Hublot slides into the future with the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium
Jamie WeissHublot has always been the enfant terrible of the Swiss watch industry, but their MP collection is where this maverick brand goes particularly mental. Hublot’s MP watches are their most innovative and avant-garde: they turn the very concept of watchmaking on its head, utilising exotic materials and techniques to produce truly distinctive, technical timepieces that reinforce Hublot’s status as one of the most innovative high-end watchmakers on the planet.
Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe explains that the brief for the MP collection is that each piece not only has to reinvent existing watchmaking complications but also needs to create something exclusive plus invent and open up new avenues in watchmaking R&D. That’s a pretty tall order, and each MP has tried to meet that brief in wildly different ways, such as the MP-13 with its novel retrograde layout or the MP-15 with its central flying tourbillon and flower-shaped case.
The tenth chapter in the ongoing MP story, the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium, is perhaps Hublot’s most avant-garde MP yet, and it meets that brief. Not only does it do away with the typical method of telling time, but it also does away with a typical automatic winding system, instead utilising a new mechanism that’s deceptively simple and arresting to watch.
The dial
Like many Hublot pieces, the MP-10 has no dial. However, it goes further than most Hublots in that it has also no hands. Instead, it features four constantly rotating cylindrical displays, suspended in the middle of a unique cushion-shaped case. In the upper third of the dial, you’ll find two discs that display the hours and minutes, which feature an invisible magnifying glass to aid legibility and red aluminium pointers to denote the time. Below, a circular power reserve can be found, with clear green and red zones to denote how much charge is left.
Finally, in the bottom third of the dial, you’ll find a 35-degree-inclined sixty-second tourbillon, with seconds indicated directly on the tourbillon cage, so you can use it as a small seconds indicator. Hublot explains that the MP-10’s vertical layout is designed to be intuitive and easy on the eyes: with one downward glance, you can quickly tell the time. I reckon it takes a bit of getting used to – and that the primary intent of displaying time this way is actually to show off how skilled Hublot’s watchmakers are. But I’m not complaining: a Hublot MP is meant to be eye-catching, and the MP-10 is certainly that.
The movement
So, as I alluded to earlier, the MP-10 doesn’t just tell time in a novel fashion, it also winds itself in a novel fashion. This is one of those watches where the dial is really just the movement – in this case, the unique, in-house calibre HUB9013 – where, on either side of the watch’s central architecture, sits two blocks of white gold, suspended in vertical bellow-like structures that frame the time-telling part of the watch.
It’s these blocks that wind the watch, as they travel up and down these two chambers with the movement of the wearer’s wrist. They’re not oscillating weights like a typical automatic rotor – they’re more like sliding weights, which doesn’t sound as glamorous as the system is. As the blocks slide, they engage a rack and can wind the movement bidirectionally (that is, whether they’re sliding up or down) and they’re mounted on a system of shock absorbers so that they don’t just fling out and damage the movement.
The MP-10’s HUB9013 movement has a 48-hour power reserve but if it runs out of charge, it can be wound manually via the massive crown at 12 o’clock (or rather, the top of the case, considering the MP-10’s vertical time display) while the time is set using a second crown nestled in the caseback, which features a spring mechanism: press down on it, and it pops out, facilitating time-setting – like a retractable pen. A 48-hour power reserve is somewhat on the paltry side, especially when considering that previous MP models boast some of the longest power reserves in modern mechanical watchmaking, such as the MP-05’s 50-day (!) power reserve.
The case
Another reason the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium is so impressive is that features Hublot’s most complex sapphire crystal yet: while it does technically have a case, with a middle section and case-back in micro-blasted titanium (hence the watch’s name), the way the MP-10’s crystal flows over the sides and bottom of the watch creates an eye-catching structural effect. I like how Hublot’s trademark screwed-down porthole motif is still present in the MP-10, too, with the four titanium corners of the case’s middle section appearing to clamp down on the crystal.
The MP-10 is also one of the biggest watches Hublot has ever created, measuring up at 54.1 by 41.5 mm and a whopping 22.4 mm thick. Forget slipping this under a cuff. Despite its girth, it’s not particularly heavy, thanks to its airy titanium and sapphire construction.
The strap
Clamped down on top of the case, is the MP-10’s rubber strap, which Hublot claims is their most refined rubber strap yet – a bold claim from the original masters of pairing rubber with high-end watches. It features a large titanium folding clasp that helps balance this extremely large watch.
The verdict
There’s no two ways about it: the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium is a ridiculous watch, from a brand known for making ridiculous watches. But I like it. Its boxy, canteen-like look makes it visually distinct from previous MP watches – it’s got a bit of a Devon Tread vibe to it, actually – and I like its vertical time-telling display. The winding mechanism is a bit of a gimmick, sure, but it’s technically impressive and fun to watch. Few watchmakers know how to have fun like Hublot…
Let’s address the elephant in the room (literally): the MP-10’s enormous size might be a deal breaker for some, but daily wearability isn’t really the point of the MP-10. This is a bold watch for someone who appreciates bold watchmaking, and a potent reminder that Hublot is no one-trick pony.
Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium pricing & availability
The Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium is limited to 50 pieces worldwide and is available now. Price: A$396,000.
| Brand | Hublot |
| Model | MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium |
| Reference Number | 910.NX.0001.RX |
| Case Dimensions | 54.1mm (H) X 41.5mm (W) X 22.4mm (T) |
| Case Material | Titanium |
| Water Resistance | 30 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Openworked |
| Strap | Black structured rubber strap, titanium deployant buckle |
| Movement | HUB9013, in-house, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 48 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, power reserve indicator, tourbillon |
| Availability | Limited edition of 50 pieces |
| Price | A$396,000 |