In order to celebrate the first year of its partnership with the most prestigious historical car rally in Europe, Hublot launched a Classic Fusion Tour Auto Chrono watch in the limited series of 100 pieces. The renowned Swiss watchmaker chose the design concept of its most elegant collection, nicely reinterpreting it in the authentic vintage style that immediately recalls collectors’ cars that can be seen each spring at the Tour Auto Optic 2000.
Hublot seems like a perfect substitute for Audemars Piguet which was the Tour Auto Optic 2000 partner from 2006 to 2012. (Here you can read the review of the last year’s model that AP produced for the same occasion.)
Hublot has already renowned for its strong links with the automotive industry. By producing the exclusive edition of Classic Fusion Tour Auto Chrono watch, it straitened its presence in the prestigious world of classic cars, even more. This cool vintage timepiece shows the wonderful blend of sporty style, characteristic for racing watches, and an everlasting classic elegance.
A Classic Fusion case is made of nicely polished titanium with satin-finished edges. It has the diameter of 45 mm which, along with the large push-button and the crown, provides a reasonable robustness. A round titanium bezel with beautiful satin-finishes features the brand’s signature 6 H-shaped titanium screws.
An opaline dial and a retro-style strap stay in the perfect harmony. Both are decorated with navy blue and red vertical stripes, recalling the design of classic racing cars. Furthermore, the dial features two black sun-burst chrono counters. The 30-minute counter is at the 9 o’clock position, while the small-seconds sub-dial takes the 3 o’clock position. Finally, there is a date window at the 6 o’clock position. The dial also incorporates applied titanium colored hour markers, as well as diamond-polished and rhodium-plated, skeleton hands. The vintage look is completed with a white perforated calfskin strap with navy blue and red stitching. This leather strap is sewn onto the brand’s renowned rubber strap that provides exceptional comfort and durability.
The Classic Fusion Tour Auto Chrono watch is powered by a HUB1143 self-winding chronograph movement. It comprises 280 parts, including 59 jewels, satin-finished, bevelled and polished bridges, as well as a tungsten carbide oscillating weight with black PVD coated dimpled surface. The power-reserve of this in-house mechanism that oscillates at the frequency of 28,600 vibrations per hour is around 42 hours.
The case-back is crafted in satin-finished titanium and comes with the nice looking Tour Auto 2013 engraving. The front side is protected with anti-reflective sapphire crystal. The watch is water-resistant up to 50 meters.
I like the watch, as well as the pretty cool quote of Hublot’s chairman, Jean-Claude Biver, given at the presentation of the brand’s new creation. Thus, I will share it with you: “Exceptional cars or collectors’ cars are often only children’s toys, sought out by adults in an attempt to recapture their childhood dreams. It is this emotional dimension which ultimately creates their real value, and represents the real significance of the collector’s car. Cars and watches both belong to the same world: of dreams and toys”.
