A unique design combined with an equally unique mechanism, wound with an unusual rotor, constitutes a collection of watchmaking curiosities in the form of the MP-10 model from the Hublot Replica brand.
When I first saw photos of the new Hublot on social media today, I wasn’t convinced what I was actually seeing. The manufacturer from Nyon (near Geneva) has its own distinctive style, but even it lacks the avant-garde design of the MP-10. It belongs to the Manufacture Piece (MP) collection, which includes only unusual, modern designs that reinterpret tradition and bring something new and previously unseen to watchmaking. Both from the technical and aesthetic side. So the MP-10 (Tourbillon Weight Energy System) is a fully functional wristwatch… just different. Debatable, but certainly impressive and a reminder of what this often underestimated manufacture is capable of.
MP-10
The highlight of the latest addition to the M series is, of course, the mechanism – made of 592 components, put together as a result of 5 years of work by the R&D department. It also serves as the mechanical brain of the watch and as a dial, which, in fact, is missing from the entire composition, as are the hands. Their role was taken over by rotating discs located on the central axis (looking from the front), representing hours, minutes, power reserve and second hand. The disks have their own markings and indicators, so although they seem complicated, reading the time seems intuitively simple. The space on the right and left side is occupied by rotors, or rather something that replaced the classic rotor from the automatic watch we know.
In its place, Hublot proposes two vertically moving weights made of white gold. Each is equipped with protective bumpers, and the main spring is wound by moving in both directions, i.e. both up and down. The caliber number HUB9013 has a 48-hour power reserve, and if necessary, it can be manually tightened using the crown on the top of the case. This solution is not new in watchmaking, because apart from Hublot itself, it has already been experimented with by, for example, TAG Heuer and Corum.
The regulating organ of the mechanism is the tourbillon, inclined at an angle (clocked at 3 Hz), attached as if to the front of the entire composition.
From the outside, the MP-10 literally resembles nothing that I could adequately describe. The “envelope” – although the word “housing” is more appropriate here – is made of matte, sandblasted titanium. It has very organic, rounded shapes, highlighted by a complex sapphire glass. The two crowns are the already mentioned large crown at 12 and a hidden time setting knob integrated into the cover. The dimensions are 54.1 mm x 41.5 mm and 22.4 mm thick.
Integrated seamlessly into the titanium frame is a textured rubber strap with a titanium snap-on butterfly. It was attached with a set of screws in the shape of the Hublot logo, i.e. the letter “H”.
Availability and price
I would write that the Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System is not a watch for everyone, but this would be trivial and somewhat predetermined. Only 50 copies will be made, and each will cost an additional CHF 250,000 (~PLN 1,170,000). The watch was presented in Miami, during LVMH Watch Week.