Baselworld 2019: Hublot unleashes its latest (and most beguiling) Ferrari lovechild
The new Classic Fusion Ferrari GT draws inspiration from the GT designed and crafted in the Maranello workshops. The result is a contemporary hybrid that has inherited the best of both worlds.
Call us finicky, but this is fast shaping up to be our favourite Hublot-Ferrari tie-up since the partnership between upstart watchmaker and storied carmaker began in 2011.
The OG Big Bang Ferrari seemed too aggressive and in-your-face. The MP-05 LaFerrari was technically accomplished, but an unwieldy brute on the wrist. The Techframe Ferrari Tourbillon Chronograph was cool enough, but a tad too avant-garde for our tastes.
The Classic Fusion Ferrari GT, however, occupies a sweet spot between hi-tech cool and sheer wearability, even if the 45mm case diameter is on the large side.
It’s wrapped in three different skins for you to choose from: Titanium (limited to 1,000 pieces); King Gold (limited to 500 pieces); and 3D Carbon (limited to 500 pieces). King Gold, for the uninitiated, is Hublot’s proprietary red gold that’s “redder than the traditional 18K gold 5N”.
Meanwhile, 3D Carbon is a polymer matrix composite hewn from three-dimensional fibres. Compared to carbon fibre, which is made up of multiple layers of material (like a lasagna or kueh lapis), 3D Carbon is composed of fibres that intertwine across all the layers. It’s a commonly-used material in motorsports because of its strength, lightness and high resistance.
Reverberating at the watch’s core is the HUB1280, Hublot’s in-house manufactured chronograph calibre that features a flyback chronograph function, automatic winding, and has four patents to its name. The chronograph boasts a column wheel construction that is characteristic of high-end chronographs. You can see this mechanism on the dial at 6 o’clock.
References to the Maranello carmaker are subtle, if anything. Ferrari red accents on the pusher at 2 o’clock, as well as chronograph seconds and minutes hands (and around the sapphire crystal on the 3D Carbon model); prancing horse logos on the dial, crown and back of movement; and the rotor that’s shaped like a steering wheel. Finally, the black rubber straps are clad in Schedoni leather, just like the seats of historic Maranello racing machines.
