that is attached to the lug structure in a way that makes them stretch out even further, making the Hublot Techframe Ferrari one very, very long watch – if you measure the furthest points to which the rubber strap naturally extends, despite the wholesome 45mm width, it is one very thin-and-long-looking watch.

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Ergonomics haven’t taken a backseat, however, as it has everything going for it to be a very comfortable watch to wear if you have a particularly wide wrist – the watch is light, strap integration is good and the material and buckle are all comfortable. In the image above, for example, you can see how the case and strap hug the wrist nicely, what you don’t see from this angle so easily is just how much the watch extends beyond Ariel’s wrist on the other side – I don’t think anyone with a sub-7.25″ (maybe more like 7.5″) wrist could get away with wearing this watch and look good doing it.

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

I spent all this time explaining this issue because I do genuinely like and appreciate the Hublot Techframe’s highly technical aesthetic. It is one very complex shape with the lugs and bezel all flowing into one, not to mention the red strap quick release pushers’ integration or all the space you could get lost in inside the case. It really encourages one to take a different look at case design and how space could be used more creatively in watches.

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Neat additional details include a red pusher designed to mimic some Ferrari interior parts that here is actually used to start, stop, and reset the monopusher chronograph. Because someone with the mechanical sympathy of a frustrated ape deemed it better not to ask and just started pulling on said lever at Baselworld, it was broken on one of the watches (the titanium one, if I recall correctly), so if it looks flimsy, that is the reason.

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

The movement powering the Hublot Watches Net Worth Techframe Ferrari is the HUB6311 caliber with 253 components – not a lot for a tourbillon monopusher chronograph –, it runs on 3Hz and offers five days of power reserve. The movement looks high-tech and cool both in its color and architecture with its bridges treated with ruthenium anthracite. It isn’t a movement dripping with traditional haute horlogerie decorations, though: no perlage or Geneva stripes, everything is dressed in this 21st-century pale grey – reminiscent more of engine blocks of today than watch movements of yesteryears.

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Ferrari turns 70 this year, and while it is a year that will no doubt be packed with amazing celebratory releases, for us watch lovers their first ever Ferrari-designed watch will definitely remain an outstanding one among those. Ferrari has done a commendable job in creating an exterior that corresponds well with how far they have come in car design, and kudos to Hublot for following through and making something as unusual as this Techframe design possible. Too bad that real-world wearability takes a back seat and that the dial isn’t really anything crazy or new to write home about – though it is legible for such an open architecture.

Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph Watch Hands-On Hands-On

It was the birth of a Big Bang chronograph which was launched at the Baselworld 2005, attaining instant success and record orders that eventually resulted in the brand’s explosive growth. The superb quality of this timepiece was also recognized by the professionals who given it to get the Best Design in the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie p Genève.Next year, Hublot presented with a Big Bang ALL BLACK version, but 2007 was truly successful for its renowned watchmaker. It came with a gorgeous One Million $ Big Bang, a jewelry timepiece completely gem-set with diamonds which later that year won the Jewelry Watch Prize in the 2007 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. There was likewise the very first Big Bang Diver timepiece with an oversized 48mm case.The year 2008 was pronounced with the change of the owner. Nevertheless headed by Jean-Claude Biver and Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot attained the record growth in the next period. It presented the initial Big Bang exclusively designed for girls with the diameter of 38mm, and a gem-set bezel, in addition to a new Classic Fusion Collection that gave an elegant note to the distinctive sporty design of Hublot’s watches.Staying faithful to its basic philosophy, Hublot created a brand new King Power Collection in 2009. With bold sporty design and a highly effective construction, the mix of different substances obtained the new measurement.

Here’s hoping for some more “lattice structure” cases from Hublot Watches Chicago – Techframe does sound sexier, that’s for sure – though preferably with ever-so-slightly smaller and more wearable proportions… and, again, hats off to Ferrari for thinking outside the box. Price for the Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph is $127,000 in titanium, the carbon model will run you $137,000, and the King Gold version will cost $158,000. All are limited to 70 numbered pieces each. hublot.com

The vital factor for the rise of the brand’s rating was the production of in-house mechanics. In its new, high-tech production in Nyon, Hublot Watches Seattle began making a brand new UNICO column-wheel chronograph movement. In 2010, it established its first highly complex mechanics, placed inside the King Power Tourbillon Manufacture restricted series that marked the brand’s 30th anniversary.In sequence to enter the field of the haute horology, Hublot opened a Grand Complications section with thirty watchmakers, prototype makers, electroplaters and engineers from Hublot’s old provider BNB. That is how the brand’s forth, MasterPiece Collection was born. Marking the introduction of its boutique in 10 Place Vend?me, Hublot introduced the Vend?me Collection — summertime collection Tutti Frutti 2011 and the Big Bang Vend?me.In association with the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, Hublot established the first diving timepiece with an incredible water-resistance around 4,000 meters (roughly 13,120 feet). After18 months of research, development and testing, the groundbreaking King Power Oceanographic 4000 view was finally revealed, demonstrating the high end mastery of Hublot’s watchmakers.At the Baselworld 2012, Hublot showed its predominate from the entirely different field of watchmaking. This time, it was a stunning $5 Million Big Bang timepiece that astounded the watch lovers. The most precious watch presented in the watch and jewelry show in Basel features 1,282 diamonds weighing more than 100 carats, including 6 emerald-cut diamonds put on the bracelet weighing over 3 carats each.

Top