This 2000 Hublot MDM Elegant Chronograph Replica is a prime example of the joys to be found by delving into these different eras of watch brand history, with a sleek and handsome style broadly removed from the brand’s current DNA.There are many words that can be used to describe modern Hublot. “Bold,” “innovative,” and “avant-garde” immediately spring to mind, among many others.
Even the brand’s staunchest supporters would be hard-pressed to use the term “elegant,” however.The Cheap Hublot MDM Elegant Replica was one of the most prominent designs in a surprisingly varied catalog during those years, and while it carries a number of Hublot hallmarks, it’s a very different animal from the brand’s modern output.
The stainless steel case measures in at a modest 40mm-wide and wears smaller than the numbers suggest, thanks to a relatively small dial aperture. While the overall case shape shares some similarities with the modern Hublot Classic Fusion series, the Swiss Replica MDM Elegant Chronograph is a softer, more rounded design than anything currently produced by the brand.
Like the Classic Fusion, this takes a roundabout approach to Genta-esque sports watch design, with a rather conventional tapering lug profile coupled to a perfectly flush-fitting steel endlink that screws into the classic smooth black Hublot rubber strap. This design eliminates the Classic Fusion’s angular lug downturn, however, in favor of a more flowing, sloped form.
Even the Cheap Hublot Replica pushers take a more rounded shape than the brand’s current design philosophy, with sleekly polished oval profiles. Taken as a whole, this is a less aggressive, more mature reimagining of the ur-Hublot case design, but not without its own sort of visual punch. Where this subtler kind of flash really shines through is in the finishing.
The majority of this case, from the rounded case sides to the bezel flanges, is brilliantly mirror-polished, but Hublot gives this brighter look on the wrist a sporting edge with brushing for the bezel and the end links. Unlike some of its antecedents, the Hublot Replica Watches is a proper dyed-in-the-wool sports chronograph as well, boasting a screw-down crown and a solid 100 meters of water resistance.
This comparatively restrained matte black dial example is one of the most common variants produced, and perhaps the one best suited to wear the “Elegant” moniker. Compared to modern Hublot Replica Watches Online array of avant-garde skeleton dials, hyper-minimal gloss black layouts, and ultra-sporty bold designs, this feels refreshingly straightforward and demure.
An outer tachymeter scale further visually compresses the dial on the wrist while giving this watch a sportier appearance, while a sizeable polished “H” emblem at 12 o’clock might be the only giveaway to casual enthusiasts that this is in fact a Hublot. Each of the three recessed subdials is on the smaller side, and as such can come off as a touch wide-set, but are all easily legible in practice and help to visually unify the design with a set of glossy white leaf hands.
The strap is where the Hublot Replica Swiss Movement carries its closest link to the Hublot design language of today.This thin, flexible rubber strap design is supremely supple and comfortable on the wrist, with a lightweight butterfly clasp that makes for a seamless fit. However, these straps have to be cut to fit the wearer’s wrist, which can make sourcing a vintage model tricky for larger-wristed enthusiasts, but Hublot does still produce replacement straps for these models.