301.SB.131.RX
Watches of Switzerland / London, 9th March 2019
After several times seeing Hublots in Watches of Switzerland and Selfridges I finally got round to trying one on, I really don't know why I hadn't done so before - just one of those things I guess. I'm getting a bit more relaxed about trying things on that I can't afford (ever since I tried on that £147,000 Roger Dubuis in Harrods last year!) and at £11,200 this one is certainly not something I'll be buying anytime soon.
I think it's kind of disingenuous to take my usual line, which is 'if I had £11,000 to spend I'd buy a £6k TAG Heuer and pocket the change. That's all very well and probably true, but that rather fails to address my actual thoughts on the watch at hand.
And, well... I've gotta admit, this Hublot is pretty cool. You certainly can't fail to spot it, when I looked in the full length mirror with it on it was shining like a beacon as the shop lights caught the polished surfaces. No this Hublot doesn't do subtle. But then if you want subtle, you wouldn't be buying Hublot now would you?
I love the design of this one, it's kind of 'middle-ground' Hublot, not too crazy and not too dull either. The carbon fibre dial looks fantastic and the rubber strap was very attractive and pretty comfortable into the bargain. I also liked the polished numerals on the dial and the 44mm case wore surprisingly well, it didn't really feel as big as all that. Actually, just to back track a little there, as cool as the strap is, it does kinda look like some aftermarket straps I've seen on Watch Gecko... for about £40. The buckle was nice though.
Watch snobs will argue that Hublots are overpriced and nothing special under the bonnet, which may well be true... but you can't deny the brand has presence. Some of their watches are pretty hideous admittedly, but what Jean Claude Biver has created is kind of a TAG Heuer for people with deeper pockets. I can't afford one but I can definitely see the appeal and if I had £11k to spend I can definitely think of worse ways to spend it.
The watch definitely feels well made and the attention to detail is satisfying, like the little rubber pads on the chrono pushers and the way the case is layered together, it all adds up to more than the sum of it's parts and while I wasn't perhaps blown away by it, I definitely wasn't disappointed. I'm actually surprised that in the picture above it look like the majority of the surfaces are brushed because it certainly seemed very reflective when I was wearing it!
Funnily enough, this was my first Hublot, but by the end of the day I had tried on another 3, more on those another time.
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