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 · MP Collection
Hublot MP Collection 38 mm Skeletonised 18k
Reference 78704OR.29
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Hublot
- Collection
- MP Collection
- Model
- Hublot MP Collection 38 mm Skeletonised 18k
- Reference number
- 78704OR.29
- Year / era
- 1980 · 1980s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- Chronograph
- Movement
- In-house manual-winding
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Dial type
- Skeletonised
- Strap / bracelet
- White rubber velcro strap
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 38 mm
- Case thickness
- 14.1 mm
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Bezel
- Fixed brushed titanium
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Skeletonised
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- White rubber velcro strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 27C — In-house manual-winding
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 70 hours
- Number of jewels
- 45 jewels
- Complications
- Chronograph
- Functions
- Dive time, running seconds
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1980 – 1987
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
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 MP Collection 38 mm Skeletonised 18k sits within Hublot's MP Collection line, introduced in 1980. It carries the house codes established since 1980 — 18k rose gold case, skeletonised dial and in-house manual-winding — 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.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
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.