The 2013 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève is close at hand. In the coming weeks counting down to the prize ceremony, to be held on November 15th, I will be sharing my take on some of the 70 pre-selected finalist watches that I’ve come across in the past year or so.

The first piece I would like to show you is the Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari, which I’ve already written about on Hublot Nation and Timezone.com’s Hublot forum. The Hublot MP-05 La Ferrari is one of the 7 nominees for the “Grande Complication Watch” award of 2013.

Like every year at the Baselworld watch fair, Hublot unveils a major new high-complications piece that ups the ante from the previous year. Following the release of the Big Bang Ferrari line in 2013, Hublot has taken the prancing horse to the realm of high-complications watchmaking this year with the MP-05 LaFerrari.

It’s funny, I still read comments here and there about how Hublot isn’t a real watchmaker, how everything’s outsourced, etc. It’s clear that the naysayers have no clue as to what Hublot have been doing as a manufacture for the past couple of years. To me anyways, the MP-05 LaFerrari is tangible proof of exactly what Hublot is capable of doing in-house today.

Conceived in parallel with Ferrari’s design team, the MP-05 La Ferrari is meant to evoke the image of a Ferrari engine, and the final result definitely plays the part well. The back titanium case is shaped like the engine hood of the LaFerrari supercar, and the open movement is the engine within. At the same time the watch, which definitely doesn’t resemble a porthole (the English translation for “hublot”) the MP-05 LaFerrari retains design cues from previous Hublot high-complications pieces, namely the MP-02 Key of Time.

But the watch wouldn’t have been nominated just for its looks. The MP-05 LeFerrari uses an in-house designed and manufactured movement, made of no less than 637 parts; Hublot’s most complex movement to date. The objective was to create a watch with the greatest power reserve ever conceived on a wristwatch movement, and at this Hublot has succeeded. The central spinal column-like stack of 11 barrels offer a maximum power reserve of a whopping 50 days (or 1200 hours) and includes a regulation system where the force output is standardized throughout the 50 days of running.

Because 50 days worth of winding could cause a blister or two, the watch is wound with a tool not unlike a motorized screwdriver, where the crown at 12 o’clock opens and allows for an effortless winding.  At the opposite end of the case is the extra-large vertical flying tourbillon cage, supersized for a more integrated look with the barrels.

The watch has no hands, but reading the time is pretty straightforward. Two rotating aluminum cylinders on the right side of the watch indicate the hours and minutes, with numbers applied in white Super-luminova for added legibility. The left side of the watch indicates the impressive power reserve. The cylinders are supported by anodized red aluminum elements, a neat Ferrari touch.

The MP-05 LaFerrari is massively sized (perhaps too big for most), but then again this is a concept watch come to life. Supersized just comes with the territory. I will say however that even while awkward at first, I didn’t have a problem of getting used to this engine on my wrist.

So, will the Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari win the “Grande Complication” or even the “Aiguille d’Or” award this year? We’ll find out in a few weeks. in the meantime, you can vote for your favourite watch this year for the “Prix Public” award here

More information on www.hublot.com