Herbelin Newport Carbon Titanium Skeleton automatic yellow FKM rubber strap 43 mm

The genesis

The Newport Carbone Titane collection was created by watchmaker HERBELIN to accompany its ambassador Aurélien Ducroz - double World Freeride Ski Champion and reigning Class40 Champion - in the Route du Rhum 2022. The flagship of the French brand's exceptional sports timepieces, it now features a skeleton model in a limited edition of 500 numbered pieces. Identical to a racing car, this new timepiece has been skeletonized to the extreme to highlight its engine and increase its lightness. Explanations.

High-tech materials

In the image of Aurélien Ducroz's Class 40 sailboat, the 43 mm case ensures both great solidity and lightness through its materials. Carbon is renowned for its exceptional robustness, both to shocks and temperature variations. Titanium, meanwhile, stands out for its featherweight, while guaranteeing optimal resistance to shock and corrosion.

Inspired by a manufacturing method used in the aeronautical sector, it is made of forged carbon mounted on a titanium container treated with DLC (Diamond like Carbon). Attached by five screws, visible on the carbon bezel, the assembly guarantees water resistance to 200 m.

Identitary in design

Faithful to the Newport DNA, this watch identifies itself at first glance: central strap lugs, porthole-style bezel, screws evoking sailboat winches, marine wheel stamped on the crown. But the gaze is quickly drawn to the dial, highlighting HERBELIN's watchmaking expertise.

Adorned with an anti-reflective sapphire crystal, the circular brushed black flange is punctuated by luminescent white hour markers, each cadenced in groups of four minutes framed by a fine border. Highly precise and perfectly visible thanks to its bright yellow color, the minute track harmonizes with the color of the central seconds hand, which is also reflected in the logo printed on the underside of the bezel glass. Its dynamic tone accentuates the model's sporty character, while drawing attention to the exposed caliber.

Horloger through its skeletonization

Revealing a bird's-eye view of its mechanism, the caliber is devoid of all superfluous material. Reduced to the strict minimum of components and gears necessary for its proper functioning, the skeletonization takes up the stylized geometry of a wheel bar, an identifiable and iconic element of the Newport collection. Sober and modern, with an anthracite ruthenium treatment for maximum visibility, it was developed specifically for HERBELIN. For those who know how to appreciate the other side of the coin, it reveals its inner beauty without any complex.

Coming to life to the rhythm of faceted anthracite baton-shaped hands with white luminescent coating, this Swiss-made (Sellita) automatic caliber is also revealed through a transparent caseback. Featuring 26 jewels and generating 28,800 oscillations per hour, it has a power reserve of 41 hours.

Thought to be worn in action, this new HERBELIN is mounted on a bracelet adopting the same pantone yellow 809C as Aurélien Ducroz's boat. Made from high-performance FKM elastomer and featuring a folding clasp with safety buckle, it is guaranteed for ten years thanks to its extremely resistant and assuredly high-performance material.

Sporty without a doubt, the Newport Carbone Titane Squelette is Made in France. Designed, conceived, hand-assembled, adjusted and tested in the HERBELIN workshops, located in the Jura mountains in Franche-Comté, it highlights a French watchmaking tradition, handed down from father to son, for over 75 years.

Embossed on the back of the box with the number X/500, this future collector's item will keep modern-day adventurers on course. The more classic among them may prefer the same model equipped with a black FKM bracelet.