While much of the press surrounding Hublot generally centers around the Big Bang series and its offshoots, there’s another side to the iconoclastic Swiss marque that only rarely emerges. The brand’s ultra-high-end experimental MP collection is where Hublot’s designers and watchmakers can truly let loose with a blank-slate approach to haute horlogerie, and as part of its LVMH Watch Week 2024 releases the brand unveils its latest MP creation with a totally novel approach to automatic winding. The new limited edition Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium combines a stunningly intuitive vertical column time display with a first-of-its-kind winding system and a smoothly futuristic design for one of the most innovative full-package releases in the MP collection to date.
The Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium’s micro-blasted titanium case is sleek, innovative, and deceptively simple in images. Measuring in at 41.5mm wide and 54.1mm from (integrated) lug to lug, this roughly canteen-shaped case opts for smooth, uniform surfacing. Other than the oversized turbine-style crown at 12 o’clock and the exaggerated strap integration, there’s little about the case itself that catches the eye except the sapphire crystal. Hublot claims this is the most technically complex crystal it’s ever produced, combining inclined planes across three separate axes, and the results of this complexity speak for themselves in photos. Easily the most dramatic part of this case design, the crystal’s wraparound design drapes across the case sides and frames the 6 o’clock tourbillon from multiple angles for high-impact visual spectacle. Around back, the sapphire display caseback is simpler and far more conventional, but does feature a unique cutout to accommodate the time-setting crown. Unfortunately, as is common with these exotic case designs, the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium’s water resistance suffers with an abysmal 30-meter rating.
Strictly speaking, the Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium has no dial, or even hands for that matter. Everything under the wraparound sapphire crystal is a skeletonized movement component, specialized to display the time in an unorthodox but hyper-legible way. In short, the base movement itself is a vertical cylinder running longitudinally from 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock, and each individual timekeeping register is arrayed along this cylinder. At the top of the cylinder sits a rotating hours scale, flanked by a matching rotating minutes display. Below this is a power reserve indicator, which uses a boldly graphic red and green display to indicate current movement winding. Hublot caps off the cylinder with a 60-second tourbillon escapement canted at a 35-degree angle, which doubles as a running seconds indicator thanks to a rotating scale affixed to its outer edge. In practice, this means the watch is read top to bottom with a fluid, natural movement. In static images, the effect comes across readily enough, but in-person viewing with all components moving should give this even more of a shock-and-awe factor. Hublot flanks this cylinder with a pair of signed black weights that, at first glance, might feel more at home as valve covers on a Lamborghini V10 than anything horological. These elements are the heart of the brand’s unique new winding system, relying on bidirectional linear motion rather than a weighted rotor. To put it simply, these weights slide along a set of rods when the watch is in motion, and that energy is used to power the mainspring. To keep these elements from bashing into the sides of the inner case, Hublot adds a set of shock-absorbing springs to the outer rods. When combined with the central timekeeping stack, this is an innovative, ultra-modern, and vaguely automotive look in images, but where the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium’s “dial side” truly shines is in the small details. Each of the pointers paired with the display cylinders are heavily brushed, with polished anglage along each edge. The 6 o’clock tourbillon cage is sporty but sharp, with blacked-out skeleton arms and a radially brushed center. Above all though, the impression in photos is of perfect symmetry and balance. Hublot has clearly taken great lengths to ensure that each element in this deconstructed display is proportionally balanced with the rest of the layout, leading to a more thoughtful, clean feel than many similar avant-garde designs.
Inside the Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium beats the brand’s in-house HUB9013 automatic tourbillon movement. The amount of work that went into this 592-piece movement is considerable, with Hublot claiming it spent a full five years in development. While many exotic movements suffer in the performance department, the HUB9013 offers a remarkably un-exotic 48 hour power reserve at a 21,600 bph beat rate. From the caseback side, however, the HUB9013’s finishing and layout are far less impressive than the front. The view is dominated by simple brushed and matte blasted geometric skeleton bridges in images, each sporting further polished anglage. To complete the design, Hublot fits the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium with a stylized integrated strap in black rubber. Like the crystal, Hublot claims this is the most complex and refined strap it’s ever produced, with dramatic contouring and deep cutouts to accommodate the 12 o’clock crown and 6 o’clock tourbillon. In initial images, it’s sharp, flashy, and ultra-modern, with a richly detailed fabric-effect inset.
With their rarity, price points, and avant-garde design concepts, the release of any Hublot MP model is an event unto itself. With the new limited Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium, however, the brand goes above the lofty standards of its own series to deliver something that truly feels like a stylish glimpse into the future of horology. Only 50 examples of the Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium will be made, and the watch is available now through authorized dealers. MSRP for this watch stands at 250,000 CHF as of press time. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.
