Last night in New York City, Hublot unveiled its newest watches created in partnership with famed Parisian luxury shoe maker, Berluti. While the two luxury companies have had a collaboration for the past three years, the newest Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Berluti watches are a striking evolution. Like previous Berluti watches, these timepieces feature sumptuous leather straps and leather dials, however, they also boast the Berluti Scritto script writing on the case.
The Classic Fusion Chronograph Berluti watches with script writing on the cases are the fourth collection in this partnership. The very first Berluti/Hublot line was launched in 2016. The engraved cases of this newest model are made in either titanium with a black-brushed finish on the case (called Cold Brown) to emulate Berluti’s famed black/gray patinas, or in beautiful bronze (called Cold Gold) to emulate the Berluti brown patinas. They are finished with luxury leather straps that also have the same sumptuous patina as Berluti shoes.
As mentioned, Berluti is renowned for its luscious patina work, and for its vintage script motif. In its workshops in Paris, Olga Berluti developed a special method to acheive the distinctive patina found on the brand’s bespoke leather shoes. Step by step, essential oils and pigments are added to the leather, giving each pair a unique finish and sheen. Additionally, Berluti shoes feature the hallmark of the brand, the “Scritto” – an 18th century French letter that Berluti bought at an auction.
According to Hublot, the challenges in creating the new Classic Fusion Chronograph Berluti watches came not in creating the leather straps with the perfect patina in the proper color spectrums, but also in developing the perfect Scritto engraving on the case and giving it the patina look.
Like the previous Hublot/Berluti watches, the dials on these watches are made of Venezia leather, while the subsidiary dials for the chronograph totalizers are created in a matching hue. The bronze model has a rich brown leather dial and bronze-colored subdials, while the titanium version boasts a stunning gray hue. Hublot’s 280-part HUB1143 automatic chronograph movement powers the watches. Measuring 43mm in diameter, the Cold Brown version is engraved and finished with black-brushed titanium and a dark brown/black strap and retails for $18,800, while the Cold Gold bronze version is finished with a bronze-colored patina strap and retals for $29,900. The watches offer 42 hours of power reserve and are water resistant to 50 meters.
For Hublot, whose tag line is the Art of Fusion, the watches made in cooperation with Berluti exemplify the brands willingness to create classic elegance in a unique manner. Each watch is sold in a presentation box containing a Berluti leather care set. Just 200 pieces of each will be made.
According to Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot, “It was an exciting exercise to transpose the patina and the Scritto – two hallmark signs of Berluti’s expertise—onto our watch cases.”
Unfortunately, this series is first offered exclusively in Japan from June 21 until July 20, 2019, and then will be available worldwide as of July 21.
