For some reason I’ve always felt that Hublot is more akin to an Italian sports car brand rather than a Swiss watchmaker. Its complex movements look like its products should roar loudly even though they are extremely quiet when running.
This is most obviously the case for Hublot’s Manufacture Piece (MP) collection. Previous creations in the collection have brought us more than a few surprises when launched: the MP-05 LaFerrari has an outrageous 50 days power reserve, and the MP-06 Tourbillon features 412 white baguette diamonds. The latest MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis continues to push the boundary on users’ knowledge and aesthetics. The highlight of the Calibre HUB9009.H1.RA manual winding movement of course is the bi-axis tourbillon. As the tourbillon rotates once every minute on one axis and every 30 seconds on the other, it offers an interesting and dynamic view every second.
In order to highlight the unique structure of the movement, Hublot specifically created the 49 mm case in the shape of a light bulb in either titanium or King Gold. The bi-axis tourbillon is positioned at 6 o’clock and can be seen clearly through the complex, three-sided sapphire crystal. In theory, a bi-axis tourbillon can overcome the impact of gravity easier than a uni-axis tourbillon, but its actual performance probably is not what the users care about most. The timepiece also features an original date display and adjustment system. Simply push up or down on the lever and the date can be moved forward or back a day. On the edge of the hour and minute dial there lies the date indicator, with all the dates lined up in two curvy rows, while the “5 Days Power Reserve” indicator can be found at the 9 o’clock position.
