We tend to forget it but Hublot has developed a wide range of sapphire models. Even if Hublot was not the first brand to offer such type of watches, it is now becoming a very credible flag bearer of this trend. Hublot took the opportunity of the release of some recent sapphire pieces to organize a party a few days ago in Paris. The objective, beyond the pleasure to see again these pieces, was to gather in the same place journalists, clients and VIP to celebrate the end of the year. And 2018 was again a successful year for Hublot.

Do you remember when several years ago a lot of people were saying: Hublot? It will not last... Well, when I look at the context today, the bad environment of the watch industry, I realize that Hublot is one of the very few brands which is performing without disappointment.

Ricardo Guadalupe could have explained us this situation but sadly, he had to cancel at the very last moment his presence. However, Hublot was represented by its team in France, led by Benoît Lecigne who is also in charge of so many countries that I would forget to mention some. Anyway, with or without Ricardo, a Hublot event is always special and once again, the brand found the perfect location for such party: in the new restaurant by Alain Ducasse. It would be better to say: on the boat rather than in the restaurant since Hublot chose the "Ducasse sur Seine" venue. Actually, we did a 2 hour cruise on the Seine river during the dinner.

It was a great idea. For two reasons. First, to remind us that Paris remains one of the most beautiful cities in the world. And during the night it is even more magic! And secondly, in these very difficult times (we have yellow vests demos and riots every Saturday...), it was good to have a bowl of fresh air even during just a few hours. So thanks Hublot for this opportunity!

Let's browse the pictures I took during the event.

The wharf of the Ducasse sur Seine boat is Port Debilly just in front of the Iron Lady:

Tables are set, ready to welcome the guests:

The Hublot symbols are proudly standing on the tables:

With Marie, from the Hublot team and who contributed a lot to the successful organization of the event. Do you spot the watch on my wrist?

The cruise has started... the best moments are when we underpass the bridges on the Seine river... what a fantastic show especially when the monuments "emerge" behind the bridges.

Another beautiful lady in Paris, not the Iron one this time! The majestic Notre Dame de Paris cathedral.

Some bridges are so narrow that I thought that the boat was too wide!

Esmeralda and Quasimodo, are you here?

Let's discover a different pleasure now with the Sapphire watches available during the party. The full range of Sapphire pieces was not present since pieces like the MP-11 were missing. But the selection was large enough to catch the key role played by these watches in the Hublot catalogue.

This is the Unico Perpetual Calendar Sapphire. It is maybe my fav Hublot Sapphire watch. Why? Because I think that the complications match well the case and I like the moonphase display in this context.

The price of the PC is 110,000 euros so the Unico Magic Sapphire could be a more reasonable option with a price of 57,100 euros. The technical rendering of the dial and the large openings are very good companions of the Sapphire case. Surprisingly enough, I prefer this type of black rubber strap than the "transparent" strap. I think the black strap highlights better the transparency of the case and to be honest, I'm not a fan of the visual rendering of the transparent strap.

Of course, you can easily put a different strap thanks to the clever strap change system.

Ladies are not forgotten! Hublot offers a collection of the Sapphire watches dedicated to ladies with the One Click 39mm. You can notice the work on the dial (ie the date disk which is visible) which is consistent with what we see with the other Sapphire watches of the Hublot catalogue:

Hublot also dedicated its tonneau shaped collection, the Spirit of Big Bang, to the Sapphire case. Here is the Spirit of Big Bang Sapphire Rainbow and I think I don't need to explain you why it bears this name:

And this is the "classic" (what a strange word in this respect!) Spirit of Big Bang Sapphire... I don't know if the El Primero movement found a more exuberant outfit previously!

After Notre Dame de Paris, the boat has started to turn back to the starting point. It is always funny to consider that the two ways don't offer the same perspective.

On the upper deck, I can find again the Hublot logo:

The speed of the boat is increasing. We left the wharf with delay and I believe that the boat has to respect a very specific and strict time slot to be allowed to cruise on the Seine.

Anyway, in case of problem, I have my very own lifeline!

And we are back to the starting point!

I would like to thank a lot Hublot for the great event, perfectly organized. It was good in this troublesome period to be able to take the plunge into a different atmosphere and the mission was completed!

When I will have time, I will try to see again the Sapphire pieces with a more appropriate light condition to take better pictures. But I could assess the quality of the Sapphire pieces and their (relatively) fair prices. These pieces tend to easily reach the sky in terms of price tags...

Fr.Xavier