The Hublot Replica Classic Fusion Blue 45mm Special Edition ‘Harrods’ is the first model to come out of Hublot’s replica watches partnership with the Knightsbridge store
Hublot hits the ground running for 2016 with the Classic Fusion Blue 45mm Special Edition ‘Harrods’. It’s a lightweight titanium version of the three-hand Classic Fusion with a navy blue dial that is – unsurprisingly – exclusive to Harrods, where it will be available from February.
The original Classic Fusion launched in 2010 and, nominative determinism aside, it has become a Hublot staple. Based on Hublot’s avant-garde designs of the early 1980s, it’s a measure of how far the Classic Fusion has come that what was once heralded as disrupting cheap Swiss replica watchmaking conventions is now a pretty comfortable and familiar face.
It is fitting, then, that this big brand partnership takes the creative side up a notch. For the first time, the dial features a combination of Arabic numerals and hour markers; previous models have exclusively featured baton hour markers. And not just any Arabic numerals – certainly not the butch stencil font favoured by the Big Bang – these are quite light and breezy, almost cartoonish.
The font is playful, with incomplete loops on the zero and eight giving a handwritten aesthetic. Faceted baton markers are placed at every other hour – it would probably have been a bit too much otherwise. The rhodium plating stands out against the navy sunray satin-finished dial and a discreet black date window sits at 3 o’clock.
Jason Broderick, Director of Fine Watches at Harrods, commented, ‘It’s with great enthusiasm that we’ve partnered with Hublot, which has become an iconic brand in its own right. Not only is the new Hublot replica watches beautifully made, it’s also full of the character and confidence that have made Hublot so universally successful.’
The movement visible through the sapphire caseback is a HUB 1112, a Sellita movement with in-house finishing and date module. It comes on a blue rubber or rubber-lined alligator strap.
The run is limited to 50 pieces, and the Classic Fusion Blue 45mm Special Edition ‘Harrods’ is priced at £6,900.