Hublot Unveils Limited-Edition MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis 5 Days Power Reserve 3D Carbon Watch

Even in the exotic and fantastical realm of Hublot’s top-of-the-line MP series, few watches can beat the MP-09 for sheer mechanical excess. With an intricate skeleton movement, a two-axis tourbillon escapement, and a unique asymmetrical shape that appears to melt as it wraps around the wrist, the MP-09 has always been a piece of high-octane horological spectacle. For its latest release, Hublot takes the MP-09 series a step further with the brand’s machined 3D Carbon carbon fiber material, now with woven carbon fiber layers in four vivid colors. Whether in red, yellow, green, or blue, the new limited-edition Hublot MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis 5 Days Power Reserve 3D Carbon series offers a high-tech and high-impact showcase for some of the brand’s wildest and most dramatic design and movement-making concepts.
Even without its complex asymmetrical shape or unique materials, the sheer size of the Hublot MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis 5 Days Power Reserve 3D Carbon series’ case makes it eye-catching. Measuring at 49mm-wide and a monolithic 17.95mm-thick, the angular multi-layer design is anything but a shrinking violet on the wrist. Viewed from the 12 o’clock case side, the case follows the brand’s trademark Big Bang pattern, with a multifaceted angular sandwich-style construction, integrated lugs, prominent case side flanges at both 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock, and a chamfered bezel secured by H-screws. At 6 o’clock, however, the design takes a turn for the dramatic. As if pulled down by the immense gravity of a black hole, the bezel distorts and flows downward, tapering to a narrow strip and bending down 90 degrees from the top of the case through two distinct bends. As a result, the sapphire crystal also follows these complex, almost Dali-esque lines, allowing for a clear view of the two-axis tourbillon from a wide variety of angles
On top of this otherworldly form, Hublot adds its newly-developed colored 3D carbon material. Made from woven layers of carbon fiber and then machined into multiple sandwich segments for final assembly, this lightweight matte material alternates between the graphite gray of naked carbon fiber and vibrant color, in either grass green, royal blue, lemon yellow, or fire-engine red. While this mix of colors appears as an alternating crosshatch pattern when viewed from the dial side, the changing cross-section of the machined elements produces patterns from vertical striping to solid layers of color across various facets of the design. The result is undeniably striking, with a futuristic look in images that sets it apart markedly from even Hublot’s other high-tech colorful case materials. Despite the durable case material and the hefty sporting look, however, the Hublot MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis 5 Days Power Reserve 3D Carbon line sports a miniscule 30-meter water resistance rating.
All four versions of the Hublot MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis 5 Days Power Reserve 3D Carbon share the same skeleton dial design, which is carried over from previous MP-09 models. The largest change from previous iterations comes in the form of color, with each case variant carrying over matching highlights in red, yellow, blue, or green to the dial design. Compared to many skeleton dials from Hublot, the MP-09 dial format is relatively simple, with little in the way of complex spider-web bridges and a wide visual berth given to each complication. The main timekeeping subdial at 1 o’clock takes on a pleasingly chunky visual sensibility, with concentric skeleton rings and exaggerated crosshair-style hour indices at 12 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock, and 9 o’clock forming the visual base for the skeleton sword hands and beveled indices. The date display partially surrounds this subdial, with two concentric rings of skeleton date windows and a colored backing (white on the blue-cased model due to blue’s relatively low contrast with black) highlighting the current day of the month. A toggle switch on the 9 o’clock side of the case advances this display forward or backward one day at a time. At 9 o’clock, a sporty fuel gauge-style power reserve indicator tracks the movement’s massive 120-hour winding capacity.
Like with the case, however, the skeleton dial design of the Hublot MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis 5 Days Power Reserve 3D Carbon is designed to direct the viewer’s attention toward the two-axis tourbillon as much as possible. Taking up nearly half of the total skeleton dial space, this gyroscope-like element rotates across one of its axes once every 30 seconds and completes a rotation across its second axis every 60 seconds. The tourbillon cage itself is simple and high-tech, with ultramodern DLC black coated titanium elements.
As with previous iterations of the MP-09, Hublot uses its in-house HUB9009.H1.RA hand-wound tourbillon movement for the MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis 5 Days Power Reserve 3D Carbon line. In typical Hublot fashion, the bridges and movement plates are intricately skeletonized, but the finishing itself is clean and ultramodern. Most surfaces are either vertically brushed or matte blasted and PVD coated, with polished chamfers along the bridge edges to introduce a layer of flash in initial images. Performance for the HUB9009.H1.RA stands at 120 hours of power reserve at a 21,600 bph beat rate. Hublot pairs each of the four models with a vibrant sculpted integrated rubber strap in case-matching yellow, red, green, or blue.
In a defiantly over-the-top show of technical and horological spectacle, the limited edition Hublot MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis 5 Days Power Reserve 3D Carbon series offers one of the boldest and most striking designs in the brand’s extensive arsenal. Only eight examples of the watch will be made in each colorway, for a total of 32 units. The Hublot MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis 5 Days Power Reserve 3D Carbon series is available now through authorized dealers, with each model carrying an MSRP