Hublot King Power Oceanographic 4000 Cheval Blanc Randheli Special Edition.
The unspoiled Noonu Atoll in the Maldives is home to LVMH’s Cheval Blanc Randheli, the new second Cheval Blanc Maison, a luxury retreat and contemporary eco-haven for the most demanding luxury traveller. The Atoll, full of turtles, manta rays and pinecone soldierfish, is an ideal playground for free diving and submarine excursions during both day and night.
The beauty of the site the refined and elegant Maison conceived in synergy with the island’s natural surroundings and lagoon inspire Hublot luxury watch manufactuer to launc a special diver’s watch, only available at Cheval Blanc Randheli: the Hublot King Power Oceanographic 4000 Cheval Blanc Randheli Special Edition.
The limited edition watch is made of titanium, with luminescent indexesin Cheval Blanc Randheli yellow, and withstands the pressure exerted at the extreme depth of 4,000 m. The Oceanographic 4000 has taken 18 months of research, developmentand testing. 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 ensurethe 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.
The watch is fitted with two screw-down crowns (a protective measure that helps ensure water resistance by compression ofan 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, forextra safety and easy operation when handling diving equipment. The second crown, for winding and setting the time anddate, 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 greatdepths. 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 stainlesssteel, positioned at 10 o’clock, visible from the left-hand side lug.
The watch comes with a white rubber strap with a buckle straps. 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.
