Hublot
Swiss High-End Watchmaker, Part of LVMH
Hublot is a Swiss luxury watchmaker founded in 1980 and is currently based in Nyon, Switzerland. The name “Hublot” is French for a ship’s porthole and the brand’s first piece had a case design inspired by a porthole. It also established the aesthetic that Hublot is known for with a combination of gold and a rubber strap, starting “The Art of Fusion” concept (later pioneered by Jean-Claude Biver). The strap was the first natural rubber strap in the industry, and it took three years of research and development. Hublot’s mission was to be disruptive with style, innovation and top craftsmanship, and the inaugural watch was financially successful after appearing at the 1980 Basel Watch Fair. Hublot’s philosophy is, “Be first, unique and different.”
In 2004, Jean-Claude Biver, former president of Omega (a subsidiary of the Swatch Group), became Hublot’s CEO. He created the brand’s signature piece and presented it at Baselworld in 2005, the Big Bang Chronograph. It was an instant hit, increased watch sales by a factor of three, and won numerous Swiss and international awards. Biver took company sales from CHF 24 million in 2004 to CHF 100 million by the start of 2007, cementing Hublot as a major player in the luxury space. Watches are known for their bold aesthetics with tremendous details, brightly coloured ceramics, integrated designs, all sapphire construction and very scratch resistant 18k Magic Gold. Joining the Big Bang collection are Classic Fusion, Shaped, MP with a bi-axis tourbillon and Novelties. In 2009, Hublot introduced WISeKey at Baselworld, which was a new method of detecting counterfeit watches with a smart card.
Hublot became a subsidiary of LVMH in 2008, joining TAG Heuer, Bulgari, Zenith and more. The brand enjoys major partnerships such as world football, where the slogan “Hublot Loves Football” is seen at the FIFA World Cup, Premier League, UEFA Champions League and UEFA EURO. Of course, it also has high-level brand ambassadors related to these partnerships. Hublot is also involved with large environmental projects with SORAI and Polar Pod to help address current issues and better our planet.
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Introducing The Hublot Big Band Integrated Collection
