If money isn’t much of an issue for you, perhaps a color-hued sapphire crystal watch case is due? Do you recall just a few years ago that clear sapphire cases were all the rage? Hublot was one of the early adopters of using synthetic sapphire crystals for watch cases, not long after Richard Mille first debuted its seminal million-dollar-plus sapphire-cased timepiece. The first sapphire-case Hublot was the Hublot Big Bang UNICO Sapphire, and since then, perhaps no other brand has embraced sapphire crystal as a case material as much. Even though sapphire watches are still rather expensive, the cost of making such watches has come down, and more importantly, more variety is available through colors. That should help explain some context behind this Hublot MP-11 Water Blue Sapphire that I go hands-on with today.

Synthetic sapphire crystal can be created with a number of color tints. I am not an expert in the formulation of synthetic sapphire, but I understand that it is possible to insert pigmentation in the formation process. This pigmentation can result in very strong, deep colors, or simply add a color tint, resulting in a mostly transparent crystal formulation with a specific color hue. Hublot has taken advantage of this fact more so than any other luxury watch brand I can think of. In less than 10 years Hublot has released sapphire watch cases in a variety of colors (including transparent models as well) including gray, yellow, orange, purple, and multiple shades of blue. They call this particular hue “water blue,” and it makes for a very pretty case color. While transparent sapphire cases are certainly interesting, what many people have found is that colored sapphire cases are a bit more fashionable. Not only is it quite a challenge to match a strap to a clear sapphire case (I’ve not seen one yet and none of the semi-transparent clear straps appeal to me), but it can be a bit too abstract for many people to style them with their outfits. And yes, when spending this type of money on a novelty luxury timepiece, people certainly do consider how to wear it and if it goes with something in their wardrobe (especially since most people don’t have clear or transparent clothing to pair such a timepiece with).

Hublot has never told me exactly which colors work best, or the price points that make the most sense for its sapphire crystal cases. Hublot has experimented with sapphire watches costing ‘only’ in the tens of thousands of dollars, and way up to exotic bracelet-based models with tourbillons with a price of around half a million dollars. I think the company is taking a rainbow approach (both literally and figuratively), by offering as much variety as they can with sapphire watches including in terms of both colors and timepiece styles. Where does the Hublot MP-11 (Masterpiece 11) Water Blue Sapphire fit in?

By virtue of it being an MP family watch, this product is certainly going to be more high-end and exclusive. The MP-11 product is an interesting watch that combines the Big Bang case with some of Hublot’s long power reserve technology and without a tourbillon. The in-house caliber HUB9011 manually-wound mechanical movement is a combination of wearable size and long power reserve. The movement doesn’t have the longer power reserve available from Hublot, but it is more or less “traditionally wearable.” The Big Bang style does however need to be specially engineered to accommodate the stack of seven individual mainspring barrels that are placed using a horizontal orientation. Operating at 3Hz, the HUB9011 has an impressive power reserve of 14 days. It also has a drum-style power reserve indicator on the left side of the coupled mainspring barrel stack.

Given the space required by the mainspring barrels, the case has an obvious “speed bump.” This was always part of the front sapphire crystal, and now (rather attractively) that entire shape is integrated into the sapphire case. While the “bump” is not per se attractive, Hublot does a solid job of creating a cohesive design for the case, such that the movement looks like an exotic mechanism as opposed to an oddity placed in a case that was never really intended for it. A watch like the MP-11, in my opinion, is a rather good compromise between the needs of a rather wild mechanical movement, and the popularity of the Big Bang UNICO-style case.

The skeletonized dial matches the transparency theme of the overall timepiece nicely. That also extends to the caseback view. Other than the power reserve, the dial only indicates the time via hours and minutes on a subsidiary dial (which is about as legible as could be given the size and overall skeletonization). The Hublot Big Bang MP-11 case is 45mm wide and water resistant to a rather scant 30 meters. Making sapphire cases as water-resistant as metal case is still something engineers are trying to work out. The rigidity of the case material as compared to metal is part of the problem. I have written in the past that truly water-resistant sapphire watch cases will need to be engineered using entirely new principles of assembly, rethinking how the parts fit together. Currently, most sapphire watches simply use the same shapes that were intended for metal watches (a material that can bend a bit without breaking) but replace traditional components for those machined out of sapphire. I can’t wait to see the first 100 or 300-meter water-resistant sapphire watch. Then Hublot will have a new use for its “water blue” shade of sapphire crystal.

Hublot pairs the Big Bang MP-11 Power Reserve 14 Days Water Blue Sapphire watch with a matching light blue rubber strap, which can be removed easily thanks to Hublot’s quick-release system for the strap (though you will need another compatible Hublot strap to replace it with). Sapphire watches are not for everyone, and while sapphire crystals are extremely hard and scratch-resistant, they are not shock-resistant. A hard drop can be “fatal.” That means it requires a special type of collector who can both appreciate and baby these watches properly. With that said, no plastic watch can truly compete with the allure and tactile sensation of sapphire (not to mention that transparent plastic watches tend to age very poorly). That is why this material has proven so compelling for use in high-end watches, and Hublot is typically at the vanguard of the pack. The Hublot Big Bang MP-11 Power Reserve 14 Days Water Blue Sapphire (reference 911.JL.0129.RX) is made as a limited edition of 50 pieces and has a retail price of $171,000 USD. Learn more at the Hublot website.