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Hublot Oceanographic: can you resist the pressure?

2011-06-14 12:01

What: Hublot Oceanographic 4000
Where: Zegg and Cerlati
Price: $19,900 to $25,900

In association with Monaco's Oceanographic Museum, Hublot has developed a new timepiece, the Oceanographic 4000. Launched on 6 June in Monaco, the watch cements the crucial relationship between the Principality and the Swiss luxury watchmaker.



Named after the institute founded by Prince Albert's great-grandfather and the 4000m of pressure which it can withstand, this specially-constructed diver's watch is an extraordinary achievement of engineering. Its 6.5mm synthetic sapphire crystal front is designed specifically to resist extreme pressures - it was tested in fact to 5000m - while the screw-down case is grade 2 titanium, giving the whole watch a particular resilience.

But resistance to pressure is not the end of the story. Dive-time is shown in a highly illuminated display, interchangeable straps are configured to fit over a divng suit, and a helium valve allows the release of gases that may have infiltrated the watch during an underwater descent.



Moreover, the name 'Oceanographic' is far more than simply an honorary title. The partnership between the two time-honoured institutions will see Hublot lend its financial support to the Museum in order to sustain its scientific missions to study and preserve the maritime environment itself. After all, what is a diver's watch without an ocean? As a result, Hublot will be the main partner of the Deep Sea Conference to be held at the Oceanographic Museum's sister-establishment, the Oceanographic Institute of Paris, on 13 October 2011.


^{_{Sir Alex Ferguson and Prince Albert II at the launch of the Hublot Oceanographic 4000}}

The Oceanographic 4000 was officially launched on 6 June in the presence of HRH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Robert Calcagno, CEO of Oceanographic Institute, Sir Alex Ferguson and Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of Hublot.