Hands-On Pics: Hublot’s New Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Yellow Neon SAXEM and Classic Fusion Original

Of course, Hublot wouldn’t be where it is now if it wasn’t for Carlo Crocco. His company, MDM Genève, turned watchmaking convention on its head when it audaciously presented a precious metal watch on a rubber strap at Baselworld 1980, a combination previously unheard of in the watch world. Named the Hublot, meaning “porthole” – because it resembled one – the convention-defying watch would eventually lend its name to the whole brand. Meanwhile, the timepiece itself would become known as the Classic Fusion.
 

For LVMH Watch Week 2023, Hublot has revisited the iconic design that started it all. Plus, now it’s available in three different sizes – 33mm, 38mm, and 42mm – and three different materials – 18K yellow gold, natural titanium, and black ceramic, or “Black Magic,” as the brand calls it.

At first glance, the new Classic Fusion Original – with its porthole-like bezel, glossy black lacquer dial, and smooth black rubber strap – appears pretty much a like-for-like homage to the 1980s design.
 

But if you compare and contrast, you’ll see the lugs are now broader, the appearance of blackened lateral case protrusions, and six screws rather than twelve secure a slightly wider bezel. Dial-wise, the hands are beefier, and the date window’s black background now matches the surrounding dial.
 

Like the Classic Fusion back in the day, the new 33mm edition is powered by a quartz movement, though the 38mm and 42mm editions house a Swiss-made mechanical movement, the solid Sellita SW300-1. Nothing to shout about, admittedly, but then again, you’re unlikely to be buying the new Classic Fusion for its mechanics, more so for a slice of the brand’s – and 1980s watchmaking – history and what it stands for.
 

Prices for the Hublot Classic Fusion Original start at $6,500 for the 33mm titanium edition and go up to $24,100 for the 42mm yellow gold version.
 

Of course, in terms of the Classic Fusion’s backstory, yellow gold is the most iconic of the materials available here. But if mechanical and understated casual is your thing, as it is mine, then the titanium and black ceramic 38mm and 42mm editions – more modestly priced between $7,900 and $10,000 – just might be for you.

And the other (pictured here) also has a 42mm case, but instead of colored sapphire, this one has a carbon-fiber case infused with sky-blue micro-glass fibers. This model lists for $100,000.