Hublot really did something special with this watch, and it looks just great. Totally epitomizing what fresh Hublot designs can feel like. In addition to the great King Power model based design, this watch has two special innovations that you will really like. First, is a world’s first developed by Hublot – a red sapphire crystal. A few years ago Rolex developed a green colored sapphire crystal for their Milgauss watches. Hublot has done the same but with red. How cool does that look? Of course the crystal is just slightly red, so as to still be transparent.
You have to understand that this isn’t merely a red tinted or colored sapphire crystal, the actual crystal itself has that red color to it. On the edges of the crystal you can see the rich red tone, and the dial itself is hued in red a bit as a result of the red lens. Of course, the hands and hour markers that are already red have enhanced colors due to the red sapphire crystal.
The second technical feature that is new is an in-house skeletonized Valjoux 7750 movement. Those watches that utilize 7750s are already modified by Hublot, but here Hublot has actually skeletonized the movement. One image here is of light penetrating though the movement, showing that you can see right through to the other side in parts of it. The combo of the black titanium screws, carbon fiber bridges, sapphire plate under the dial, custom tungsten carbide rotor, and skeletonization makes this feel like so much more than your average 7750 automatic chronograph movement. To make room for the F1 logo on the dial, Hublot removed the subsidiary seconds dial. If you want to measure seconds, you can use the chronograph.
The mostly red and black dial with the white trim really talks to me. It is very tough to go from a three dimensional Hublot dial back to most other watches. The majority of other dials start to look really flat after seeing the style of King Power dials. Despite the complexity, the large hour markers have a very high contrast, and have applied SuperLumiNova. Those, mixed with the minute indicators on the flange ring, make for a very easy to read timepieces. The hands are of course super bold and sport. Here painted (microblasted) in a bright red, they have a softer look that some other Hublot hands due to the paint, but have an incredible ability to pop out visually. Part of the dial look like they are floating around due to the fact that there is another AR coated sapphire crystal in the case that the hour markers (for example) are mounted on.
Aside from the time, the watch has a 12 hour chronograph and the date. You can see the date wheel around the dial, and you read the date where the transparent disc has the white marker behind it, located at about 4 o’clock. The showiness of the dial is balanced by the matte finished case. In matte black ceramic, the case is 48mm wide, with composite resin in the middle, and the caseback is a titanium plate. The screws are all black titanium. The bezel, crown, and pushers are each molded with rubber. The case materials make it feel good to the touch. Hublot often has highly tactile products that are intended to offer a variety of textures, finished, and colors. That rule is no different here.
The strap is a cool material and matched to one of Hublot’s excellent fold over deployments with a tuck in strap. Really comfy, even with a big watch like this. The strap itself is make from Nomex, which is a fire retardant material that Formula 1 race car driver suits are made out of.
Which leads me to the point of the watch – being another timepiece as part of Hublot’s partnership to be the official watchmaker of Formula 1. First there was the basic Hublot Formula 1 watch, which will be followed by a number of specifically themed watches such as this Formula 1 Monza watch – dedicated to the famous race track in Italy. The high tech looks of Hublot watches certainly do match with the high-tech looks of Formula 1 race cars – a fact that is hard to deny. The Hublot King Power Formula 1 Monza watch will be limited to 200 pieces and have a price of 26,900 Swiss Francs. Quite pricey, but given the demand for a watch like this, Hublot won’t have any trouble selling out.
Technical specs from Hublot:
Hublot King Power F1 (Formula 1) MONZA
Case: “King Power”, diameter 48 mm in micro-blasted black ceramic
Bezel: Micro-blasted black ceramic with moulded black rubber, and 6 relief black PVD H-shaped titanium screws, FORMULA 1 MONZA inscription in red
Crystal: World 1st Sapphire, solid red color
Bezel: Lug Black composite resin
Lateral Inserts: Black composite resin
Case-back Micro-blasted black ceramic
Crown: Black PVD titanium with black rubber insert
Push-pieces: Black PVD titanium with black rubber insert
Screws: Black PVD titanium
Water resistance: 100 m or 10 ATM
Dial: Sapphire with anti-reflective treatment, multi-layered, with additional matt black counters, red indexes, white SuperLuminovaâ„¢, metal-plated F1 logo at 9 o’clock, red and white minute track
Hands: Micro-blasted red with white SuperLuminovaâ„¢
Movement: Mechanical skeleton chronograph with automatic winding, carbon bridges, Hublot calibre HUB4400
No. of Components 252
Jewels: 27
Bridges: Micro-blasted black chrome
Screws: Black PVD
Oscillating Weight: Tungsten carbide with black PVD treated dimpled surface
Main plate: Micro-blasted black chrome
Barrel With reinforced spring
Escapement Glucydur hairspring
Power Reserve 42 hours
Wristlet: Adjustable black rubber and Nomex strap with red stitching
Clasp: Micro-blasted black ceramic and black PVD steel
Series limited to 200 pieces numbered from 01/200 to 200/200