Cut For Time: Hublot’s Art, TAG Heuer’s Blue Tourbillon, Star Wars, And NORQAIN’s New Freedoms
Star Wars fans have a new watch to drool over, Hublot continues its artist series, and TAG Heuer releases a blue tourbillon.
Hublot Unveils The Limited Edition Chronograph Shepard Fairey
Shepherd Fairey is a man of many talents, including creating art. His “Obama Hope” poster from the 2008 campaign is among his most well-known creations. Beyond painting, he is also a DJ, street artist, skateboarder, and founder of the OBEY clothing company.
As part of the “Hublot Loves Art” series, this is Farey’s second creation. Artists Takashi Murakami and Richard Olinsky are also Hublot collaborators. Fairey, whose works are on show at the Smithsonian, MoMa in New York, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, chose the Classic Fusion collection for his limited-edition piece and decided to craft it in titanium. His 45mm watch, which is limited to 50 pieces, features a mandala on the dial.
A mandala design first appeared in Buddhist art in the first century B.C.E. and has been employed by many cultures in history. In the present day, generally unity, harmony, the cosmos, and the universe. “I wanted to integrate the art of the mandala into the piece as, for me, this evokes the connection between the inner self and the outer world,” Fairey said in a press release. “[It’s] a powerful concept to consider when looking at a watch and thinking about time."
TAG Heuer’s New Blue Carrera Heuer-02T
With a release that’s sure to delight TAG Heuer collectors and fans, the Carrera Heuer-02T is now available with a blue dial and a titanium bracelet. Blue is a pleasing-to-the-eye alternative to classic black, and TAG Heuer has utilized the color to great success.
Make no mistake; it is still the Carrera Heuer-02T that watch aficionados have appreciated since its launch in 2016. It still features the now-iconic Calibre Heuer 02T tourbillon movement that’s COSC certified. And the bezel and dial designs remain the same, with the chronograph subdials at 3 and 9 o’clock, and the tourbillon is at 6 o’clock.
However, the new blue version features a blue sunray dial, and the tourbillon cage’s bridges are blue. Add on a blue ceramic tachymeter bezel, and this watch is a real winner. In another first, the watch has a Grade 5 titanium bracelet. Previous versions were available with alligator-covered rubber and simple rubber straps. The bracelet is another reason, if you need one, to covet the new watch.
The Death Star Comes To Life at Kross Studio
It’s been said that fifty percent of American adults have watched at least one Star Wars movie in their lifetimes, so a watch inspired by the Death Star is bound to stir up interest. Thus, Kross Studio, in collaboration with Lucasfilm, has crafted a limited-edition Death Star tourbillon watch that will come with a very special piece of memorabilia.
Kross Studio was formed just last year in 2020 in Switzerland by five entrepreneurs in the luxury and design industries. It will not just be producing watches, though. Kross Studio “specializes in creating innovative and exclusive art objects for the finest collectors,” the brand said in a statement.
And Star Wars fans will definitely appreciate the myriad references to the films on the dial. The tourbillon cage, which takes center stage, makes one revolution per minute and features a nod to the kyber crystal-enabled green superlaser cannon in remarkable proportion.
Moreover, the hour hand is shaped like an Imperial-Class Star Destroyer, and the minute hand takes on the look of a Super-Class Star Destroyer. Plus, the hour ring is filled with white Super-LumiNova so as to resemble the hallway lighting in the movies.
Finally, the watches will come with an authentic on-screen kyber crystal prop from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
NORQAIN’s New Freedom 60 GMT Models
NORQAIN joined the watchmaking scene just three years ago, in 2018. But in that short time, the brand has firmly established three collections – Independence, Adventure, and Freedom. By their names alone, it’s clear that NORQAIN isn’t focused on watches for the usual 9 to 5 routine, although the timepieces could just as easily fit in at the office.
In particular, the Freedom 60 GMT pieces’ design is inspired by “the spirit of classic 1960s watch design with a resolutely contemporary aesthetic.” And the two new models retain that aesthetic but with new materials.
First, an opaline dial is the highlight of the new Freedom 60 GMT Opaline, as its name suggests. The white dial is a perfect background for the 24-hour GMT central sub-dial. The dial ring is composed of two colors – the upper blue half indicates the night hours of 6 PM-6 AM, and the lower red half-ring indicates daytime, from 6 AM-6 PM. The GMT is a jumping hour hand, meaning it moves to the next hour instantaneously at the top of the hour, rather than slowly progressing by the minutes.
And second, the Forest Green Limited Edition exemplifies environmental awareness. NORQAIN has gone vegan for its strap, which is made of Perlon rubber by the Swiss-based BIWI that specializes in vegan-certified products. The watch’s new forest green dial harkens to the natural environment, and an all-new bronze case enhances the watch’s overall outdoorsy look. Like the other Freedom 60 GMT watches, this model also has a central GMT ring, this time in black and white, and a date indicator at 3 o’clock. It’s available in a limited edition of just 300 pieces.
(Images provided by the brands)