As a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the iconic marina, the Swiss watchmaker Hublot launched the Costa Smeralda Collection, including two limited edition watches: the Big Bang Costa Smeralda for ladies, and the King Power Costa Smeralda for men.
Located at the heart of the Mediterranean Sea and at the crossroads of international yachting routes, Costa Smeralda is a favorite destination for the most exclusive celebrities, business leaders and other affluent visitors. This vivid location on the northern coast of the Italian islandSardiniais also known for its beautiful beaches and hidden coves.
A natural paradise became a stylish getaway for international jetsetters 50 years ago, when the Prince Karim Aga Khan came to Sardinia and created the Costa Smeralda Consortium. In order to accomplish his vision, Karim Aga Khan hired the most renowned French and Italian architects to design the little village Porto Cervo, while a famous golf club architect, Robert Trent Jones, projected a world-class golf facility, the Pevero Golf Club.
Quality, beauty, prestige, relaxation, joy, happiness and freedom… These are the words that Hublot’s Chairman, Jean-Claude Biver, used to describe the Costa Smeralda while presenting the brand’s Costa Smeralda Collection. “These qualities we try to perpetuate through our art. Our watches should not only be considered as timepieces, but more like objects of quality, prestige, beauty, freedom, joy and happiness. This is why the partnership between Hublot and Costa Smeralda seemed so obvious,” said Hublot’s Chairman.
Costa Smeralda Collection
Two exclusive models for men and women – each limited to only 100 pieces perfectly match glamour, temperament and beauty of the elite destination. Both combine luxurious gold cases and a breath-taking shine of diamonds, with Hublot high-quality self-winding mechanisms. Both timepieces can be recognized by the Porto Cervo Marina logos on their dials.
The Big Bang Costa Smeralda watch is an ultra-luxury version of Hublot Chukker Bang. Unusual grill-like components above the bezel, crafted in 18 karat red gold are adorned with 319 white diamonds (1.49 karat). The complete construction is attached to the case with 6 H-shaped relief titanium screws and can be easily removed, depending on the owner’s preference. This basically means that the Big Bang Costa Smeralda has two completely different faces.
Hublot Big Bang Costa Smeralda Watch
Behind diamond shine, there is a matt white dial, featuring satin-finished markers and hands with red gold plating and white SuperLuminova. A small second counter is located at the 3 o’clock position, while the minute flyback chronograph with the 7.5 minute duration takes the 9 o’clock position. A chronograph hand with H counterpoise comes in red, while a small second hand features red arrow and white index. Finally, there is a date aperture, placed at the 6 o’clock position.
With the diameter of 41 mm, the case of the Big Bang Costa Smeralda is pretty robust for a ladies’ watch. Crafted in beautifully polished and satin-finished 18 karat red gold, it incorporates a crown with a white rubber insert. The case-back is covered with personalized crystal that comes with the Porto Cervo Marina exclusive logo. The watch comes with a choice of a white rubber and a white alligator strap that is subtly adorned with white stitching.
Inside the case, there is an in-house HUB1141 self-winding chronograph movement. This mechanism comprises 280 components, including a specially designed oscillating weight with tungsten carbide heavy metal segment. The movement oscillates at the frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and provides the power-reserve of 42 hours.
The second timepiece in this collection is the King Power Costa Smeralda, a men’s watch that combines sport elegance and luxury. Despite its striking gold case and white alligator (or rubber) strap, the central part of this robust timepiece is an open-worked dial that partially reveals an in-house HUB4214 Skeleton Chronograph movement. This high-quality automatic mechanism incorporates an oscillating weight with black galvanic coating. It provides 42 hours of power-reserve.
Hublot King Power Costa Smeralda Watch
Now, let us go back to its design. Although the combination of a red gold case with white rubber inserts and a white strap is far away from my personal taste, I am sure that the watch will find a lot of fans. Its case is extremely masculine with the diameter of 48 mm. Nice looking satin-finishes are visible both on the case and on the bezel. Besides, six H-shaped relief titanium screws seem like great details.
The dial of the King Power Costa Smeralda watch looks nice and clear. Its outer rim comes in matt white color, while the central, skeletonized part opens a view at the mechanism. It also features three sub-dials: a small seconds sub-dial at the 9 o’clock position features the Porto Cervo Marina logo, a 12 hour chronograph is located at the 6 o’clock, while a 30-minute counter takes the 3 o’clock position. Besides, there is a date window at the 5 o’clock position.
From Grace Kelly to Brigitte Bardot and Ringo Starr, anybody… who was somebody…had to be there, gathering at the famous Cala di Volpe, when night comes in the village. Today, Costa Smeralda is still the meeting point for the world’s elite. Maybe these new Hublot’s timepieces will become signs of recognition for those lucky visitors of the small Italian paradise, when they bump on each other at some other place of the planet.
