The King Power Unico collection released years ago marked the first time Hublot offered an entirely in-house developed and manufactured chornograph movement. While the original All Black and King Gold (Hublot’s own corrosion resistant red gold alloy) versions were both limited editions, last year Hublot introduced several Unico-equipped watches as standard offerings in their collection. This year at Baselworld, Hublot added another very seductive variation, the King Power Unico Ceramic King Gold.
I don’t know about you but when I think of Hublot I think of black watches. Ceramic is an incredible material, especially for a 48mm watch case. It’s relatively light weight and high scratch resistance makes it perhaps the ultimate material for a sports watch’s case. What I like about this version in particular is the modern take on two-tone watches. Red gold and black make for a great combo, as the original and now iconic Big Bang can attest to. Here however, the colors are inversed and the case is made of matte-finished black ceramic and the bezel is vertically satin-brushed red gold surrounded by rubber.
I first saw this combo used on one of the 3-hand Classic Fusion models years ago and just loved it. There’s enough gold to catch the eye, but not so much to call it a gold watch. In fact, the only hints of gold are on the top portion of the bezel, the hands, and some of the dial markings.
The original Unico limited editions came with blackened rhodium-treated movements, but this one is finished in a more metallic grey ruthenium. Visible through the dial, it works really well against the black and gold tones of the watch. The Unico movement was designed with a modular construction, meaning that different complications can be added on top (or under, from the watchmaker’s perspective) of the timekeeping top plate of the movement. The 60-minute chornograph’s column-wheel, fashioned in the emblematic “H-screw” can be seen at 6 o’clock.
The automatic chronograph movement delivers a power reserve of 72 hours and uses a bi-directional winding system. The escape wheel and fork are made of silicium. The chronograph is a fly-back and uses a column-wheel instead of the cam/leaver system found in the 7750 for example.
The King Power Unico Ceramic/King Gold is a fantastic addition to the manufacture movement-equipped Unico collection with the first pieces making their way to Hublot boutiques and retailers around the world.
