# Skulldiggery: Hublot Classic Fusion Tourbillon Skull



## Michael Weare

Part of Hublot's skull series, this is a Skeleton tourbillon movement with distinct Keith Richards' appeal. Sleek and contemporary, the ceramic-coated aluminium gives this piece a truly striking appearance.

This material, which is new to Hublot, is obtained through a treatment known as MAO (Microarc Oxidation) which consists of a surface conversion through plasma discharge in an electrolyte bath. This forms a ceramic layer which is hard, dense and adhesive. The micro-blasted finish is obtained through manual sanding which gives the case a distressed look and ensures each piece has a unique finish. Finally, this material has a high hardness rating of around 1000 Vickers. It has excellent resistance to corrosion and friction, and is twice as light as ceramic.









The manual winding skeleton tourbillon movement with its 5-day power reserve - entirely designed, developed and manufactured in the workshops at the Hublot Manufacture - has also seen several transformations. The bridges and plate have undergone 3-D machining: a laser machining phase has transformed the flat bridges, creating a relief on these components.

The components' white surface treatment is obtained through an electroplating process. The components are rhodium-plated, then, to achieve the white appearance (instead of retaining their metallic colour), the decoration stage is carried out using micro-blasting which turns them white.

The skull-shaped minute tourbillon barret (which rotates fully in one minute) creates a surprising and different piece: a fusion of the traditional and the modern, the craftsmanship of the past and a 21st-century creative vision for watchmaking.

One last small detail adds further interest to the piece, if that were needed: the indices are in Roman numerals, which is also a first for Hublot.

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