UP TO THE SUMMITS
The watchmakers specialised in combining often surprising materials have launched three limited edition watches paying homage to one of Switzerland’s most famous symbols: the Matterhorn
The Matterhorn is one of Switzerland’s most striking landmarks. Rising to an altitude of 4,478m, it can be seen on the famous triangular box of chocolates made by Toblerone. It is the 12th highest peak in the Alps. The world-famous mountain with its distinctive shape stands out against the sky on the border of Switzerland and Italy. Hublot has paid homage to the mountain by including it in three Big Bang Zermatt chronographs made of rose gold, steel or jewelled steel.
Like a window opening onto the world, the Alpine peak is engraved on the small seconds counter, at 9 o’clock for the 44mm-wide versions and at 3 o’clock for the 41mm-wide model. The Matterhorn’s pyramid shape stands on a base made of schist, a metamorphic rock with a foliated appearance, and more commonly known as slate. This mineral with a very fine grain is made up of fine layers and is mainly used as roofing material, especially because of its high resistance. But Hublot has put the material to a different use, decorating the bezel on two of the pieces in the Big Bang Zermatt trio with a mixture of natural slate and carbon fibre, interspersed with the brand’s famous flat-headed screws. The bezel on the 3rd version is covered with 36 brilliant-cut diamonds.
The slate-blue dial with a sunburst finish features wide, open-work baton hands for the hours and minutes. The chronograph elements include seconds in the centre, minutes at 3 o’clock and hours at 6. Along with the date at 4.30, the features are driven by the HUB4100 calibre, a self-winding movement providing 42 hours of power reserve.
Price: 30,900 CHF (rose gold) – 17,700 CHF (steel with diamonds) – 14,900 CHF (steel) www.hublot.com
By Sharmila Bertin