HANDS-ON: The Hublot Classic Fusion 40 Years Anniversary yellow gold
Brands such as Rolex, Richard Mille and Patek Philippe have all incorporated rubber into their high-end watches, but there can only be one pioneer who got the party started. Forty years ago, Hublot founder and designer Carlo Crocco took the watch world by storm, pairing a porthole-inspired yellow gold watch with a rubber strap integrated into its case. While they were not necessarily the first watch company to take inspiration from nautical design, Hublot was the first to make rubber straps a staple in luxury wear back in 1980. Upon the release of the original Classic Fusion, it immediately caught the eye of royal family members and watch collectors around the world. Hublot’s risk came with high reward – they understood what buyers wanted before they even realised it themselves. Today, Hublot is celebrating the “Classic Original” watch that birthed the precious rubber craze with a new and limited collection of three watches. The most faithful nod to the past is the Hublot Classic Fusion 40 Years Anniversary yellow gold. The case The case has been enlarged by 9mm to a modern 45mm, which is more in line with Hublot’s current catalogue of dimensions. The Classic Original of 1980 was…
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In this instalment of our discussion with the King of the Close-Up, Mr @horomariobro (you can find the first part right here), we take a deep dive into a brand that has a well-established reputation for getting the details right – Grand Seiko. Specifically, we take an extremely close look at his own Grand Seiko SBGY003, a watch that was released in 2019 to mark the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Spring Drive movement. Here’s what he had to say. Andrew McUtchen: Your video of the Grand Seiko SBGY003 is pretty remarkable..! @Horomariobro: Yes, here I try to show a couple of things. One is how smooth the Spring Drive moves the second hand. It’s really smooth. And then the other one, I’m just trying to show how well polished the index marker is. It’s the mirror polish, the famous Zaratsu polish, and then using the mirror polish to show the underside of the moving second hand. View this post on Instagram We recently spoke to @horomariobro about why he loves @grandseikoofficial so much, and what sets them apart from similar watches. The answer? You're going to need to look very, very closely. Head to the site for the full…
At first glance, many assume that in order to get your feet wet in the horology hobby you have to shell out thousands and thousands of dollars to get a quality watch. The reality is there are plenty of more affordable options in the marketplace to elevate your wrist game, and gain the attention and respect of even the most serious collectors. Here are eight watches that get the nod from watch snobs – all under $1000. Seiko Prospex “Save the Ocean” SRPE33K Starting this list off with a bang, this has to be the most gorgeous blue dial (or dial period) available for under $1000 AUD. Go ahead, try to think of a better dial at the price point. I have the utmost faith you won’t be able to, as this scratched blue dial is a true piece of oceanic artwork. It really looks like a penetrating birds eye view of the ocean, with manta ray silhouettes just in view as if they are playfully hiding beneath the surface. The Seiko Prospex “Save the Ocean” SRPE33K automatic diver houses a reliable Seiko movement, is water resistant to 200 metres, and features a Rolex Cyclops style date magnifier that will…
The complexity is tangible, the feeling is tingly yet disturbing. I’m seeing the unreal sight of the MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual EVO, or any MB&F for that matter – on a moulded soft rubber strap in an image surely done with a green screen CGI. I mean, mountain biking or hiking with a piece of highly strung horological art worth close to $300,000 AUD on your wrist, surely not. And the heat that seeps from that fiery orange within the movement: if I was an A.I. this would mean a sensory overload and system crash; intriguing seems a proper understatement. This is sports casual on a level higher than we are used to on a normal weekday — have a look at our first look at the the MB&F Legacy Machine 1 here to understand the intriguing contrast. But yes, the images are true to life, and that is the first Atomic Orange PVD/CVD movement plate ever fitted to a piece of Haute Horlogerie, also available in a now very demure black – or a delicate blue. But why did I get the feeling the brightness of the case polish was somehow different too? An intensely labour-intensive Zirconium case envelops the…