Hublot’s new MP revisits the fundamentals of watchmaking: no dial, hands or oscillating weight, instead a roller display, a circular power reserve and an inclined tourbillon automatic winding by two linear weights.
The announcement of a new Manufacture Piece (MP) is always eagerly awaited at Hublot. This MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System will be no exception. The piece is immediately arresting. With its rounded angles, sleek design and sapphire crystal of an unparalleled complexity, it houses a movement which is no less sophisticated. A fusion of form and substance. The mechanical and aesthetic power are inseparable – one of the key concepts guiding the MP collections.
And at the point where they intersect, the Manufacture offers a bold reinvention of the classic watchmaking complications. These are avantgarde pieces which are resolutely disruptive in their movement, display and complications. But they are neither concepts nor exercises in style. Like all the other MPs, the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System is a complete, accomplished, and practical watch that will soon adorn the wrists of a select few collectors.
The MP-10 has no hands. In their place are four constantly rotating displays: the hours and minutes in the upper third of the dial, combined with an invisible magnifying glass; the circular power reserve in the central third, with a very clear green zone and red zone; and the seconds in the lower third which are indicated directly on the tourbillon cage. It is made from monobloc aluminium, suspended and inclined, and a patent application is pending for this unique mechanical configuration.
Hublot has fused the caliber with the dial. The movement is the face and soul of the watch. The gaze is drawn directly to the mechanism to read the time. The MP 10 features a highly architectural design and a particularly expressive movement built around volume and depth. Yet, this in no way interferes with reading. Instead, it makes it simpler. The time is read from top to bottom, fluidly and naturally. The power reserve is particularly expressive, with a two-tone disc (red and green) set coaxially to the hours and minutes.
This design eliminates the traditional space constraints, which are usually dictated by a central display in a horizontal plane. The MP-10 can be easily read vertically: hours, minutes, power reserve then seconds. The movement of the eye is fluid and natural. The indications are aligned. They share the same white lacquer typography on black aluminium rollers. For each indication, the current time is read via a red triangular marker. Its winding system follows the same logic. A traditional movement is formed of a flat dial paired with an oscillating weight on the case-back side.
The exterior is on par with the movement. While the case construction is simple (two pieces, middle and case-back in shiny micro-blasted titanium), the sapphire crystal atop it is Hublot’s most complex to date and combines inclined planes on three axes. The same applies to the integrated rubber strap – also the most refined ever designed by the Manufacture. Until the next MP.
