# Personal Review: Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium 42mm



## NTJW

To be honest, I never imaged myself owning a Hublot. It's not that I hate it (like many people do), I just find it that they are either too expensive, or too large for my liking. Moreover, their "integrated" strap makes strap changing way too difficult and fussy for me to play with.

But I guess, people change, and things change, and whatever - and so here I am now, with a Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium 42mm.










The Classic Fusion line, is probably the cheapest and most affordable Hublot in their line up. I am unsure if there are any cheaper ones (at least for the larger sizes). A few exceptions would be those for ladies, coming in a much smaller size, and quartz movement.

While I am totally unsure of what the Fusion means on this watch, because I don't see it fusing anything with anything either. So I guess it's just a call-name for it.

Measuring at 42mm across 3 to 9, with the integrated strap that I mentioned earlier, and a single quite large enough crown, I think this watch looks pretty handsome without being extremely large on the wrist.










Lets talk about the case itself first, I think while it looks simple, it actually has more intricacies that one would realized. Starting off from the bezel, you have the round, vertically brushed bezel, with 6 H-shaped screws around it, reminiscent of AP's Royal Oak bezel. Underneath the bezel, you have this Patek-ish "wings" on both sides, you can see that slim black thing protruding out, which I'm not very certain about the material, but it's there.

Then you have the case on the most bottom part, nicely rounded and curved, and ends with the usually called "dog leg" lugs from the bygone Constellation era. While I think all these features are great, individually, how Hublot managed to pull them off together, is quite bizarre to me. Yes it's interesting, but I don't mind cutting one or two of these elements down.

There are alternate brushing and polishing here and there on the case, but I personally their fine brushing could use more work. I have seen better brushing on "cheaper" watches. Oh it is also made of Titanium, so it is super light, and great for long period of usage.

Oh you also have that "screwed" end links for the strap - I think way too many screws here. I also would add that paying this much for a watch, the H screws on the bezek, should at least be aligned in one direction, not scattered randomly like it is now.










We have come to talk about the dial now. And this is the most interesting part, for me. The dial is the least hublot-ish part of the watch. You can see how clean it it is, the dial is also matte black, with black date window, and very minimal writing. The use of the font on the Automatic word is also a great touch.

You can see the skeletonized hands, and the highly faceted, polished indexes. The runner seconds is large, thick, and carries the Hublot logo as it's counter-balance. I really really love this set up - to be honest, it really brings the hands and the indexes into the spotlight, as it glistens and dances with the light while the dial is devoid of any reflection.

One thing I also like - there is no lume. While it's strange because you can't really categorize this as a pure dress watch (usually dresswatches are devoid of any kind of lume), but it is what it is. And I like it! It takes away an extra element of what is to me already a quite busy watch!










Now the elephant in the room, and is the subject of most hate from many people. The movement.

Hahah - yes it is a modified Sellita SW300. Ta daa..... While the Sellita is a credible work horse and its no slouch, and definitely undeserving the mockery it gets - but I understand the point, a watch retailing at 7800 USD, uses a 'cheap' movement, is very disappointing.

I do agree on that, while on the other hand, I now tend to find ETA or Sellita movements favourable - as a time only watch. Because I think it is easier to repair in the long run, cheaper maintenance, and you don't have to worry about sourcing the parts from an independent watchmaker.

As you can see it is decently decorated, but I guess there isn't much room for more decoration, but for a bit of flair, and compensating the "cheap" movement, Hublot could have used an 14k gold rotor for example, to make it look grandeur and well, more worth it's money kinda thing.

But, I have to re-iterate, it is a great movement, extremely reliable, and in many cases, even more accurate than inhouse movements that I have seen. So worry not.










The buckle is actually vey nicely finished, and thoughtfully done. But again, more screws. I guess this is a way of Hublot saying that "I'm screwed"? Hahaha.. Anyway, they could use less screws for sure.

It is a single deployant type, and the strap folds inwards so you don't need keepers and there is no excess of the strap anywhere. I have always liked this solution, but I love Tag Heuer's implementation the best, as you adjust the strap without holes, and could size it indefinitely to your liking.

On the underside of the strap is a rubber lining, this makes the watch more comfortable to be worn, and makes it more resistant to wear and tear in the long run. I prefer this actually, because it is infact, a better and much nicer way to wear the strap.










When worn I find the watch to be actually very comfortable, and conforms very well to my wrist. To be honest, the 42mm sizing is a bit deceptive, as the inner bezel itself probably measures slightly less than 40mm, and it wears like so.

In addition due to the titanium case, the watch is also a joy to be worn on any kind of weather, and really makes you forget that you are wearing one.










On my 16.5 circumference wrist, the watch sits very flat. This is also the fact that watch itself is very slim, and truly, very comfortable to wear. I probably would dare say that this is probably the most comfortable Hublots that I have ever strapped on my wrist.

To be honest, getting it at the preowned market for around 4000k USD is very much a great option for those like who doesn't want to splurge buying new. The actual watch is really nice, and you get that bling brand feel when you wear it too hahaha..

Sure you don't get a UNICO movement, but I guess Hublot Should be able to produce a simple calibre, even Oris can, why can't they?

But aside from the let downs, if you want something really different, and something that is quirky enough to get you off the generic models of watches these days, this classic fusion is really an interesting proposition.

Thank you for reading!


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## md2010

Welcome to the club. Classic fusion is Hublot's cheapest watch but at the same time it's their most iconic and true to the original Hublot watch. Hublot has been upping their games for a while. The finishing on any of their current models vs anything that they sold 5 years ago is day and night different. I have a Hublot classic fusion and under a loupe it's perfect. The brushing and specially polishing is the best I have seen (and I own a Grand Seiko Snowflake). It catches light like crazy and even inside a lowlight room. They call it fusion as the case is titanium and part of the clasp is steel . And strap is alligator with rubber back. It's a mix of material/ fusion.
It's a beautiful watch and quiet unique in its overall case shape. Mine say hi


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## Bswcollection

Hublot has always impressed me with their wrist presence 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## TripleC

Great review! Have a Classic Fusion Chrono (42mm) on the way. Excited to experience this brand.


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## locuswatch_collection

Beautiful watch. Congratulations 

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


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## Dingo2017

I like those watches.


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## Dingo2017

md2010 said:


> Welcome to the club. Classic fusion is Hublot's cheapest watch but at the same time it's their most iconic and true to the original Hublot watch. Hublot has been upping their games for a while. The finishing on any of their current models vs anything that they sold 5 years ago is day and night different. I have a Hublot classic fusion and under a loupe it's perfect. The brushing and specially polishing is the best I have seen (and I own a Grand Seiko Snowflake). It catches light like crazy and even inside a lowlight room. They call it fusion as the case is titanium and part of the clasp is steel . And strap is alligator with rubber back. It's a mix of material/ fusion.
> It's a beautiful watch and quiet unique in its overall case shape. Mine say hi
> View attachment 15543299


What is this color called? What size is that


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## rcsub

This is kinda funny, but I hated Hublot with a passion and to this day couldn't tell why. I still only like one or two models and would only own one to sell it and make enough for a doughnut with sprinkles the next morning. Some flok to these timepieces, same with Panerai, while others ( me ) have to be around them for a while to really get any appreciation of these brands.


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## Jacobabish

NTJW said:


> To be honest, I never imaged myself owning a Hublot. It's not that I hate it (like many people do), I just find it that they are either too expensive, or too large for my liking. Moreover, their "integrated" strap makes strap changing way too difficult and fussy for me to play with.
> 
> But I guess, people change, and things change, and whatever - and so here I am now, with a Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium 42mm.
> 
> View attachment 15510402
> 
> 
> The Classic Fusion line, is probably the cheapest and most affordable Hublot in their line up. I am unsure if there are any cheaper ones (at least for the larger sizes). A few exceptions would be those for ladies, coming in a much smaller size, and quartz movement.
> 
> While I am totally unsure of what the Fusion means on this watch, because I don't see it fusing anything with anything either. So I guess it's just a call-name for it.
> 
> Measuring at 42mm across 3 to 9, with the integrated strap that I mentioned earlier, and a single quite large enough crown, I think this watch looks pretty handsome without being extremely large on the wrist.
> 
> View attachment 15510404
> 
> 
> Lets talk about the case itself first, I think while it looks simple, it actually has more intricacies that one would realized. Starting off from the bezel, you have the round, vertically brushed bezel, with 6 H-shaped screws around it, reminiscent of AP's Royal Oak bezel. Underneath the bezel, you have this Patek-ish "wings" on both sides, you can see that slim black thing protruding out, which I'm not very certain about the material, but it's there.
> 
> Then you have the case on the most bottom part, nicely rounded and curved, and ends with the usually called "dog leg" lugs from the bygone Constellation era. While I think all these features are great, individually, how Hublot managed to pull them off together, is quite bizarre to me. Yes it's interesting, but I don't mind cutting one or two of these elements down.
> 
> There are alternate brushing and polishing here and there on the case, but I personally their fine brushing could use more work. I have seen better brushing on "cheaper" watches. Oh it is also made of Titanium, so it is super light, and great for long period of usage.
> 
> Oh you also have that "screwed" end links for the strap - I think way too many screws here. I also would add that paying this much for a watch, the H screws on the bezek, should at least be aligned in one direction, not scattered randomly like it is now.
> 
> View attachment 15510409
> 
> 
> We have come to talk about the dial now. And this is the most interesting part, for me. The dial is the least hublot-ish part of the watch. You can see how clean it it is, the dial is also matte black, with black date window, and very minimal writing. The use of the font on the Automatic word is also a great touch.
> 
> You can see the skeletonized hands, and the highly faceted, polished indexes. The runner seconds is large, thick, and carries the Hublot logo as it's counter-balance. I really really love this set up - to be honest, it really brings the hands and the indexes into the spotlight, as it glistens and dances with the light while the dial is devoid of any reflection.
> 
> One thing I also like - there is no lume. While it's strange because you can't really categorize this as a pure dress watch (usually dresswatches are devoid of any kind of lume), but it is what it is. And I like it! It takes away an extra element of what is to me already a quite busy watch!
> 
> View attachment 15510414
> 
> 
> Now the elephant in the room, and is the subject of most hate from many people. The movement.
> 
> Hahah - yes it is a modified Sellita SW300. Ta daa..... While the Sellita is a credible work horse and its no slouch, and definitely undeserving the mockery it gets - but I understand the point, a watch retailing at 7800 USD, uses a 'cheap' movement, is very disappointing.
> 
> I do agree on that, while on the other hand, I now tend to find ETA or Sellita movements favourable - as a time only watch. Because I think it is easier to repair in the long run, cheaper maintenance, and you don't have to worry about sourcing the parts from an independent watchmaker.
> 
> As you can see it is decently decorated, but I guess there isn't much room for more decoration, but for a bit of flair, and compensating the "cheap" movement, Hublot could have used an 14k gold rotor for example, to make it look grandeur and well, more worth it's money kinda thing.
> 
> But, I have to re-iterate, it is a great movement, extremely reliable, and in many cases, even more accurate than inhouse movements that I have seen. So worry not.
> 
> View attachment 15510421
> 
> 
> The buckle is actually vey nicely finished, and thoughtfully done. But again, more screws. I guess this is a way of Hublot saying that "I'm screwed"? Hahaha.. Anyway, they could use less screws for sure.
> 
> It is a single deployant type, and the strap folds inwards so you don't need keepers and there is no excess of the strap anywhere. I have always liked this solution, but I love Tag Heuer's implementation the best, as you adjust the strap without holes, and could size it indefinitely to your liking.
> 
> On the underside of the strap is a rubber lining, this makes the watch more comfortable to be worn, and makes it more resistant to wear and tear in the long run. I prefer this actually, because it is infact, a better and much nicer way to wear the strap.
> 
> View attachment 15510425
> 
> 
> When worn I find the watch to be actually very comfortable, and conforms very well to my wrist. To be honest, the 42mm sizing is a bit deceptive, as the inner bezel itself probably measures slightly less than 40mm, and it wears like so.
> 
> In addition due to the titanium case, the watch is also a joy to be worn on any kind of weather, and really makes you forget that you are wearing one.
> 
> View attachment 15510426
> 
> 
> On my 16.5 circumference wrist, the watch sits very flat. This is also the fact that watch itself is very slim, and truly, very comfortable to wear. I probably would dare say that this is probably the most comfortable Hublots that I have ever strapped on my wrist.
> 
> To be honest, getting it at the preowned market for around 4000k USD is very much a great option for those like who doesn't want to splurge buying new. The actual watch is really nice, and you get that bling brand feel when you wear it too hahaha..
> 
> Sure you don't get a UNICO movement, but I guess Hublot Should be able to produce a simple calibre, even Oris can, why can't they?
> 
> But aside from the let downs, if you want something really different, and something that is quirky enough to get you off the generic models of watches these days, this classic fusion is really an interesting proposition.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


Thanks for the good read. I agree with you that at 4k for the watch it is a great way to get into this brand. Might be a bit large for my taste as well but the fit looks good in your pictures.


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