The automobile and watchmaking alliance yields fruit of many sizes and varying degrees of intensity. One end of the spectrum features standard watches featuring a dial simply bearing a car manufacturer’s logo; while the other involves partnerships so extensive that watch and car jointly reach unprecedented technical heights. Such is the case for Hublot and Ferrari. Hublot has indeed pulled out all the stops to salute the release of the LaFerrari model, probably the world’s most impressive car. Its Masterpiece MP-05, duly nicknamed LaFerrari, is also a technical and design monster.
Upping the ante
50-day power reserve
On my right, a vehicle that supersedes the notion of a supercar. 1225 kg, a 6.3 litre V12 engine delivering 800 hp, coupled with a 163-hp electrical engine and featuring a HY-KERS (hybrid kinetic energy recovery system). Capable of reaching 300 kph in less than 15 seconds, it is issued in a limited edition of just 499. It outshines all its competitors and puts Ferrari firmly in pole position within the realm of sports cars. On my left… a model that naturally called for focusing on other kinds of assets, since the notion of power does not really exist in watchmaking. Electric energy has no place in a high-end (or indeed mid-range) watch movement, and a 499-piece limited edition is not at all exclusive for a superlative watch. So Hublot shifted the parameters by introducing its HUB9005.H1.6 calibre endowed with the world’s highest autonomy for a wristwatch. Its 11 barrels keep it operating for a massive 50 days without being rewound. To ensure it runs as it should, this energy is regulated by a transverse tourbillon appearing on the front vertical face in accordance with a trademark Hublot construction style. Only 50 of these watches will be released.
Striking similarities
Raw expression of power and performance
It is however on the design side that the likenesses are most apparent. While the two objects do not necessarily literally resemble each other, they are clearly governed by the same spirit. The LaFerrari is all about subtly sinuous curves designed to facilitate air intake. The black PVD-coated titanium case of the Hublot features a rare, eminently virile and complex shape dictated by the movement structure. And just as the LaFerrari displays its engine through the rear window, the Hublot watch also reveals its inner workings. In lieu of the car’s cylinders, it proudly exhibits its 11 longitudinal barrels. Instead of a rev counter, it displays its power reserve, along with hours and minutes appearing on cylinders and taking up the little remaining space beneath the sapphire crystal. In both instances, data overrides other concerns and determines a raw expression of power and performance.
