The concept of dopamine dressing has transcended its sartorial origins and entered the horological world. The new Hublot MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis, unveiled during the Hublot Loves Art event at Art Basel Miami, represents a step forward in both aesthetic and technical innovation.
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Although the Swiss watch manufacturer has produced a number of striking rainbow timepieces, this marked the first time it has manufactured one devoid of precious gemstones. The result of a seemingly straightforward premise — to reproduce the rainbow effect of coloured gemstones using carbon fibre and composites — the execution of the Hublot MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis required a reconceptualisation of the current method, tools, and materials used.
Traditional techniques see gemstones hand-selected to form a gradient pattern; in the Hublot MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis, each minuscule composite insert is created one by one. Taking on a braided effect, each bar of carbon is laid flat, a few millimetres apart. Then, bars of coloured composite are placed vertically into the gaps, left protruding slightly from the carbon. A layer of carbon mesh raises all the components to the same level.
The resultant effect is something of an optical illusion — despite the hundreds of individual coloured inserts used in the timepiece, the eye views them as a natural graduation, echoing the brilliance of gemstones.
“We have mastered carbon. We have mastered the traditional rainbow setting,” said Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot. “But no one was yet to master 3-D carbon with the rainbow effect, quite simply because no one had thought about it. That is what makes Hublot different: we explore the unknown regions of haute horlogerie.”
The rainbow case is undoubtedly the star of the show, however, the movement is no secondary player. Equipped with the in-house HUB9009.H1.RA.B, the manual-winding movement boasts an impressive 5-day power reserve. Equipped with a bi-axial tourbillon with one complete rotation per minute for the first axis and a secondary rotation every 30 seconds for the second; resulting in a hypnotic double rotation. This visual effect informed the case design, which is defined by its unique curved architecture which displays the tourbillon in all its glory at 6 o’clock.
Priced at $294,000AUD, the Hublot MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis is limited to just eight examples.
Words by T. Angel
