Elite Traveler September-October 2018

INNOVATIONS

Every year, without fail, a new innovation comes out that takes everyone by surprise, upending our beliefs about what is possible in the world of watchmaking. This ingenuity can be a revolutionary material, re-imagined mechanical system or even a new way to indicate certain functions. Sometimes, the invention is the result of combining experimental technologies, or of realizing ction. These

ions of dollars in ents can be the sed out on a dare le patents, s, announced t you may need a s. Rest assured that metimes a

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- PABLOMACDONOUGH

With a tagline that reads, "The Art of Fusion," Hublot is constantly uniting ideas, materials and designs to create something original. This year, the brand unveils an all-newmaterial, a bright red ceramic that took four years to develop. It is an evolution from its scratch- resistant 18K gold, which was an alloy of boron carbide (ceramic) and 24K gold. This combination inspired it to create a colored ceramic, which was researched, designed and created by Hublot’s Metallurgy and Materials laboratory. Now, it is patented and exclusive to the brand. Not only is the material unique, but so is the manufacturing process, as it yields a bright red hue and renders the newly developed ceramic harder and denser than conventional ceramics (resulting in a hardness of 1500 HV1 compared to 1200 HV2 of other ceramics). Hublot’s first watch with this incredible material is the 45mm Big Bang Unico, with the in-house Unico HUB1242 movement. Five hundred pieces will be made with case and bezel in Red Magic, and completed with a red rubber strap for a bold monochrome look. $26,200, available at Hublot in New York, contact Oren Agai, store director, o.agai@hublot.com, +1 646 582 9813, hublot.com

As he requires his ambassadors to wear their watches while playing, no matter the sport, RichardMille has to create some of the world’s toughest watches. For polo player PabloMac Donough, that necessitated the development of a unique caliber, the all-new RM53-01, which has both a suspended tourbillon and an unusual cable-suspension mechanism. The movement rests on two braided-steel cables whose tension is adjusted via 10 pulleys anchored by four tensioners affixed to a peripheral baseplate. The even distribution of tension guarantees perfect balance. The suspended movement is made with titanium for the double baseplate and bridges to ensure optimal shock protection, and it can withstand shocks of more than 5,000 Gs. This inventive movement is placed inside a nearly indestructible case machined fromCarbon TPT and a crystal made of laminated sapphire glass. The glass consists of two sheets of sapphire separated by a polyvinyl film that can withstand shock waves without shattering. The resulting watch is like a suit of armor. $900,000, available at RichardMille in Las Vegas, contact Azzeddine Azzat, store director, +1 702 588 7272, richardmille.com