LVMH Watch Week 2024: Hublot Debuts a Futuristic MP-10

At LVMH Watch Week 2024, Hublot announced a slew of fascinating novelties, but none more so than the futuristic-looking MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System.

The LVMH Watch Week has always served as one of the most anticipated horological events. It’s a celebrated occasion where the Group’s watchmaking brands present the latest creations at the high expectations of watch professionals and enthusiasts all over the world. 

For the 2024 – also the fifth – edition, Hublot did not disappoint as the brand unveiled not only a brand new Manufacture Piece (MP), but an artistic collaborative piece, a fresh shade of the revolutionary SAXEM, and fully-set Spirit of Big Bang Jewellery pieces in 32-mm cases. 

Ahead, we highlight some of the Hublot novelties that caught our eye, starting with the very futuristic-looking MP-10.

MP-10 TOURBILLON WEIGHT ENERGY SYSTEM 

At first glance, the Manufacture’s new MP would certainly catch anyone’s eye with a follow-up query of ‘how does it work?’. “For a piece to be part of our MP collection, it must not only reinvent existing complications; it must create something exclusive, invent, build and open up new avenues in watchmaking R&D. I gave our designers and watchmakers carte blanche, and this is the fruit of their labours. From now on, people will talk about the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System in Titanium in terms of ‘before’ and ‘after’,” said Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe.

Firstly, the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System is sans dial, hands or oscillating weight. In its 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. As for the dial, the calibre has been fused with it so the movement becomes the face and soul of the watch. 

To tell time, it is surprisingly easier than one might imagine – from top to bottom. Placed coaxially to the hours and minutes is the power reserve indicator with a two-tone disc (red and green). Below that is the seconds display. Altogether, the current time is read with a red triangular marker. 

Even the automatic winding system has been reinvented to support this avant-garde piece. Hublot engineers retained the weight principle, but verticalised it and then duplicated it. The vertical weights then engage a rack and wind the movement bidirectionally – a development feat for which a Hublot patent is pending (in addition to the unique mechanical configuration). To prevent them from colliding with the banking, Hublot developed a system of shock absorbers. While it can be wound manually via the crown at 12 o’clock, the MP-10 has a power reserve of more than 48 hours. 

All in all, the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System boasts 592 components, 5 years of R&D, 2 linear weights, 1 inclined tourbillon, a circular power reserve, and only 50 pieces. 

BIG BANG UNICO GREEN SAXEM

Next to sapphire, Hublot is often credited for bringing yet another revolutionary material into the world of watchmaking in the 21st century. SAXEM may be comparable to sapphire in terms of resistance but still, it is set apart for its colour deriving from rare earth elements and having a cubic form. To give SAXEM a new shade is no ordinary task – so much so that Hublot has been working on the challenge since 2019. To date, there are two shades: yellow and emerald. Unlike sapphire, SAXEM exudes a brighter shine.

The Green SAXEM of the new Big Bang UNICO in its solid and robust 42 mm case is a testament of Hublot’s many innovations. Despite light not reflecting off it, SAXEM creates the illusion of emitting it. The UNICO 2 calibre, a new generation flyback chronograph, the HUB1280, sits at its core, marking another first for the Big Bang SAXEM. The movement remains self-winding but an added high-performance tungsten oscillating weight can be seen through the back of the Green SAXEM case. Like the crown and its two push-pieces, the movement is finished in black PVD while the exact shade of Green SAXEM colours the index and the hands’ luminescent material. This too is a new achievement and thus limited to only 100 Big Bang Green SAXEM watches. 

CLASSIC FUSION TOURBILLON ORLINSKI 

There has never been a compromise when it comes to Hublot and the ‘Art of Fusion’ and it is especially evident in the Manufacture’s latest collaboration with one of their favourite collaborators, Richard Orlinski. Expect nothing less from the world’s best-selling French artist as the new Classic Fusion Tourbillon pieces resemble fresh works of art in either vibrant yellow or sky blue. 

From its case and strap to the bezel, hands and index, the Classic Fusion Tourbillon is bathed in sunny yellow with a ‘beating heart’ of the manually wound HUB6021. Its components, such as the crown and the six H-shaped screws around the bezel, appear suspended in space by black PVD skeleton bridges. Orlinski’s bold signature style has touched the bezel, case and even the index – all of which has transported the Classic into a new graphic dimension. In the case of the sky blue version, the bridges are covered in silver rhodium plating, revealing the polished, satin-brushed  and embossed finishes of each component. The collection is simply a choice between floating amidst the clear, azure sky or soaring into the brilliant sun. Similar to works of art, the models will only each have 30 pieces produced.

Discover Hublot’s collections at The Hour Glass.