Hublot is back again with another great collaboration with renowned French artist Richard Orlinski. Orlinski has been one of the biggest-selling contemporary French artists in the world since 2015. He has collaborated with Hublot numerous times to craft watches that play with geometry and shapes to make them visually aesthetic.
The main canvas for his creations has been the Classic Fusion models from Hublot’s range, mainly the simple three-hander minimalistic timepieces. These timepieces proved to be ideal for his creations, as, with a minimalistic dial, the shapes and geometry Orlinski created can be fully admired, including the dodecagonal shape of the bezel, a signatre feature of Hublot’s collaboration with Orlinski since 2017. Now, however, Orlinski has taken his creations a step further by stepping into the Classic Fusion’s chronograph timepieces.
Lovers of both art and extreme precision are bought together in this latest chapter of collaboration. The Classic Fusion Chronograph Orlinski Titanium comes in a 41mm case and in two variants. The difference between the two variants is the strap of choice, black smooth rubber or micro-blasted titanium. While this may not seem much of a variation between the two at face value, the titanium bracelet has been specially crafted by Orlinski to match the designs of the geometric shapes of the case.
For this latest chronograph Orlinski edition, Hublot and the artist have kept the geometric artistry to mainly the case (and titanium bracelet). While the simple three-hander fusion models featured Orlinski’s craft on the dial, having this repeated on the chronograph model would mean that it may hinder the readability of the dial. The essence and technicality of the chronograph timepiece are kept intact while the surrounding elements have the Orlinski touch.
Richard Orlinski talks about this latest collaboration: “Those who know me know that I am highly demanding and do not impose any limits on myself. It is undoubtedly this shared approach that has united us since 2017. This collaboration is such a success because it is the result of a perfect harmony between innovation and know-how“.
Hublot has used their in-house HUB 1153 self-winding movement to power this Classic Fusion Chronograph Orlinski edition. The HUB 1153 movement operates at a frequency of 4Hz (28,800 VpH) and gives out a decent power reserve of 42 hours.
Six years of collaborations with Orlinski have left an undeniable mark on Hublot’s Classic Fusion range. Now, Orlinski has stepped into the chronograph range, proving that the limitations of these creations are only within the mind. It will be interesting to see how Hublot progress with Orlinski’s collaborations in the future. Hopefully, we can see the two delve into other collections or even materials. Can you imagine an Orlinski Sapphire edition?
Reference: 549.NI.1270.RX.ORL23, 549.NI.1270.NI.ORL23
Specification:
- Case: 41mm
- Case Material: Microblasted and Polished Titanium
- Dial: Polished Black Dial
- Water resistance: 50m (5 bar)
- Movement: Automatic HUB1153 Self-winding Chronograph Movement
- Power reserve: Approx 42 hours
- Bracelet/Strap: Black Smooth Rubber Straps (Ref. 549.NI.1270.RX.ORL23), Microblasted Titanium (Ref. 549.NI.1270.NI.ORL23). Both straps come with Titanium deployant buckle clasp.
