Welcome to?the third installment in our Cost of Entry series, where we go hands-on?with?the most affordable, entry-level watches from leading luxury watch brands to see what you get for your money when entering a brand. In our first article, we looked at omega and the Oyster Perpetual, followed by the?Panerai Luminor PAM000 Base Logo watch. Now its time to see what the most affordable Hublot has to offer with the?Hublot?Classic Fusion Titanium watch.For a little background about the brand, ever since?Jean-Claude Biver (following a series of successes at Omega and Blancpain) took the helm at Hublot in 2004, the brands Big Bang watches have been a massive hit. Countless iterations and celebrity fanboys have positioned Hublot among the most popular high-end watch brands out there. The Big Bang is probably what most people think of when they imagine a Hublot watch, but its not the only game in town for someone interested in the brand. However, the perception isnt?for undue cause-back in 2005, when the Big Bang as we know it today came out, it did exactly what its name suggests by having a wildly popular release that brought the ailing brand back to life-in a big way. That being said, you can get that Hublot experience without opting for this model, but rather going for the more demure Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium. Offering luxury watch buyers something different and more contemporary than a lot of its similarly priced Swiss peers, Hublot has not shown any signs of slowing down; and its possible to enjoy the brand for less than you might imagine. What sometimes?gets lost or overlooked is the fact that Hublot was, indeed, a brand before JCB and they produced watches (and continue to do so) that are not the Big Bang or an offshoot of it. Drawing inspiration from the early Hublot watches from the 1980s, the Hublot Classic Fusion takes a step back from the busy, bold, and brash Big Bang and offers something?(dare we say?) discreet. At 45mm wide with a simple date window, its unfussy, easy to read, and?pretty good-looking, in my opinion.The debut of the Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium watch came in 2010. Its interesting to note that it came out five years after the Big Bang-a sign that Hublot knew that there is a market out there for people who love the classic porthole look, but want something a little slimmer and less busy. Do you get the full Hublot experience with the Classic Fusion? Perhaps you would expect that to be a more difficult-to-answer question but I would say yes! Yes, because you can see and feel?that this watchs DNA is pure Hublot. Plus,?I quite appreciate the fact that it isnt like every other Hublot out there, as it actually kind of stands out among the numerous iterations and takes on the Big Bang.The question that comes to mind when further thinking about the full Hublot experience is, can?you get the real feel on a non-sports watch? The rubber strap, the chronograph, and thick case are hallmarks of the Hublot Classic Fusion Titaniums bigger sibling. Here, we have a 45mm case with a simple crown and muted?matte black dial, a date window, Rhodium-plated hands and appliques, along with two logos (the seconds hand also has the Hublot logo). Furthermore, its on an alligator strap, though you could swap that aspect of it and go for the rubber.?Its probably also the best watch the brand offers for wearing with a suit, as its slim enough to sit under a sleeve-something you cant really say about the Big Bang. Dont get us wrong though: plenty of the key?Hublot DNA design elements are shared?between?the Hublot?Big Bang and the Classic Fusion. The faceted lugs and all the more importantly that porthole look with the bezel design featuring?six H screws helps the brand look fall right into place. The latter is a trait that I personally dont dislike but I can see bothering others is the fact that the screws do not line up perfectly and can point any which way. To me, it adds a level of personality and wabi-sabi (finding beauty in imperfections). Its not the flashiest out there, but the Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium sits comfortably with the brand.Moving on from looks and design, the Hublot Classic Fusion Titaniums movement is the HUB1112, which is a modified Sellita SW300 that provides the date display and has 42 hours of power reserve. So, youre not getting an in-house movement like you would with some of the pricier models, like the Big Bang UNICO (hands-on here). Nevertheless, the Sellita SW300 is a solid movement and, considering we are looking at an entry level model here, even the staunchest in-house movement snob would have to begrudgingly accept that fact.The clear case back is handsome,?and theres no risk of confusing this watch with another brand. The words Hublot Geneve are engraved in the titanium ring surrounding the sapphire crystal. Then, youve got the brand name skeletonized and ?in black in the winding rotor, and also the?brand logo engraved onto a?movement plate. For a look of complete solidness, you see the screws go from the front on the bezel through to the?case back.Getting to the name Classic Fusion,?what exactly does fusion refer to? Victims of the 1990s fusion cuisine trend will always have a visceral reaction to the word, but Jean-Claude Biver was adamant that his watches must be a fusion of material and elements. Rubber, ceramic, titanium, gold, etc What were looking at with the Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium is less of a mix of highly unusual materials as was the case with, say, this Texalium piece (hands-on here), and more the result of a conservative watch dreamt up by a boisterous mind. The end result? Its a watch that is bold, but refined; elegant, but still pretty tough. The more you think about it, the more the name Classic Fusion makes sense.A Hublot Big Bang UNICOSince this is a cost-of-entry article, how much does it cost to join the club? Well, the Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium Ref.511.NX.1171.LR (the one you see in these photos), starts around $8,400. This is a very busy price point, with a lot of?brands providing competition. It should be mentioned that this is for the 45mm version, as we felt that was the?model most Hublot buyers would seriously be looking at. You can technically spend less and still get a Hublot, theres the 33mm Classic Fusion Titanium that houses a quartz movement and retails for $4,200, the 38mm with automatic movement costs about $7,200, and the 42mm is $7,800. And, just to get it out of the way, if you want to get a Big Bang, youre not even close, as those start at just over $20,000. Now, with all that in mind, lets take a look at some specific pieces from the competition. [...]