Now you can play watch designer with the Hublot Strap Customiser Tool
Zach BlassWatch manufacturers usually get it right when it comes to their factory configurations. But people’s tastes vary a lot. Sometimes you might feel a design could use a touch more flair or may even need to be scaled back a bit. Buyers normally have to rely on their imaginations to play dress up with their strap monsters, often buying straps online and hoping when they arrive they live up to whatever they’d pictured in their mind. But Hublot is making this experience easier and a whole lot more fun. Through their Hublot Strap Customiser Tool, visitors to the Hublot site can now play watch designer and, if they like what they see, even purchase the configuration for themselves. I decided to try it out for myself, and here are three configurations I think really work (or at least make a great second option to the original configuration).
Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium ref. 542.NX.1171.RX
The Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium ref. 542.NX.1171.RX is 42mm in diameter, 50 metres water-resistant and runs on the HUB1110 self-winding movement with 42 hours of power reserve. The Classic Fusion is a nice daily wearer that works well for both casual and formal settings. It comes on an all black lined rubber strap to match its black dial. But what if you wanted to liven up the watch a bit…
By adding a green lined rubber strap into the mix you accomplish two things. You achieve a more playful and casual look that also would work in a smart-casual wardrobe as well. Formal wear might be a push in this configuration, but assuming you wear brown, khaki, olive green and other autumnal tones a fair bit the green lined rubber strap could still be a nice way to spruce up your watch. Price: $9,400 AUD + $325 for the green lined rubber strap.
Hublot Big Bang Unico Black Magic ref. 411.CI.1170.RX
The Hublot Big Bang Unico Black Magic ref. 411.CI.1170.RX is 45mm in diameter and encased in micro-blasted black ceramic. This chronograph watch utilises the HUB1242 movement that features 72 hours of power reserve, flyback complication, and column wheel architecture. It is 100 metres water resistant, and being a bigger watch with a hint of red, I don’t see this making it onto your wrist in the boardroom. That’s why I wanted to lean a bit more into the sporty side of the watch adding a more vibrant rubber strap that can take daily wear above and below the surface of the water.
With a red lined rubber strap, you can really awaken what was a more stealth configuration. I could understand the attachment to an all-black look if the watch did not have red accents, but it does. So why not have some fun and push that red look further? The red matches the accents of the watch well, so the pop of colour can hardly be construed as random. It helps you take a watch that is under the radar, and put it firmly on the map. If a situation arises where you think it would be best to go back to black, no sweat thanks to the quick strap-change mechanism of the Big Bang Unico. Price: $27,800 AUD + $630 AUD for the red lined rubber strap.
Hublot Big Bang Unico Yellow Sapphire ref. 441.JY.4909.RT
The Hublot Big Bang Unico Yellow Sapphire ref. 441.JY.4909.RT is definitely a statement piece. Inside the 100 metre water-resistant watch is the HUB1280 chronograph movement with 72 hours power reserve, double clutch mechanism, and column wheel architecture. The entire 42mm case, excluding the pushers, screws, and crown, is made of yellow sapphire. If that wasn’t enough, by default it is paired with a transparent yellow rubber strap that is anything but under the radar. But this is also the boldness we love and expect from Hublot.
With the first two watches, I ramped up the color of the configuration. Here I tried the reverse and worked to tame the full yellow tone of the watch and the strap. I also tried to find a way to dress the watch up, a formal foil to the ultra playful transparent yellow rubber strap the watch comes with. The black alligator strap tones down the look a tad, without removing the bold nature of the yellow sapphire case. I call this set-up the “BumbleBee”, because if you stare at it long enough you can see the iconic Transformer staring back at you. Price: $132,000 AUD + $955 AUD for the black alligator strap.