2012/11/30 - Hublot the OCEANOGRAPHIC 4000 Caribbean Special Edition

 

The Caribbean sea and its islands… Hublot pays tribute to the beauty of the region by unveiling a Special Diver's watch able to withstand the pressure exerted at a depth of 4,000 m. made of titanium with a turquoise blue touch.

It is a symbolic watch. The 4000 m watch. A watch developed for pushing the limits of what is rational and possible. It has taken 18 months of research, development and testing to present the Oceanographic 4000, a watch which can be worn on dives to depths of 4,000 metres, under extreme pressure - an exceptional technical achievement.

Designed to meet the most demanding requirements of both professional divers and watch enthusiasts.

Almost all the features of the Oceanographic 4000 are exceptional, in terms of design, development and manufacturing. To be described as a "montre de plongée" (diver's watch), resistant to the pressure exerted at the record depth of 4,000 metres, the watch had to meet the exacting specifications of the international standards of Swiss Watchmaking (NIHS).

Starting with its seal, tested by Hublot in a Roxer tank, submerged and pressurised to the equivalent of 5,000 metres. To ensure the watertightness of the watch and to resist this extreme pressure, the synthetic sapphire crystal is 6.5 thick. This is thicker than normal, but is reasonable for this level of resistance. The case back is screw-down, a sine qua non for reaching such depths. It is made of grade 2 titanium, an extremely strong stainless material.

As its case is made of titanium, the Oceanographic 4000 is still light on the wrist - although its diameter of 48 mm and its volume are substantial. From the brightness standpoint, the time and elapsed time measured by the flange must be legible from a distance of 25 cm in the dark. To meet this requirement, the dial, the flange and the hands of the Oceanographic 4000 have been optimised to have a larger surface area treated with SuperLuminova™, a luminescent material emitting a turquoise blue colour.

The reading method has been made as safe as possible, using an internal rotating flange which is unidirectional and rack-driven, with a dive time indicator. The dive time indicator being placed as close as possible to the dial minimises the risk of inadvertently altering the dive time. It also makes the dive time easier to read. In accordance with the standard, the Oceanographic 4000 has a minute scale on which the five-minute periods are clearly highlighted.

The watch is fitted with two screw-down crowns (a protective measure that helps ensure water resistance by compression of an O-ring seal).The flange crown which sets the dive time is placed at the 2 o'clock position for easy access and more comfortable use. It is unidirectional, again for safety reasons, with a bayonet fitting and protected by an oversized crown guard, for extra safety and easy operation when handling diving equipment. The second crown, for winding and setting the time and date, is positioned at 4 o'clock to avoid obstruction.

Finally, the Oceanographic 4000 has a helium valve, a feature essential to any diving watch capable of descending to great depths. An essential feature when the watch is used in diving chambers, the helium valve allows gases that have infiltrated the watch during the descent to safely escape during the ascent. The valve fitted to the Oceanographic 4000 is made of stainless steel, positioned at 10 o'clock, visible from the left-hand side lug.

The watch comes with an alligator black strap and buckle straps ("Town" & "Diver"). This type of fastening is more secure than a folding clasp for this type of use, and is also easier to handle and close when using gloves. Note that the design of this buckle is original (because the use of a tongue is rare in the normal Hublot collections) and that its method of attachment to the case is even more so with two small push buttons built into each end of the case to allow the strap to be changed instantly without the use of a screwdriver or any other accessory.

The King Power 48 mm Oceanographic 4000 Caribbean Special Edition is a genuine instrument with technology developed to the extreme and ergonomics for efficiency, this watch was conceived and designed to push the limits of the possible.

 

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Technical Specifications

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