A lot can be said about Hublot, but first and foremost, the brand is renowned for shaking things up with its daring designs and bold use of materials and colours. It has been doing so since 1980, when Carlo Crocco was the first to combine a gold case with a natural rubber strap (in itself a first for the industry back then). Two materials that seemingly operated on very different levels of luxury suddenly came together in a provocative watch inspired by a ship’s porthole. Now, 45 years on, Hublot’s original philosophy of “Be first, unique and different” still holds up, as it often presents somewhat polarising cheap replica Hublot watches. Sadly, negativity always looms, and to offer some counter thoughts, I am making a statement to embrace Hublot again, and will be doing that with the recently launched Classic Fusion Essential Taupe 45mm at hand.
With a history of shaking up things like Hublot does, you’re bound to rub some people the wrong way, step on a few toes, and so on. But that’s the whole point of the brand. It’s not looking to be conservative or follow the norm, but seeks to step off the beaten path and explore new grounds. I must admit that the watches have been hit and miss for me, but every now and then, there’s something very appealing! Whether it’s for its complexity, with perfect fake Hublot watches like the Meca-10 and the MP-11 being technical marvels, or its aesthetics, which I again refer to as provocative, it can go either way.
A watch that made a big impression on me based purely on its aesthetics is one of Hublot’s latest, the Classic Fusion Essential Taupe. A repeat of the 1:1 replica Hublot Classic Fusion watches Essential Grey yet with a different tone of the colour spectrum, it’s both subtle and outspoken, simple and complex. It starts with the case, which retains that classical Hublot look. It’s launched in two sizes, of which we had the 45mm version. And yes, straight out of the gate, the 42mm would be better. The larger of the two is, well, large! Nevertheless, it will get the message across even better, thanks to its generous dimensions!
Speaking of which, the height is very pleasant, I must say! At just 10.95mm, it sits rather comfortably on the wrist, and the case design still intrigues with its mix of straight lines and curves, brushed and polished finishes, et cetera. But what really struck me is its calm and restrained dial! The colour is refined, elegant, and only portrays the essential (hence the name!). You get nothing more than a very fine sunray-brushed finish, applied markers, faceted hands and a bevelled date window. C’est tout! And it’s exactly as it should be for this one! It’s so good, it even calms down its exterior surroundings a bit, which, however you look at it, still has a lot going on! If you were to boil it down even further, you would end up with the high quality fake Hublot Classic Fusion watches Original and be back in 1980. So this, to me at least, is a clean and balanced in-between.
Moving to the mechanical side of things, things aren’t perfect. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with using a Sellita SW300 automatic as a base movement, here it feels a bit lost. That comes down to size primarily, as the 45mm just adds too much steel around it. That’s another reason why the 42mm variant is the way to go, if you ask me! As an alternative to the ETA 2892, the SW300 has proven to be a reliable one, at least, which is reassuring. And at 48 hours of power reserve, it’s acceptable, although the industry seems to slowly move to longer PR’s. To me, a maximum running time of two days or less has never been an issue, as I frequently rotate my buy copy Hublot watches UK and I don’t mind setting mine every now and then. But this is not the same for everyone, so it would be good if movement manufacturers could push this further, even for run-of-the-mill calibres like this.
The strap is another highlight of the Swiss clone Hublot watches. The taupe coloured rubber strap, finished with a taupe woven textile insert, looks and feels great! It’s supple, comfortable, malleable, yet strong. The best thing about it is that it catches the eye with its texture without distracting from the rest of the watch; it balances everything out perfectly. One small gripe, though; it’s too wide on this one. Again, the 42mm solves this by reducing sizes in all directions, including the width of the strap.
The best-selling fake Hublot Classic Fusion Essential Taupe watches is presented as an Online Exclusive, available only through Hublot’s e-boutique, with a price of EUR 8,800 for both sizes. That makes it quite an expensive AAA Hublot replica watches given its movement, but the overall design, the combination of subtlety and expressiveness, makes up for it a lot. For me, it sheds new light on Hublot, one that I had been missing for a while. I know preferences are deeply personal, of course, but I always advocate having an open mind myself and invite others to have one too, and not simply repeat what you read or hear without taking the effort to check something out for yourself first. It would make the watch world a better, less negative space….
