Among its wide-ranging LVMH Watch Week 2023 debuts (which include several new Big Bang and Spirit of Big Bang models) Hublot revisits its 1980 debut model, the first luxury Swiss watch that dared to arrive attached to a rubber strap.
The Hublot Classic Fusion Original is available in titanium, black ceramic and yellow gold, and in three case sizes.
Designed by Hublot founder Carlo Crocco in 1980, the 36mm ‘Classic Original’ embodied contemporary luxury with a polished black lacquered dial, no markers except for twelve screws along the bezel, a date window, facetted hands and a vanilla-scented black rubber strap.
Hublot founder Carlo Crocco with early Hublot models, including what Hublot now calls the Classic Original.
It didn’t take long for enthusiasts, in search of an original design, to agree that its spare dial and supple black rubber strap represented a modern approach to the typically busier dial and leather straps of classic Swiss watch design.
Hublot in 2023 revives the 1980 original with the new Classic Fusion Original,an updated version that adds a more sophisticated, multi-level case with a clear sapphire caseback.
The newest version also now offers the modern Hublot six-screw bezel design and, with two of the new models, is powered by modern Hublot MHUB1110 Sellita-based automatic movement. Even the Hublot logo at the top of the dial has changed over the years, though ever so subtly.
To reach the widest range of new enthusiasts, Hublot offers the new Classic Fusion Original in three different case metals and in three different sizes. Thus, you’ll find the new watch available in yellow gold, titanium and ceramic and the cases made in 42mm, 38mm and 33mm diameters.
We’ll show you all the LVMH Watch Week 2023 debuts in upcoming posts.
Prices: 42mm:$8,200 (Titanium), $10,000 (Black Magic) and $24,100.00 (Yellow Gold.)
For 38mm: $7,900 (Titanium), $8,500 (Black Magic) and $20,500 (Yellow Gold).
Focusing on its contemporary Defy collection for early 2023, Zenith this week adds new 36mm and skeleton models to its hot new Defy Skyline series while also introducing a new Defy Extreme design.
Two of the new Zenith Defy Skyline Skeleton models pictured alongside an existing Defy Skyline.
Defy Skyline Skeleton
Introduced last year, the 41mm Defy Skyline has become a strong-selling steel bracelet design for Zenith. The watch, with its constantly running 1/10th of a second counter at 9 o’clock (completing one revolution every ten seconds) introduced El Primero 3620, a new iteration of its El Primero 3600, which headlined the debut of the Zenith Chronomaster Sport in 2021.
The new Zenith Defy Skyline Skeleton, in blue.
As Zenith explains, this automatic manufacture movement drives the 1/10th of a second hand directly from the escapement, which beats at 36,000 VpH, thus making it a “natural fraction-of-a-second indication.”
With the new Defy Skyline Skeleton Zenith adds two versions of the steel watch with a skeletonized symmetric dial that looks much like four-pointed stars. Zenith notes that the open-work here is a direct reference to a Zenith “double Z” logo of the 1960s.
You may recall that the Defy Skyline’s faceted bezel is also meant to recall early 1960s eight-sided Defy models that have been now reimagined with twelve sides, each positioned as extensions to the hour markers.
Blue or black
Defying the typical hard-to-read skeleton dial design, Zenith purposefully applied a generous amount of SuperLuminova to the Skyline Skeleton’s applied baton hour markers and its central hour and minute hands.
Zenith offers the new skeleton design in a black or blue hue. The same color can be found on the main plate as well as the bridges and open star-shaped oscillating weight, visible from the back.
As usual, Zenith mixes its finishes, applying matte, satin-brushed and polished surfaces to the steel case and bezel. Its efficient automatic bi-directional winding mechanism with a star-shaped rotor delivers a power reserve of approximately sixty hours. The Defy’s steel bracelet can be swapped with the supplied rubber strap and steel folding clasp the boasts a starry sky pattern, matching the dial.
Price: $11,000
Defy Skyline 36mm
Also new in 2023 is a slightly smaller Skyline model, which debuts in three new pastel colors, each offered with or without a diamond bezel.
Unlike the 41mm debut edition Skyline and the new Skeleton version, this unisex example is a traditional time-and-date model fitted with a Zenith Elite movement that doesn’t include the one-tenth-of-a-second subdial at 6 o’clock.
Price: $8,500 (no diamonds) and $12,000 (with diamonds).
One of the new Zenith Defy Skyline 36 models. The series is available with and without a diamond bezel.
Zenith also adds a Boutique Edition to the lineup of the original 41mm model offerings. This model features a contrasting color scheme with rose gold highlights. Zenith has engraved the watch’s anthracite dial with a rose gold motif and added rose gold hands and hour markers.
The new Zenith Defy Skyline Boutique Edition.
The intent, according to Zenith, is to mimic the night sky and its twinkling stars. To do this, artisans have engraved the Skyline’s characteristicfour-pointed star dial pattern and then plated it with rose gold.
Zenith will deliver the watch on a steel bracelet with a satin-brushed surface and chamfered and polished edges. An easy-change black rubber strap with a starry sky pattern is also provided.
Price: $8,400.
Defy Extreme Glacier
Zenith also adds the Defy Extreme Glacier in 2023 as an extension of its rugged 45mm titanium-cased Defy Extreme collection, a series that boasts a 1/100-of-a-second El Primero chronograph.
The new Zenith Defy Extreme Glacier boasts a chalcedony dodecagonal outer bezel and pusher protectors.
More specifically, the new watch is meant to complement the Defy Extreme Desert from 2021. While that watch was designed to echo hot and arid conditions, the new model is inspired by frozen landscapes and built with a chalcedony dodecagonal outer bezel and pusher protectors.
Chalcedony is a crystalline semi-translucent stone with a pale blue color meant to look like a frozen glacier. Zenith says each stone is cut and polished by hand, and because each exhibits slightly different colors and fibers, every bezel from the fifty-piece limited edition will appear slightly different on each of the fifty examples of the Defy Extreme Glacier.
Zenith continues the ice-cold theme by making the chronograph counters using transparent sapphire crystal that’s also given a terrific frosted finish to look icy and to allow light to pass through.
Through the frosted finish the wearer will see an El Primero 9004 high-frequency chronograph movement, found in all the Defy Extreme models. The movement offers 1/100th-of-a -second time measurements with two independent escapements. One beats at 5Hz (36,000 VpH) for timekeeping while the second vibrates at 50Hz (360,000 VpH) to activate the chronograph function. Zenith makes the nicely finished movement, a certified chronometer, visible through the sapphire display back.
Zenith finishes the watch with a black Velcro strap and white rubber strap, which can be easily swapped with the titanium bracelet using Zenith’s quick strap-change mechanism.
As noted, Zenith will offer the Defy Extreme Glacier as a limited edition of fifty pieces, available exclusively at Zenith stores and online boutiques.
Vacheron Constantin commemorates the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year (January 22) with a Métiers d’Art limited edition duo, each with a Grand Feu enamel Year of the Rabbit dial. Both watches are powered by the watchmaker’s excellent Calibre 2460 G4 that allows for a hand-free dial that highlights the artisanal decoupage dial.
Each 40mm watch features the symbolic rabbit directly etched into the gold dial. The pattern is semi-embedded and stands out from its gold base, surrounded by flowers and vegetation that appears to be floating over the dial.
Both rich hues are the result of Grand Feu enameling whereby artisans apply enamel in successive layers, each fired at temperatures between 800 and 900 degrees Celsius.
The Calibre 2460 G4 opens up the space on the dial thanks to a four-aperture display showing the hours, minutes, days and dates. Vacheron Constantin has used this display for numerous watches over the years in part to highlight a particularly rich artisanal dial.
The automatic caliber 2460 G4 has a 40-hour power reserve. This movement is certified with the Hallmark of Geneva.
The movement in the platinum model is on display from the back of the case, where the viewer can see a 22-karat gold oscillating weight with the Vacheron Constantin Maltese cross logo.
The automatic caliber 2460 G4, visible through the sapphire back of the platinum model.
And of course the caliber on both models is beautifully finished in accordance with the criteria of the Hallmark of Geneva.
Prices: $131,000 (in platinum with sapphire caseback) and $108,000 (pink gold). Each is a limited edition of nine watches.
Bell & Ross’s Carlos Rosillo and Bruno Belamich have teamed with watch design legend Alain Silberstein to create a trio of watches that combine Silberstein’s colorful shapes with a black ceramic version of Belamich’s aviation-inspired square Bell & Ross BR 03 design.
All three watches use the now more common, smaller version of the BR 03 case. While the original BR 01 measured 46mm × 46mm, most recent BR 03 collections measure 42mm × 42mm, the size of each model in the new Grail Watch collection.
Notably, none of the watches features a brand logo.
“We decided to simply use the ampersand that already features prominently in our brand name, because what better symbol for a collaboration between equals could you imagine?” says Belamich.
“With the chronograph, Carlos explained that the seconds hand was by far the largest one ever fitted to one of their watches, and we had to ensure the reset function worked perfectly each and every time so it would align exactly at zero,” Silberstein adds.
“With the diving watch, we had to make sure these huge oversized hands were as light as possible, so they wouldn’t affect the overall precision of the movement. And then to make a two-color ceramic bezel was a major challenge.”
The Bell & Ross x Alain Silberstein BR 03-92 Marine 22, showing large hands.
Time & Date
The first watch in the trio, the Bell & Ross x Alain Silberstein BR 03-92 Klub 22, is a time-only model on a matte black ceramic case and jet-black dial.
The Bell & Ross x Alain Silberstein BR 03-92 Klub 22.
Silberstein’s massive hand design creates a playful dial while as a large blue arrow indicates minutes and an S-shaped yellow form indicates the seconds.
The dial is interrupted only by the subtle date indicator. The watch features an automatic movement caliber BR.CAL-302 with date function. Priced at $4,400, it will be made in 200 examples.
The Dive Watch
The Bell & Ross x Alain Silberstein BR 03-92 Marine 22, the second model in the trio, is a re-imagined dive model.
The Bell & Ross x Alain Silberstein BR 03-92 Marine 22.
Here Silberstein applies his “Maxi’ hands, which include a blue circular hours hand and a large red arrow. While both hands are liberally coated with luminescent material, the minute hand is particularly visible due to its critical elapsed dive time function.
To that end, the designer created a specialized two-tone ceramic bezel with the final twenty minutes of the insert colored red and a full set of 20-minute markers with luminous indexes.
The Bell & Ross x Alain Silberstein BR 03-92 Marine 22 diver model is depth rated to 300 meters, features a screw-down crown and is powered by caliber BR.CAL-302, the same automatic movement with date function used in the time only model. It will be made in a series of 100 examples. Price: $5,600.
The Chronograph
The third model in the series is the Bell & Ross x Alain Silberstein BR 03 Krono 22, a chronograph with five of Silberstein’s famous Bauhaus-inspired hands.
The Bell & Ross x Alain Silberstein BR 03 Krono 22.
The hours are indicated by red circle with a blue arrow showing the minutes. Here, a yellow S-shaped hand serves as the chronograph seconds indicator while a blue triangle serves as the indicator for the chronograph 30-minute counter and a yellow arrow displays continuous seconds.
Unlike the other two debuts, this model offers a crown that features Silberstein’s signature red triangle.
The Bell & Ross x Alain Silberstein BR 03 Krono 22 is powered by the caliber BR.CAL-301 automatic chronograph movement with date. Made in 100 examples, the watch is priced at $6,700.
Grail Watch is offering watches numbered 1 to 50 as a box set of all three timepieces, which will arrive in a Silberstein-designed collector’s box. Price for the set: $16,700.
While Zodiac is best-known for its dive watches, the company’s long history also includes creating watches for all types military or civilian adventure. One of those designs, the Olympos, is a field watch Zodiac originally created in 1961.
From the start, the Olympos stood apart from traditional Swiss designs thanks to its distinctive, six-sided, manta-ray-shaped case and a crown located at the 2 o’clock position.
The new Zodiac Olympos Field closely echoes a military version Zodiac created for the British Royal Navy in the late 1960s.
The watch, nicknamed the ‘manta’, was a best-seller for many years for Zodiac, both as a dress model and even with sportier accents. Many might recall that Zodiac reprised the Olympos in 2018 with several dressy alternatives.
Zodiac in late 2022 updated the collection with a decidedly more rugged version, the Olympos Field, a design that most closely echoes a military version Zodiac created for the British Royal Navy in the late 1960s.
The newest model features a newly contoured steel case and stronger water resistance, which now is rated to 200 meters. The new watch also echoes the military look of traditional field watches, with easy-to-read, luminous numerals and black or dark green textured dial options.
The green-dialed model arrives on a sharp-looking light brown leather strap lined with sporty white stitching. The darker model, with its black dial, comes with a dark brown strap that’s also lined with white stitching.
And like the recently released Super Sea Wolf Ceramic, the new Zodiac Olympos Field is powered by the automatic STP 1-11 movement that it protects with a solid caseback emblazoned with Zodiac logo.
ZOD5062735
Zodiac now offers its new Olympos Field watch is available on zodiacwatches.com. Price: $895.
The newest version also now offers the modern Hublot six-screw bezel design and, with two of the new models, is powered by modern Hublot MHUB1110 Sellita-based automatic movement. Even the Hublot logo at the top of the dial has changed over the years, though ever so subtly.
Zenith also adds a Boutique Edition to the lineup of the original 41mm model offerings. This model features a contrasting color scheme with rose gold highlights. Zenith has engraved the watch’s anthracite dial with a rose gold motif and added rose gold hands and hour markers.
The dial is interrupted only by the subtle date indicator. The watch features an automatic movement caliber BR.CAL-302 with date function. Priced at $4,400, it will be made in 200 examples.
To that end, the designer created a specialized two-tone ceramic bezel with the final twenty minutes of the insert colored red and a full set of 20-minute markers with luminous indexes.
