Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Hublot · Classic Fusion
Hublot Classic Fusion 39 mm Black 18k
Reference 18303OR.78
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Hublot
- Collection
- Classic Fusion
- Model
- Hublot Classic Fusion 39 mm Black 18k
- Reference number
- 18303OR.78
- Year / era
- 1992 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Perpetual calendar
- Movement
- In-house automatic chronograph
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Dial type
- Black lacquer
- Strap / bracelet
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Water resistance
- 150 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 39 mm
- Case thickness
- 12.6 mm
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Bezel
- Fixed brushed titanium
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Black lacquer
- Hands
- Mercedes hour hand with Chromalight display
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 150 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 70B — In-house automatic chronograph
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 65 hours
- Number of jewels
- 37 jewels
- Complications
- Perpetual calendar
- Functions
- Perpetual calendar, leap year
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1992 – 2004
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
Hublot Classic Fusion 39 mm Black 18k sits within Hublot's Classic Fusion line, introduced in 1992. It carries the house codes established since 1980 — 18k rose gold case, black lacquer dial and in-house automatic chronograph — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
The House
Hublot
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1980
- Founder
- Carlo Crocco
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Big Bang, Classic Fusion, Spirit of Big Bang, MP Collection, Square Bang
- Signature technologies
- Anti-magnetic silicon escapement · Hand-applied guilloché dials · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house automatic, chronometer certified · In-house automatic chronograph · In-house manual-winding
- Notable watches
- Hublot Big Bang 36 mm Salmon Stainless (1980) · Hublot Big Bang 43 mm Salmon Stainless (1982) · Hublot Big Bang 43 mm Meteorite Stainless (1996) · Hublot Classic Fusion 44 mm Meteorite 18k (1992)
Brand history
Hublot has spent more than 46 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Big Bang, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Carlo Crocco established Hublot in 1980, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Hublot calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1980
Carlo Crocco founds Hublot in Switzerland.
1990
Hublot enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Hublot continues to produce Big Bang, Classic Fusion, Spirit of Big Bang and other icons in limited numbers.