After only two years, the 2020s have already proven to be a transformative decade for the luxury watch industry. Stylistic trends have shifted, new horological advances have been developed, and the “hype economy” surrounding certain brands has expanded to heretofore unseen proportions. Of course, one of the most impactful shifts for the industry as a whole has been the continuing growth of e-commerce platforms. With many brick and mortar boutiques and retailers shut down during the global COVID-19 pandemic, brands increasingly turned towards creating their own online storefronts to maintain a retail presence during the lockdown. Hublot is one such brand, having launched its own e-commerce platform in 2020. To celebrate the two-year anniversary of this online storefront, the avant-garde marque has created a uniquely handsome take on its (comparatively) reserved Classic Fusion series. Available exclusively to buyers in the United States through its e-commerce platform, the limited edition Hublot Classic Fusion 45mm Bronze Brown brings a warmly masculine new colorway to the line with a wealth of visual nuance.

Although Hublot has experimented with bronze case designs before, the Classic Fusion 45mm Bronze Brown’s case brings with it a dynamic sense of texture and tonality in images along with a series of luxurious highlights. As the name suggests, this bronze case measures in at a hefty 45mm-wide, but offers a softer, more refined take on the brand’s signature angular integrated case design. The familiar broad chamfered bezel, boldly planar integrated lugs, and large pillbox crown are all finished in warm brushed bronze, but rather than using a traditional directionally brushed motif Hublot instead gives this design a pre-patinated look. Each surface features deep matte gray lowlights in images, along with a chaotic web of hand-brushing that emulates the look of years of wear and tear. Hublot accentuates this warm, broken-in style in images with a bezel flange in matte black composite, creating a harder visual shoulder for the organically rounded case sides and establishing a darker contrast for the bronze case material to interact with. Conversely, each of the Classic Fusion 45mm Bronze Brown’s distinctive H-shaped accent screws forms a bright highlight in polished 3N yellow gold, maintaining the overall color palette while adding a luxurious new dimension to the design. While bronze generally carries with it a series of marine-inspired connotations due to its long history of maritime and diving use, Hublot rates the Classic Fusion 45mm Bronze Brown for a disappointing 50 meters of water resistance.

With a simple layout and rich, saturated color, the dial of the Hublot Classic Fusion 45mm Bronze Brown continues the warmth and vibrancy of the case design. The main dial surface is a deeply textured sunburst in a charismatic chocolate brown, showcasing a broad dynamic range of shades in images. Hublot complements this with simple faceted pointed baton hands in polished 3N gold plate, along with matching applied hour indices. The rest of the dial design is kept cleanly minimal, with gold printed dial text and no outer scales to clutter the layout. With that said, the black 3 o’clock date window notably disrupts the visual flow of the dial in images, and a no-date layout may have presented a cleaner option.

Inside the Hublot Classic Fusion 45mm Bronze Brown beats the Sellita SW300-1 based HUB1112 automatic movement. Despite its humble roots, the HUB1112 still offers dependable performance, including a 42 hour power reserve at a 28,800 bph beat rate. To complete the package, Hublot pairs the Classic Fusion 45mm Bronze Brown with an integrated alligator leather strap in mahogany brown, featuring a sporty inner lining in black rubber.

With eye-catching unique finishing and a warm, luxurious new colorway, the limited edition Hublot Classic Fusion 45mm Bronze Brown celebrates the brand’s burgeoning e-commerce platform in style. Only 30 examples of the Hublot Classic Fusion 45mm Bronze Brown will be made, and the watch is available now exclusively through Hublot’s website to customers in the United States. MSRP for the Hublot Classic Fusion 45mm Bronze Brown stands at $13,300 as of press time. For more information, please visit Hublot’s website.