Hublot and Berluti unveil Classic Fusion Chronograph Berluti

The new Classic Fusion Chronograph Berluti fuses Hublot’s watchmaking genius with the innovative patina of Berluti leathers.

Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot, said: “Over the generations, Berluti has developed its exceptional expertise to perfect the patina of its leathers. Combining traditional craftsmanship with our technical expertise has enabled us to marry this natural material with the mechanical refinement of Hublot. With a coordinated style from wrist to toe, the modern gentleman is the epitome of elegance.”

Founded in France in 1895 by Italian Alessandro Berluti, the Paris brand is now known for manufacturing men’s footwear, accessories and fashion collections. “Elegant men choose Berluti for their footwear, captivated by its bold and inventive patinated leathers,” the company said.

In 2016, Hublot released its first innovation: the Classic Fusion Berluti line. In honor of Berluti’s 120th anniversary, these pieces encapsulated the style of the shoemaker in a watch for the first time. This model employed Berluti’s famous Venezia leather for both its strap and dial. Developed by Olga Berluti, a descendent of Alessandro, this exclusive tanning technique needed to be developed into a delicate and complex process before it could be used to craft a watch. For example, all of the moisture had to be removed from the leather before it could be enclosed within the sapphire crystal.

One year on, Hublot decided to take its use of Berluti’s signature leather even further, combining this natural material with its Classic Fusion chronograph. Evidently a more complex task, as the dial features two counters at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock, craftsmen had to go back to the drawing board and develop new practices to ensure the leather could be made stable despite these new additions.

The result was the new Classic Fusion Chronograph Berluti, available with a 45 mm case in a choice of two finishes, Scritto King Gold and Scritto All Black. Limited to 250 pieces of each, both models feature hand-crafted straps, presented in a Berluti bespoke box containing a complete Berluti leather care set.