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AMERICA’S #1 WATCH MAGAZINE
H U B L OTS P E C I A L
CLASSIC FUSION TOURBILLON CATHEDRAL
MINUTE REPEATER
WINNER OF GENEVA GRAND PRIX D'HORLOGERIE 2014
www.hublot.com • twitter.com/hublot • facebook.com/hublot
Hublot_ChronHbt_CFCatMinRep_210x280.indd 2 05.02.15 14:00
EDITOR’S LETTER
IN THE BEGINNING there was the “Big Bang.”
Jean-Claude Biver caused a huge sensation when he intro-
duced the watch bearing this name 10 years ago. The
watch was large, masculine, and bore the message of
“Fusion.” Biver never tired of explaining the philosophy
behind this idea but explanations alone don’t sell watches.
The most essential aspect of the watch was how it embod-
ied something so extraordinary.
The Big Bang case has an ingenious design consisting
of over 70 parts and made of the most diverse kinds of
materials. From the very beginning the combination of
different materials was a fundamental feature behind the
idea of Fusion. Hublot was the first brand to combine gold
with rubber – and with Biver, this was followed by carbon
fiber and ceramic, Kevlar and titanium. Again and again
Hublot brought new materials into the world of watches,
such as the platinum metal osmium and textiles like
denim, linen and lace – even tobacco leaves on the dial
and grass from a soccer stadium encased in the hour
markers. This was accompanied by the development of
new alloys like scratch-resistant “Magic Gold” and manu-
factured ceramic components in brilliant colors.
FUSION, however, does not only mean the combina-
tion of various materials. Jean-Claude Biver always un-
derstood Fusion as a combination of the past and the
future; of elements from traditional watchmaking and
contemporary modernity.
And if the combination of diverse materials represents
“modernity”, the past is found within the watches with
their classical mechanics. Over the years Biver and
Ricardo Guadalupe, the company’s current CEO, have
created a manufacture with an impressive range and
depth. Hublot has developed and put into production the
Unico, its own in-house chronograph movement, and is
now also building special mechanisms such as tourbillons
and minute repeaters. And when such extraordinary
complications are placed in a carbon-fiber case, this is
simply another expression of the creative combination of
the traditional and modern – that is, Fusion.
THE MANY FACETS of Hublot find expression
not least of all in its marketing strategy. The brand main-
tains partnerships with individual athletes and sports
teams, with cult brands like Ferrari as well as with musi-
cians and designers. Hublot wants to be wherever its cus-
tomers are. Whether it’s soccer, a concert or wine tasting,
Hublot has watches that can bring customers even closer
to their favorite topics.
Hublot is perfectly equipped for the future. A new
building is slated to open in mid 2015 that will provide
additional space needed for the rapidly growing manufac-ture. Recognition and acceptance of the brand is far-
reaching and its portfolio is just as broad. Hublot’s pres-
ence at global mega events like the 2014 FIFA World Cup
in Brazil further deepens its name recognition among po-
tential customers of the future. And while more and more
people worldwide discover the brand for themselves, it
also gives those who already own a Hublot watch that
many more good reasons to purchase another Hublot.
IS SOWHY HUBLOT
SUCCESSFUL
Rüdiger Bucher, Editorial Director
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 3
44
3EDITOR’S LETTER
610 YEARS OF BIG BANGThe Big Bang revolution
12DECISIONSWhich Big Bang is right for me?
14INTERVIEW WITH JEAN-CLAUDE BIVER“Hublot has beenthe most important job in my life”
22MILESTONES10 years of Fusion
36FERRARIDream team
44PHILANTHROPYInvolvement for a better world
CONTENTS
36
22
14
6
48
56
78
90
72
48INTERVIEW WITH
RICARDO GUADALUPE“The majority of our
watches will have in-house movements”
56A PERFECT WEEK
My week with Hublot
64MATERIALS
Nothing is impossible
72LADIES’ WATCHES
Luxury with an edge
78INSIDE HUBLOT
The manufacture
88ANTIKYTHERA
High tech under water
90IN-HOUSE
MOVEMENTSExpertise central
98MASTHEAD
THE BIG BANG REVOLUTION
BY JENS KOCH
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 7
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A NEW ERA BEGAN AT HUBLOT10 YEARS AGO –WHEN THE BIGBANG STARTED ANEW REVOLUTIONFOR THE BRANDAND THE WORLDOF HOROLOGY.
THE EVENT KNOWN AS THE BIG BANG was the origin of everything. It was the beginning of our
world as we know it. Hublot wasn’t exactly modest in
selecting the name for its watch – but in retrospect the
name was a perfect match and thoroughly justified. The
Big Bang enabled the successful revitalization of Hublot
while changing the entire watchmaking world. But what
made the Big Bang have such an explosive effect?
Keep in mind that the world of horology is based on
traditions rooted in the past. It is characterized by brands
that boast long histories and continue to promote their
own traditionally designed collections and movements.
Traditional horology defines value along certain lines.
How finely executed are the decorations? Which compli-
cations and classical functions does the watch offer?
The Big Bang embodies a new shape of luxury. No
longer only looking back to the past, but ambitiously
looking towards the future. Luxury as defined by the Big
Bang comes not from traditionally decorated compo-
nents but primarily from its complex, innovative design,
the use of high-tech materials and unusual material
combinations. It’s apparent from the first glance – you
feel it. That’s why the Big Bang has been and continues to
be so successful.
The Big Bang banks on the element of surprise. Mate-
rials are combined that normally would never come
together: carbon and gold, ceramic and steel – even jeans
and diamonds. Hublot dares to go a step further, using
not only modern materials like carbon and ceramic
(already found in pioneering sectors of aeronautic and
Formula 1 racing). They are developing
their own materials as well. For exam-
ple, in 2011, Hublot introduced a Big
Bang made from Magic Gold: 24-karat
gold mixed with ceramic that gives new
and desirable properties to the sensitive
metal, making it the hardest in the
world – it can only be scratched by dia-
monds. This is the new definition of
luxury. Value comes about not simply
because something is rare but because it
performs its function perfectly. Hublot
also uses virtually unscratchable ce-
ramic and extremely lightweight and
sturdy carbon for this very reason.
To highlight the surprising combi-
nations of materials, it is also essential
to design the case differently than a con-
ventional three-part case. It must nec-
essarily consist of many parts. The Big
Bang case is made up of over 70 parts,
another source of this new kind of lux-
ury. While other watches in the upper
price ranges justify their value with ex-
cellent quality finishing and fine metals
in a polished case made of very few
parts, the Big Bang features a surpris-
ingly high number of parts and a wide
range of exquisite details.
DETAILS MATTERFor example, Hublot dedicates a great
deal of attention to the case screws. The
unique screw heads with their stylized
“H” outline are three-dimensional with
a polished ring standing above the
matte surface. These alternating surface
finishes on such a small area continue
on the case. Polished edges and the pol-
ished side of the bezel contrast with the
brushed finishes and the matte black
composite of the case mid-section. One
senses instinctively how complicated
and costly it must be to manufacture.
This complexity and wide ranging de-
tail are also integral to the new shape of
luxury of the Big Bang.
8 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
THE BIG BANG REVOLUTION
NEW SHAPEOF LUXURY:
THE BIG BANGCASE IS MADE
UP OF OVER70 PARTS.
But what about the past, the tradi-
tion? The Big Bang does not break com-
pletely with conventional watchmak-
ing. Quite the opposite – tradition is
part of the concept. Why are the mate-
rial combinations of gold and carbon so
striking? Because gold represents tradi-
tion and carbon stands for innovation.
Hublot also adopted traditional surface
finishing techniques to ensure the rich-
ness of detail provided by polished and
brushed surfaces. The in-house Unico
movement is mechanical, even though
it provides a modern structure and uses
some modern materials like silicon.
THE ART OF FUSIONAll of this is naturally much more than a
coincidence. It is based firmly on the
idea behind the art of Fusion – linking
objects and materials that normally
would never be seen together. Rubber
and gold, for example. One comes from
a tree while the other comes from the
earth. Even though they never meet
under normal circumstances, the Big
Bang brings these contrasting elements
together. It’s like joining the past and fu-
ture. This is what makes it so surprising
and so successful – the new shape of
luxury created by the Big Bang.
The name Big Bang could not have
been more fitting. It recalls a time when
everything was one, when everything
was linked together. All the elements,
and probably even the past and future –
time, as we know it.
LINKING PAST AND FUTURE: BIG BANG UNICO TITANIUM CERAMIC
THE BIG BANG REVOLUTION
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 11
MALE OR
FEMALE?
DO YOU LIKECOLOR?
DO YOU LIKE SPORTS?
YES.
WHAT’SYOUR
FAVORITE?
FERRARI?
WHICHIS RIGHT FOR ME?
WHEN ITMATCHES
MY JEANS.
BIG BANG
NOT REALLY.
I’M MORE INTO BLACK.
BIG BANG JEANS GOLD
YES! BIG BANG
STEEL PAVÉ44MM
ONLY IN THEMOVEMENT.
BY
JEN
S K
OC
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MALE.
FEMALE.
I LOVE SPORTS!
I’M WITH WINSTON
CHURCHILL: NO SPORTS!
I LIKE TO DRIVEFAST – DOES
THAT COUNT?
DO YOU LIKE LOTSOF JEWELS?
AND POPART?
NO.
ABSOLUTELY!
DIVING: BIG BANG
KING BLACKMAGIC
POLO:BIG BANGCHUKKER
BANG
POKER:BIG BANG
UNICO WPTKING GOLD
BIG BANG ALL BLACK
SHINY
BIG BANG POP ART
YEP!
THEN CHOOSE THE WATCH THAT
MATCHES THE COLOR OF YOUR
CAR: BIG BANG FERRARI
BLUE, WHITE, YELLOW, RED
COMPLICATIONS?
YES.
BIG BANG MINUTE
REPEATERTOURBILLON
MY LIFE IS COMPLICATED
ENOUGH!
DECISIONS
OK, EASY: BIG BANG
STEEL
BIG BANGTUTTI FRUTTI
LIGHTWEIGHT CONSTRUCTIONLIKE FORMULA 1:
BIG BANG UNICO CARBON
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SOCCER: BIG BANG UNICO BI-RETROGRADE
CHRONO KING GOLDCARBON
14 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
TE
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QUESTIONS BY GISBERT L. BRUNNER AND RÜDIGER BUCHER
INTERVIEW WITH JEAN-CLAUDE BIVER
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 15
Jean-Claude Biver, head of the luxury
watch department at LVMH, led Hublot
to unexpected heights beginning in
2004. In our interview he explains how
the BIG BANG became an icon in the
watch industry within only a few years.
Mr. Biver, it has been 10 years since you introduced the Big Bangwith Hublot. What is your assessment of the past decade? I am 65
years old now, and would have never believed that I would be look-
ing back at such an enormous success story at this age. When we
delivered the first Big Bangs in June 2005, of course I was quite cer-
tain that they would make a huge impression on the market. My
positive outlook had a touch of disappointment, however, because
even though we had originally designed the Big Bang with the in-
tention of cooperating with Ferrari, Ferrari declined our offer. So
we decided to introduce our watch in a regular way and that turned
out to be greatly beneficial to us. But in fact, this experience mir-
rored my personal motto, which is: there’s always a bit of success in
every failure, and vice versa. At that time, I assumed that we would
eventually be able to get Hublot up to an annual revenue of 100 mil-
lion CHF. When I arrived in 2004, it was 26 million CHF. I would
have been extremely happy with a four-fold increase but current
sales are now almost 20 times that much. In 2014, we made over
490 million and in 2015, we expect to exceed the 500-million mark.
How were you able to achieve this extraordinary level of success?Thanks to the enormous help I’ve gotten. Help from the media,
from jewelers, but above all from my colleagues. Ricardo
Guadalupe, now CEO at Hublot, and Valérie Servageon both be-
gan at Hublot in 2005 when we had a total of 36 employees, so the
three of us represented almost 10 percent of the company. That of
course makes it possible to make a much greater impact than when
a company has 3,000 employees.
There’s a new, revolutionary idea behind the Big Bang. The Big
Bang offers luxury, but not in the conventional sense. One might
call it “street luxury.” We have gone where luxury has never been
before – in the world of soccer, basketball and rock music. This
new idea of luxury contrasts with our fathers’ idea of luxury, which
was more at home with polo, golf and sailing.
16 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL WWW.WATCHTIME.COM
And then there is your concept of Fusion. Can you explain that ingreater detail? Our interpretation of Fusion means first and fore-
most that traditions aren’t simply repeated. One has to take the
strong elements of that tradition and reinterpret them with a view to
the future. That’s how the electric guitar came to be developed from
the acoustic guitar. Gibson implemented the idea that originally
came from the guitarist Les Paul. In fact, Gibson still offers a model
called the “Les Paul.” The result was that the first electric guitar still
looked like a guitar, with six strings, but it had a completely different
sound. It combined the past and the future. And so the new instru-
ment led to the creation of a new kind of music. The music we hear
now would be impossible without the electric guitar. This story
about Les Paul fascinated me. I wanted to do something like that in
the watch industry and that was part of the reason I began at Hublot
in 2004. The owner of Hublot at that time, Carlo Crocco, had done
something similar early on – combining a gold case with a rubber
strap. But Crocco didn’t have a finished concept in mind. This is
what he said to me: we have a rubber and gold product, the end. I
told him no, we have more than that, we have a religion. The new re-
ligion in the art of horology is called “Fusion.” It was already there in
the world of architecture and gastronomy. Just look at the Louvre or
the Japanese master chef Nobu. But in 2005, this message of Fusion
was still novel to watchmaking. All of a sudden people wanted to
know “What’s that? And what’s next?” That helped us too. I have al-
ways said that if you want to create something irrational – a dream –
it must be based on something rational and then you can build
everything else on that. Today we are using materials like linen and
Magic Gold. It’s possible because of the message of Fusion. Many
other brands can’t do this because their messages are so different.
The composition of the Big Bang case and its many separate partsforms the basis for combining such widely different materials. Itwas a remarkably ingenious idea to build a case that made Fusion
possible.
Which came first: the case or Fusion? The idea of Fusion came
first. Nothing can be born if you don’t have the right idea.
Still, the concept of Fusion is not always immediately apparentfrom a finished watch. How did you get this idea to the customer?Ideas and concepts are not always immediately easy to compre-
hend. But one thing is always understandable with a Hublot. The
watch has a very different look – it’s surprising. It has colors and
material combinations you won’t see anywhere else. There’s a lot
to discover. Curiosity awakens desire. And, purchases are not
made where there is no curiosity.
INTERVIEW WITH JEAN-CLAUDE BIVER
Red-gold case,
ceramic bezel,
rubber strap:
the first Big Bang
from 2005
INTERVIEW WITH JEAN-CLAUDE BIVER
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 17
How did the development of the Big Bang case come about, exactly? Our designer Mijat and Ricardo Guadalupe and I were
holding discussions with two case manufacturers: Werthanor
from the Swiss Jura region and GTF Fontana from Italy. The five of
us sat over there in the old Hublot building and thought about
what a case needed to look like to represent our idea of Fusion. In a
standard three-piece watch case one can bring together a maxi-
mum of three colors, and one of these, the case back, wouldn’t
even be visible from above. Rolex invented the “Bicolor” watch
that combined a steel case and a gold bezel. But we wanted to have
five different elements. That’s how the idea of building a container
came about – something like a hamburger. We wanted a sandwich
design for our case and that had never been seen in a watch before.
Watchmaking proceeds along very traditional lines.
Which of these two manufacturers ended up building the firstcase? We asked them both to deliver a technical design and pro-
duce 1,000 pieces. But in 10 years, when the first watches come
back for service, I didn’t want anyone to be able to see which case
came from which company. They needed to be the same – and so
WWW.WATCHTIME.COM
we took the best features from both of them. The current design is
a combination of the two proposals.
How many pieces make up the Big Bang case today? Including the
screws, it’s around 70. It takes a huge effort to manufacture and
assemble the case but there are advantages too, like inventory. We
can order a thousand bezels at one time because they can be used
for different models. This provides us with enormous flexibility.
It’s also how we can create special collections so quickly.
How did the name Big Bang originate? That was my idea. When
were rubber and gold together at the same time, before we put
them together in this watch? In the Big Bang. Everything was uni-
fied at the beginning of time. You won’t find these materials in the
same place anywhere in nature now. Rubber comes from a tree and
gold comes out of the ground.
In principle would Hublot use any material? Yes, as long as it is
appropriate for watch manufacture. One thing we don’t want is
coated materials because the coating can be damaged or scratched.
Our materials have to provide utility to the wearer. Ceramic is
scratch-resistant and anti-allergenic. It is also 30 percent lighter
than steel. Different colors are possible. Plus, no rust.
How did you come to the ideas of scratch-resistant gold andlinen? Mathias Buttet and Senad Hasanović did a great deal of
research, and today we also have a cooperative relationship with
professors at the technical university EPFL in Lausanne. From
time to time Ricardo and I submit ideas ourselves.
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 19
You mentioned linen as a future case material. What will that en-tail? Linen is even lighter than carbon. Plus, the raw material is very
easy to get – you just need fields that grow flax. Case production
proceeds exactly as with carbon fibers. Individual linen fibers are
woven together to form bundles and then bonded with resin.
How many years of planning does a new material require? Five to
seven years. Three years on average, but unusual materials take
longer. Magic Gold took five years.
How did you come to the idea of creating a “One Million DollarWatch”? It matched our basic philosophy: to “be first, be unique
and be different.” It turned out to be phenomenal publicity for us.
The actual idea came from a gemstone setter, not from me. He was
the one who suggested it. I was initially quite skeptical but he
assured me that this would be something very special – invisible
diamond settings. When I pointed out that there were already
other manufacturers that offered something similar, he responded
that he would go much further and decorate more extensive areas
of the watch with these invisible diamond settings. So then I asked
about the risk: how much money would we lose if it didn’t work?
And when he said “about 120,000 CHF,” that’s when I decided that
we would do it. And it worked.
And to whom did you sell this watch? To a jeweler from Monaco.
She only needed 15 minutes to agree to it.
Was that a unique piece? Yes. But all in all we produced nine dif-
ferent models as individual pieces: a chronograph, a tourbillon,
and so on. There was also a One Million All Black with black
diamonds. After that we followed up with the Two Million, Three
Million and Five Million Dollar Watch, which is the most expen-
sive watch in the world today.
Technically speaking, how do you get from a One Million to a FiveMillion Dollar Watch? By increasing the size of the gemstones.
The price of diamonds increases exponentially. A 10-carat stone
doesn’t cost 10 times more than a single-carat diamond – it’s
maybe a hundred times more. But back to the One Million – that
was a real coup, one that gave the brand additional credibility.
How many different variants were there of the Five Million? Three.
Would a Ten Million Dollar Watch be in the cards one day? Yes,
and we’re already working on it. Theoretically you could imagine a
dial or a crystal that is made of a single, very large diamond. The
diamond must naturally be cut in a very specific way to make it a
crystal. This is possible but it would be very, very expensive. Just
the crystal alone would put the cost at around five million. And
visually it wouldn’t be so very spectacular since this type of cut
wouldn’t reflect light very well. That surprising effect that typical
brilliant-cut diamonds provide just wouldn’t be sufficient, in my
opinion. And women want to be surprised.
Regarding women: what is the percentage of women among yourpurchasers? Our ladies’ watches are currently at 29 percent, but we
don’t know how many women are buying men’s watches. I assume
that the percentage of female customers is about one-third.
The Five Million
Dollar Watch is the
most expensive
watch in the world
today.
INTERVIEW WITH JEAN-CLAUDE BIVER
INTERVIEW WITH JEAN-CLAUDE BIVER
20 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL WWW.WATCHTIME.COM
Do you see greater potential? Yes. Over the last two years, our
Jeans watch collection has been tremendously successful among
women. And as I said before, models in linen will follow this year.
It really lets us play wonderfully with the colors. We are also
working on smaller cases. And now, the world-famous model Bar
Refaeli has been named as our first female ambassador.
Here’s a basic question. Would a watch be considered to be a lux-ury timepiece today without a mechanical movement? It seems tome that the mechanical feature is no longer the most importantreason behind a purchase. Brand image, status and design ap-pear to be of greater value, even though practically every luxurywatch is equipped with a mechanical movement. Let me answer
your question this way: in 2025, people will no longer be buying
quartz watches. The electronic sector will soon be filled with
“Connected Watches,” or smartwatches. The quartz watch is
falling out of favor because it can do comparatively little. Why
should anyone pay 800 CHF for a good quartz watch when you can
get a smartwatch for the same price that does so much more? On
the other hand, mechanical watches will be viewed even more as a
work of art – a piece of eternity.
Is the “Connected Watch” of interest for Hublot? I don’t know yet.
For Hublot’s affiliated brand TAG Heuer, it’s a necessity. The situa-
tion is different at Hublot. But who knows? Maybe it will be possi-
ble one day to insert something like a tiny SIM card into a mechan-
ical watch and turn it into a Connected Watch, and when you take
the SIM card out in the evening, the watch reverts back to a normal
mechanical watch. So I could have both: a high-end minute re-
peater along with a dial that showed me whenever FC Bayern
made a goal. When something like that comes around – and I am
sure that it will – Hublot needs to be there. But not right now. We
need to wait and see how the technology progresses.
When did it become apparent to you that Hublot would have todevelop its own mechanical movements in-house, instead of sim-ply purchasing them? From the very beginning. No one knew bet-
ter than I that the Swatch Group chairman Nicolas G. Hayek
would restrict or perhaps even stop supplying outside brands with
movements. I had worked with him long enough at Omega. In
2019, when the Swatch Group is no longer required to supply
movements to other companies, we should be in the position to
produce all of the chronograph movements we need in-house. We
aren’t yet at that point number-wise – right now we produce about
12,000 Unico movements per year.
But you will have the necessary means once your new facilitiesare open this year? Yes, we will exceed the 20,000 mark and move
quickly upwards to 30,000 pieces.
Won’t this result in a pricing problem? Won’t these in-housemovements be markedly more expensive? No. Our manufactur-
ing costs are not significantly higher now, and our Unico chrono-
graphs are selling very well. If the price of a chronograph increases
from around 14,000 CHF to about 17,000 CHF, it’s less of a prob-
lem than increasing the price of a watch from 2,900 to 5,900 CHF.
We can bear these higher costs.
Would it be possible for Hublot to also develop its own base cal-iber for a three-hand watch? Of course, but we don’t need it at the
moment. We don’t produce many watches with three-hand move-
ments. A customer who buys a three-hand watch is less concerned
about an in-house movement than, for example, someone who
buys a chronograph.
To what extent do you intend to implement additional verticalintegration measures? Could Hublot eventually manufacture allof its own components? We already manufacture a substantial
amount in-house, but it doesn’t make sense to produce everything
since it is simpler and more economical to purchase standard gears
and simple screws. If the design should require us to have some
special screws, it would be conceivable to produce them ourselves.
It cannot become too expensive because we intend to maintain our
entry-level price range, which currently is around 3,900 euros.
There will be no changes there.
The Big Bang has become a real icon in the watch world after only10 years. Is it strong enough to remain unchanged, or will it haveto change with the times? It will always have to adjust to the trend,
continuously and almost invisibly. It’s like a tree that grows new
leaves each year but not one of them is the same as the year before.
A thing will die without change.
You not only made a decisive mark on Hublot; you also revital-ized Blancpain and were active at Omega for a long time. Whichbrand appeals to you the most? Hublot is my personal vision of a
watch. That is why I only wear Hublot watches. Not because I work
for this company – I feel confident enough to wear other watches
too. Occasionally, I will wear a watch from my Patek Philippe
collection, but mostly Hublot. Hublot has been the most impor-
tant event of my life.
10 Y E A R SMILESTONES
In only 10
years, Hublot
has introduced
an impressive
number of dif-
ferent Big Bang
models covering
a wide range
of styles. Many
innovations in
mechanics,
design and
materials have
enhanced
the products
offered by
Hublot and set
SIGNIFICANT
MILESTONES
in the history
of the watch
industry.
22 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
BY
GIS
BE
RT
L.B
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F U S I O NO F
T H E F I R S T B I G B A N GThe opulence of the Big Bangdrew immediate attention to Hublot at Baselworld in 2005.This watch also served as a newstarting point and a new di-rection for the brand. Its 44-mmcase is made of more than 70components, making it an excellent representative of Jean-Claude Biver’s philosophy of “Fusion” – the idea of smoothlycombining several often incon-gruous materials. The first BigBang was produced with an 18-karat red-gold or stainless-steelcase in combination with ascratch-resistant black or whiteceramic bezel. Additional casematerials included titanium, extremely durable Kevlar and acarbon dial. The structure of thecase guarantees a water resis-tance to 10 bar. Powering thewatch is the 252-componentchronograph movement HUB 44,including a winding mechanismwith a tungsten rotor. The imme-diate success of the watchshowed Hublot was right in itsprediction. Sales recorded at theend of the fair were 5.5 times higher than the previous year.
MILESTONES
B I G B A N G A L L B L A C KTrend-setter or trend-follower?The watch manufacturer Hublotclearly belongs to the first group.This became most apparent atthe 2006 introduction of thehighly-discussed Big Bang AllBlack. Jean-Claude Biver oncestated provocatively that it’s not“normal” to pay 5,000 euros ormore for a wristwatch just to tellthe time – simply showing thetime isn’t the most important pur-pose of a luxury watch. A logicalresult was Hublot’s presentationof an entirely black watch. Thetotal rejection of any compro-mise extends to every visible partincluding the HUB 44 caliber, inwhich a black heavy-metal rotorwinds the mainspring. To top itoff, black hands travel around ablack carbon dial. Nowhere inthe world had an all-black watchbeen seen before – though othermanufacturers borrowed theidea after the introduction of theBig Bang All Black.
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B I G B A N G O N E M I L L I O NAdmittedly, there had already
been wristwatches on the market
with a published price of $1 million
or more. The Big Bang One Million
was the very first timepiece of this
sort for Hublot. And the sale of this
unique timepiece didn’t take long
because of the real value of the
watch compared with its seeming-
ly incredible price. The 18-karat
white-gold case boasts an amazing
322 baguette-cut diamonds, total-
ing 24.65 carats. Special grooves
in the stones allow for invisible
settings – even for the 12 baguette
diamonds on the crown. Hublot
didn’t leave out the bi-level stain-
less-steel dial either: it alone has
no fewer than 129 baguette dia-
monds. The stones that encircle
the delicate minute tourbillon of
the in-house caliber HUB Solo T
are set in a traditional fashion. This
hand-wind movement has a power
reserve of 120 hours and contains
148 components.
MILESTONES
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M A G B A N GWith assistance from
specialists, Hublot
approached the idea of
lightweight construction.
Specialized machinery
produced mainplates and
bridges for the caliber HUB 44
from a material called “Ag5,”
an alloy of aluminum,
magnesium and manganese
that can catch fire during cut-
ting and drilling and
tolerates no corrective work.
Its tendency to rust also
required a galvanic treatment
of the surfaces known as
“Titanex.” The Mag Bang
chronograph with case parts
made from the same material
(called “Hublonium”)
weighed only 78 grams.
Hublot used the experience
gained from the material for
other products like the Ice
Bang and the Big Bang Bullet
Cermet.
B I G B A N GM I N U T E R E P E A T E RC A R B O NSound is key for a minute repeater.
It depends in great part on the
materials used for the complex
movement and the protective case.
Hublot was prepared for the chal-
lenge. Its waterproof carbon-fiber
case with titanium and rubber parts
is very well-suited for the transmis-
sion of sound. The Big Bang Minute
Repeater Tourbillon Carbon uses
carbon-fiber components in its
movement that are extremely
sturdy, though difficult to process.
The repeater chiming mechanism
with its remarkably long cathedral
gongs marks the hours, quarter-
hours, and minutes acoustically.
This manufacture hand-wind cali-
ber HUB 8100 also boasts a column-
wheel chronograph and a flying
tourbillon. A total of 404 separate
components are needed for each
one of the 30mm x 9.47mm pieces,
with a power reserve of 120 hours.
Activating the chiming mechanism
requires engaging the understated
bezel lug.
MILESTONES
28 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
B I G B A N G F E R R A R I M A G I C G O L D
There’s no logical connection linking solid gold and sports cars. But the objects Hublot
fabricates from the shining precious metal fit perfectly alongside the material research
conducted by Ferrari for its race cars. Despite its beauty, anti-rusting properties and
alloys in different colors, gold has one real Achilles’ heel – the purity level of 750/1,000
used for watch cases has a hardness of a mere 180 Vickers. That pushed Hublot to create
“Magic Gold.” Three years of intensive research resulted in an 18-karat, scratch-resis-
tant fusion of gold and ceramic with a hardness of 1,000 Vickers. Hublot used this unique
material in 2012 for the first of its wristwatches bearing the distinctive Ferrari logo. Each
of the 500-piece limited edition models of the Big Bang Ferrari Magic Gold contains the
in-house automatic movement HUB 1241 “Unico,” with a column-wheel chronograph
and 72-hour power reserve. In addition to the scratch-resistant bezel, Hublot also used
Kevlar and carbon fiber for the case.
B I G B A N GC A R B O N B E Z E L B A G U E T T E R U B I E SIs it possible to increase the value
of a carbon-fiber bezel by decora-
ting it with fiery-red rubies?
Thanks to creative minds, Hublot
can do it. Because the material
properties of carbon fiber do not
permit the direct setting of gem-
stones, however, this requires a
small, patented trick. Hublot first
created a crystal ring made of
brass so that skilled artisans
could place 48 baguette-cut
rubies in a traditional setting.
Subsequent rhodium-plating pro-
tects the metal from oxidation.
Hublot then uses a high-precision
manufactured carbon-fiber struc-
ture with six segmented recesses
to envelop the gem-encrusted
metal body. It is attached to the
case body with six iconic Hublot
screws.
MILESTONES
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B I G B A N GJ E A N S C A R A TThe extraordinary Big Bang
Jeans watch showed how Hublot
can even make denim respecta-
ble in the luxury watch sector.
This Swiss manufacturer uses a
special kind of jeans material –
extraordinary, exceptionally
trendy Dsquared denim from
Italy. Even though this material
was relatively easy to sew for the
watch straps, the dial presented
a bigger problem. Cotton tends
to produce lint, an unfortunate
occurrence for mechanical
movements like the automatic
chronograph caliber HUB 4300.
Even tiny particles can cause a
ticking microcosm to stop, so the
technicians at Hublot vacuum-
sealed the material with epoxy
resin. 48 blue baguette-cut
sapphires enhance the visual
attraction and value of the Big
Bang Jeans Carat watch.
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B I G B A N G U N I C O
After several years of development
work, the in-house caliber HUB 1240
“Unico” debuted in 2010 in a
striking case with a scratch-
resistant ceramic bezel. The most
significant feature of this watch is
that every timing action of the
chronograph can be viewed through
the scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.
Its mechanics include a classic column
wheel which, together with a complex
lever system, is responsible for the
various operations. A horizontal double
clutch connects it to the movement.
Thanks to a flyback function, the
chronograph can be restarted without
a reset. And fully in line with the now
famous Hublot look, the mainplate and
bridges are microblasted and black
anodized. Visible beneath the case-
back viewing window are the skele-
tonized ball-bearing rotor and the
oscillating balance (four Hertz) with a
variable moment of inertia. The pallet
and pallet fork of the easily exchange-
able escapement consist of lightweight
anti-magnetic silicon.
32 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL WWW.WATCHTIME.COM
B I G B A N G U N I C O 2 0 1 4F I F A W O R L D C U PWhen designing the in-house caliber
HUB 1240 “Unico,” Hublot took into
account its reliability and precision,
and its multifaceted utility. The
version created for the 2014 FIFA
World Cup, the HUB 1260, gave
ample proof of its success. A truly
remarkable feature lies in a 1.75-mm
module that is placed directly be-
neath the dial. After starting, the
chronograph provides a fascinating
show. The two counter hands for
seconds and minutes travel over a
segmented track from left to right
and, once they reach the end, jump
immediately back to their original
positions. This allows the actual
playing time of a soccer game to be
recorded, including any overtime.
There is also a half-time indication at
12 o’clock that shows “Start,” “1,”
“1/2,” “2” and “End” in the display.
MILESTONES
Official watch
of the FIFA World
Cup 2014
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B I G B A N GT O U R B I L L O N
POWER RESERVE5 D A Y S
Watch movements with an exten-
sive power reserve always come
with the risk of forgetting to wind the
mainspring, as the hand-wind cali-
ber HUB 6016 shows with its reserve
of 115 hours. A car’s fuel gauge
clearly shows when it’s time to find a
gas station. Now, the brand-new Big
Bang Tourbillon Power Reserve
5 Days has a similar convenience:
a display of the remaining power re-
serve, located at the 9 o’clock posi-
tion. To make this possible, the Hu-
blot designers expanded the move-
ment to include a complicated differ-
ential mechanism. It meshes in the
outer gear of the barrel and transfers
the information on the remaining
power stored within the barrel to the
round display on the dial. The skele-
tonized hand-wind caliber HUB 6016
is made of 175 components – its
three-Hertz mechanism ticks within
a titanium or King Gold case.
MILESTONES
B I G B A N G U N I C O “ 1 0 Y E A R S H I G H J E W E L L E R Y ” To mark the 10-year anniversary of the Big Bang,
Hublot is presenting a spectacular edition of 10
different Big Bang models in 2015 – each one an
extremely valuable and masterfully executed
model with diamonds placed in the same invisi-
ble setting Hublot used for its One Million Dollar
Watch. Each watch is a distinctively unique
piece with variations in the use of white or black
diamonds and dial designs – with rubies, for
example, or lustrous blue sapphires. Each and
every model will contain the in-house chrono-
graph caliber HUB 1240 “Unico.”
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FERRARI
DREAM TEAM
Attractive wristwatches, worldwide
events and now a special sports car:
the cooperation between HUBLOT
AND FERRARI provides thrills
to watch and automobile fans alike.
BY
ALE
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KR
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HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 37
FERRARI
38 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
THE COLLABORATION between Hublot and
Ferrari was first announced on November 5, 2011 and
has developed into one of the most multifaceted and pro-
ductive partnerships in the entire watch sector. Hublot is
present at events for the automobile brand and the Fer-
rari team, and also participates in many Ferrari Club
events. The watch manufacturer functions as the official
timekeeper and official watch partner, develops wrist-
watches for Ferrari drivers and fans, and shows its watch
models everywhere the race car legend appears.
New activities are always being added to the program,
a strategy that is fully in line with a successful activation
plan. Hublot and Ferrari have brought excitement to
their fans and followers over the years, as this condensed
timeline shows.
2011: 20 YEARS OF FERRARI IN CHINA On November 21, 2011 – only 16 days after announcing
their partnership – Hublot and Ferrari presented their
first collaborative watch at the international automobile
exhibition in Guangzhou, China. The watch commemo-
rated the 20th anniversary of the first Ferrari purchased in
China, a number that determined the limits of the edi-
tion: only 20 pieces of the Big Bang Chrono Tourbillon
Ferrari were produced. Powering the watch is the hand-
wind caliber HUB 6300. In proven use since 2006, it has
a flying tourbillon, column wheel, decentralized stop-
watch second hand and five-day power-reserve display.
This complex mechanism was packed in a 44-mm light-
weight carbon case that coordinates with the theme of
lightweight race car construction. The top crystal is
tinted red and the chronograph hands, strap stitching
and engraving on the case back feature the color of this
iconic race car.
In December of that same year, Hublot signed a con-
tract with the French Ferrari Owners’ Club, which serves
to bring together Ferrari owners within the entire
country. Since that time, Hublot has accompanied the
club at its activities and events, like the benefit auto show
“Sport & Collection – 500 Ferraris Against Cancer” to
raise money for cancer research.
2011
2012: FIRST SERIAL PRODUCTIONThe extremely limited special edition watch issued for
China was followed by the first series of Ferrari models
for Baselworld in early March 2012. This was the Big
Bang Ferrari Magic Gold made from the world’s first
scratch-resistant gold (see “Materials” article in this
issue) and the Big Bang Ferrari Titanium. To present the
watch in Japan, Jean-Claude Biver took advantage of the
mid-March “Ferrari Racing Days” in Suzuka – one of the
largest Ferrari Events in the world where Ferrari owners,
professional drivers, fans, and hundreds of current and
vintage Ferraris meet every year.
First Ferrari watch from
Hublot: the special edition
model Big Bang Chrono
Tourbillon Ferrari was
developed in 2011 for the
Chinese market.
201250 years of Ferrari 250
GTO: to commemorate
the birthday of this
iconic sports car, Hublot
developed this tourbillon
watch with a modified
Classic Fusion case.
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 39
Another important stop in the agenda
of these two cooperative partners was the
celebration of the 50th anniversary of the
Ferrari 250 GTO. On July 3–7, Ferrari
brought together 24 owners of the ex-
tremely limited (36 original) iconic sports
car in the Abbey d’Hautvillers in northern
France. Hublot produced an exclusive
tourbillon watch developed specifically
for this small circle. Its rounded adaption
of the Classic Fusion case corresponds to
the lines of this special automobile. The
Ferrari prancing horse is prominently
placed on the skeletonized movement,
and the owner can even have the chassis
number of his car engraved on the back of
the movement. The barrel, located at 12
o’clock, reflects the 250 GTO wheel rims
and the Barenia leather strap recalls the
leather interior of this highly desirable col-
lector’s automobile.
The year 2012 concluded with the Fi-
nals of the Ferrari Challenge held in Va-
lencia, Spain in December. Once again
Hublot acted as the official timekeeper at
this event and showcased its watches in
this exclusive racing environment.
2012Serial production: Hublot
began its first product
concept with the Big Bang
Ferrari Titanium that was
presented during Basel-
world 2012.
Above: Ferrari Racing Days
in Suzuka, Japan
2012Concluding the first
year of cooperation:
in December 2012,
Hublot attended the
Ferrari Challenge
finals in Valencia.
FERRARI
2013: DOUBLE MILESTONEAfter co-hosting more than 130
events in 2012, the partners swung
into the new year at the same breath-
taking pace. In addition to a number
of collaborative events, Hublot ex-
tended the cooperation, and became
official timekeeper and official watch
of the Scuderia Ferrari with its brand-
ing on the Formula 1 cars.
The second milestone of this im-
portant year was the horological
highlight introduced that spring at
Baselworld – the MP-05 LaFerrari –
created as a counterpart to the new
LaFerrari super sports car. Not at all
a watch in a conventional sense!
Cylindrical displays, 11 sequentially
arranged barrels to provide a 50-
day power reserve, a horizontally
mounted tourbillon and a power
screwdriver as a winding aid raise the
MP-05 LaFerrari far and above typi-
cal wristwatches. It’s also limited in
its availability: only 50 pieces of the
black titanium introductory models
were built. Subsequent editions in
uncoated titanium and yellow gold
were also extremely limited.
Earlier that same year, several new
watches had found their way into the
public eye. In January, Hublot had
presented a new Ferrari watch collec-
tion consisting of three models that
exuded the spirit of the race car maker
in both look and materials: the 1,000-
piece, limited edition Big Bang Ferrari
Carbon Red Magic boasted a carbon-
fiber case and – with another nod to
Ferrari – a red tinted top crystal. The
same number of Big Bang Ferrari
Ceramics were made available with a
lightweight, scratch-resistant ceramic
case highlighted with alternating
polished and brushed surfaces. The
500-piece Big Bang Ferrari King Gold
2013Technical sensation: the MP-05
LaFerrari with an astonishing
array of cylindrical displays,
11 serial barrels for a 50-day
power reserve and a horizontally
mounted tourbillon
2013New watch collection:
2013 saw the launch of
(from left) the Big Bang
Ferrari Carbon Red
Magic, the Big Bang
Ferrari Ceramic, and the
Big Bang Ferrari King
Gold Carbon.
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 41
Carbon introduced an elegant touch into the new collec-
tion, combining a carbon-fiber bezel with a red-gold case
made of Hublot’s own “King Gold” alloy. Common to all
these watches was the in-house HUB 1241 Unico chrono-
graph caliber and rubber straps with Ferrari’s distinctive
Schedoni leather inserts along the top.
Over the course of the year, these models were followed
by special editions for various countries such as Dubai, the
U.S. and Indonesia. The Big Bang Ferrari Hong Kong
was a real revolution in materials. It was one of the first
watches where Hublot added its own bright red ceramic
(see “Materials” article). Ceramic in the watch sector had
previously been seen only in limited and muted colors.
2014: 360° ACTIVATIONIn March 2014, Hublot invited Ferrari representatives to
Ferrari Day in Nyon. Guests included race car driver
Gianmaria Bruni and Ferrari Sporting Activity Director
Antonello Coletta as well as Amato Ferrari, owner of the
2014Ferrari Day at Hublot: in March of 2014,
CEO Ricardo Guadalupe greets (from left) race
car driver Gianmaria Bruni, Ferrari’s Sporting
Activity Department Director Antonello
Coletta, and AF Corse owner Amato Ferrari.
Right: Peter Mann, president
of the French Ferrari Owners’
Club, with Jean-Claude Biver
2014Lightweight case plus
yellow accents and
displays: the Big Bang
Ferrari Ceramic Carbon
directly references its
automotive partner.
GT-racing team AF Corse, and Peter
Mann, president of the French Fer-
rari Owners’ Club. To mark the
event, the Formula 1 car and the
safety car for the 2014 season were
parked in front of the manufacture, as
well as the Ferrari 458 GT2 that had
been driven by Gianmaria Bruni
when he won the World Endurance
Championship (WEC) in 2013.
Shortly thereafter, Hublot pre-
sented the new Ferrari watch collec-
tion at the international watch fair
Baselworld with sporty highlights
represented by the Big Bang Ferrari
Ceramic Carbon in a limited edition
of 1,000 pieces. Lightweight case ma-
terials and Ferrari-yellow displays
and stitching made obvious reference
to its automotive partner.
42 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL WWW.WATCHTIME.COM
2014Hublot challenge:
since October 2014,
visitors to the
Hublot Boutiques
in Dubai and
Abu Dhabi can race
against one another
on a Formula 1
simulator and win
an actual racetrack
experience.
2014Five-year anniversary of the
Hublot Boutique in Singapore:
Scuderia-Ferrari driver Kimi
Räikkönen congratulates.
Asked about the collaboration with Hublot, Ferrari’s
head of design Flavio Manzoni states: “I regularly meet
with the Ferrari and the Hublot design teams, we talk, we
draw, we imagine, we exchange ideas in terms of design of
course, but also in terms of what the final customer might
desire from us, what he might dream of. We study and re-
interpret the Ferrari style and meticulous details and trans-
fer some of them on the watch, like the iconic colors of the
Ferrari cars and some of the materials, such as carbon fiber.
Ferrari and Hublot share the same values: exclusivity, inno-
vation, iconic and unique design, passion for detail, mate-
rials and fabrics and, above all, the courage to experiment.”
In September 2014, at the five-year celebration of the
Hublot boutique in Singapore, Scuderia Ferrari driver
Kimi Räikkönen offered his prominent support. But there
was more to follow his congratulations and an autograph
session for fans: as a watch enthusiast and friend of the
Hublot brand, Räikkönen finished the event by assembling
the in-house Unico caliber – assisted by a watchmaker, and
closely watched by his audience.
The collaboration of the two brands shows their inno-
vative colors by creating the Hublot Challenge based on a
Scuderia Ferrari simulator competition. Hublot cus-
tomers get a chance to drive the official Scuderia Ferrari
simulator with electronics borrowed from Formula 1 cars.
This competition was initiated at the opening of the first
Hublot Boutique in Dubai in October 2014. The grand
finale took place at the Ferrari International finals in Abu
Dhabi in December. First prize was a real track experience
on the local Formula 1 circuit.
FERRARI
2015Latest Ferrari model:
the new Big Bang
Ferrari King Gold sports
a bezel made of a
very innovative alloy.
2015: FERRARI 458 SPECIALEThe partners have attained a new level of collaboration
this year with the Ferrari 458 Speciale and the correspon-
ding Hublot watch. Ferrari’s part was the creation of an
iconic sports car, technically refined to the highest stan-
dards of technology and design, with echoes of the 1950s
and ’60s. Vintage-style features include bold rally stripes
running down the center of the car. Additional details
like the honeycomb grille and sweeping body contours
focus on outstanding features of earlier designs.
In 2015, Hublot will produce a Big Bang Ferrari
Ceramic, limited to 250 pieces, that will take on the color
scheme of the new sports car as well as the honeycomb
pattern and will utilize these elements
for an extremely sporty version of the
Big Bang.
Hublot’s cooperation with Ferrari
is never at a standstill and is expand-
ing into other areas as well. In every
way, a far-reaching vision is the most
important concept behind the coop-
erative strategy: this vision creates
opportunities for synergies – a clear
sense held throughout the Hublot
company.
2015Close collaboration
once again in 2015:
the Ferrari 458 Speciale
and the Big Bang
Ferrari Ceramic have
coordinated designs.
44 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
PHILANTHROPY
BY MARIA-BETTINA EICH
HUMAN LIFE depends on water. But in many coun-
tries of the world, water – especially clean water – isn’t
always a given. In many places people need to travel long
distances to reach even limited amounts of this basic and
essential human need. And then, possibly only to carry im-
pure water back home that sometimes, in the worst case,
causes illness. The aid organization charity : water seeks to
improve the supply of clean water in developing countries
using different measures specially tailored to the local
needs of each area.
Hublot is a supporter of charity : water and cooperates
in some spectacular philanthropic events benefiting the
organization alongside electro-pop band Depeche Mode.
The world-famous rock stars have collaborated with
Hublot on other projects and are involved in promoting the
non-profit organization. Hublot and Depeche Mode have
joined forces to work more effectively for charity : water.
For their part, Hublot created an exclusive set of limited-
edition Depeche Mode watches to be auctioned at special
events.
SPECIAL EDITIONS CREATED TO HELPOf particular note was the charity auction that took place
in Moscow on March 6, 2014 upon the conclusion of the
Success shouldn’t be enjoyed
only by those who have it. Success
also makes it possible to help
others. Hublot supports
charitable ORGANIZATIONS
known for their involvement in
promoting basic human rights.
INVOLVEMENTFOR A BETTER
WORLD
CLEAN WATER CANNOT
BE TAKEN FORGRANTED
WATER ISA VALUABLERESOURCE
COOL: THE BIGBANG DEPECHEMODE
46 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL WWW.WATCHTIME.COM
PHILANTHROPY
Depeche Mode Delta Machine Tour. More than $1.4
million was raised on this evening for charity : water –
thanks in part to exclusive items that included the De-
peche Mode Tourbillon by Hublot, created especially for
this event and submitted for auction along with a plat-
inum CD from the band. The skeletonized tonneau
watch with complications, made of black titanium, is a
unique and therefore extremely attractive prize for col-
lectors and fans alike. The outcome of these kinds of
functions will certainly aid the developing countries that
will benefit from the funds raised by charity : water.
Depeche Mode band leader Martin Gore was clearly
thrilled about the success of the event. “I’m particularly
pleased that, as a band and with the support of our loyal
partner Hublot, we can organize this exceptional auction
to raise money for our friends at charity : water and con-
tribute to making a real difference in countries strug-
gling to survive without access to drinking water. The
money raised should help to make a real difference.”
Hublot also developed two limited edition Depeche
Mode watch collections for charity : water – one in steel
and one in black ceramic. An exceptional boxed set con-
taining a signed guitar and a unique Big Bang Depeche
Mode Steel watch with a red central chronograph hand,
engraved with the word “Moscow,” was sold for $75,000,
100% of the purchase price going into charity : water.
Water is a basic necessity for our bodies to survive, but
education is just as crucial for leading a life with perspec-
tive and dignity, and for providing the opportunity to
support oneself. This is true not just for the male half of
the population. Women and girls in western countries
have access to education just like a clean water supply –
and even though we take it for granted, it’s a fact that
these same rights must still be won in many regions of the
world. Involvement on behalf of women around the
globe has become the mission for the Womanity Foun-
dation, another humanitarian organization supported
by Hublot. As Hublot chairman Jean-Claude Biver says,
“Women are not only the future of mankind, they are
also the superior sex, as they are giving birth!”
IMAGINATIVE EVENTSWomanity is engaged in a variety of different projects,
extending from promoting girls’ education to support-
ing small businesswomen in developing countries, even
establishing a women’s radio station in the Middle East to
give women a voice.
Hublot also took advantage of the appeal of exclusive
luxury watches to awaken the desire and readiness to in-
vest in this project. Special editions were unveiled with
the aim of raising money to benefit the Womanity Foun-
dation: the Classic Fusion Womanity for women and the
Classic Fusion Chrono Aero for men. Both were created
in a limited edition, have a touch of violet (the Womanity
signature color) and were engraved with the number
001. They were auctioned at the Womanity Gala in
Geneva on January 30, 2014, and proceeds amounting to
60,000 Swiss francs were donated to the organization.
Hublot plans its brand events to be imaginative and
effective, and the company also integrates its charity in-
Scott Harrison,
founder of
charity : water
Depeche Mode’s
Andy Fletcher,
Martin Gore and
Dave Gahan rejoice
over the check for
charity : water
Singular: the
Depeche Mode
Tourbillon,
auctioned to benefit
charity : water
Exclusive lot in
Moscow: watch
with Depeche
Mode guitar
Hublot chairman
Jean-Claude Biver
and former Miss
France Mareva
Galanter with singer
Mokobé (far left) at
the Womanity Foun-
dation’s 5th Biennial
Gala, January 2014 in
Geneva
Ladies’ version of
the Classic Fusion
Womanity
Pelé and Ricardo
Guadalupe at the
opening of a soccer
pitch in a Rio favela
IN THE JACAREZINHOFAVELA: A NEW SOCCERPITCH PROVIDES A PLACEFOR HOPES AND DREAMS
Todd Morgan, Rosanna
Arquette and Yann
Borgstedt at the Womanity
Gala, 2012
Men’s version of
the Classic Fusion
Womanity
The graffiti designer Panmela
Castro at the Hublot closing
party in Rio, June 2014
terests into these events. The best example comes from
the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Hublot, who was the Offi-
cial Timekeeper of the FIFA World Cup, held a big party
in Rio on the evening before the Final that featured a spe-
cial concert with Wyclef Jean. Other artists to share the
stage with the musician included Panmela Castro, the
most famous graffiti artist in her native Brazil, who uses
her art to fight for women’s rights. In front of the audi-
ence and with the sounds of Brazilian music in the back-
ground, she created art during the party – an event bene-
fiting the Womanity Foundation to raise funds for the or-
ganization and awareness about its mission. Hublot is in
a situation that allows it to share its financial successes
with others. Thanks to its cult-like status, the brand is
also in a position to encourage others to engage in hu-
manitarian endeavors.
A DUTY TO SHAREAs part of its presence at the World Cup, Hublot also
worked closely with one of the greatest stars in interna-
tional soccer to send a positive and lasting signal in Rio.
With support from Pelé, a friend of the brand, Hublot
opened a soccer pitch for children in the Jacarezinho
favela. The project was called “Tamo Junto Jacarezinho”
– “Jacarezinho Together” – and was designed as a safe
place for children in Rio’s third-largest favela to practice
their dream sport. Hublot was the driving force behind
the construction of the soccer pitch. Residents of the
community, especially the children, were actively in-
volved in completing the long-lasting project.
Hublot’s CEO Ricardo Guadalupe defines the com-
pany’s philanthropic philosophy this way: “If you don’t
share, you miss out. Hublot is in a fortunate position and
has a duty to share some of its success with those who
need it.”
Mr. Guadalupe, the year 2014 was an important one forHublot, not least of all because of the company’s involve-ment in the World Cup in Brazil. What’s your take on2014? The World Cup in Brazil was the greatest event
we’ve participated in yet. In contrast to the 2010 World
Cup in South Africa, this was a huge step forward for us.
Referee substitution boards were created with the Hublot
logo four years earlier, but for Brazil in 2014 we changed
the shape of the sign to look like the Big Bang watch. This
made very clear reference to our product, and that in
turn reinforced our presence as a watch brand for a huge,
worldwide viewing audience. We had more than 20 min-
utes of TV time over the entire month of the World Cup.
A fantastic return on our financial investment. This event
gave Hublot a noticeably higher level of recognition and
brought in many more visitors to our licensed Hublot
jewelers and Boutiques.
“THE MAJORITY OF OUR WATCHES WILL HAVE IN-HOUSE MOVEMENTS”CEO RICARDO GUADALUPE discusses
his first decade at Hublot and his future goals
for the company.
What effect did the World Cup have on the sales ofHublot watches overall? At the end of October we were
up 13 percent over the previous year – compared with two
to three percent generally. So it had a very positive effect.
For the World Cup in Brazil, Hublot introduced achronograph with special functions for soccer fans. Howdid it do? That limited edition of 300 pieces has been sold
out for quite some time. The presentation case was de-
signed by Romero Britto, the famous Brazilian pop-art
artist, which he made in the shape of the World Cup ball.
We created the module ourselves based on our Unico cal-
iber, for recording and displaying the time of play and the
two halves. And we will continue to use that one – there’s
now a regular version with a titanium and King-Gold
case. This watch is very important for Hublot because we
love soccer. Soccer is our most important sport.
QUESTIONS BY GISBERT L. BRUNNER AND RÜDIGER BUCHER
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 49
INTERVIEW WITH RICARDO GUADALUPE
WWW.WATCHTIME.COM
INTERVIEW WITH RICARDO GUADALUPE
50 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
Let’s stay with soccer. You maintain partnerships withcurrent and former players, managers and clubs, Worldand European Championships too. All that’s missingnow is the Champions League. We were the first watch
brand to become involved in this sport to such a great ex-
tent. Of course, now other brands are following our lead.
That’s why it’s important for us to work with the best –
that’s FIFA, UEFA and, you’re right, the Champions
League. We also expect to appear as the official time-
keeper at this event in the coming season. Then we’ll be
part of the three most important tournaments in soccer.
What will be the extent of the contract? Our contracts
are always long-term. This time it will probably extend
over five years. We consider even longer time frames for
the World Cup: we’ve already signed up for Russia in
2018 and Qatar in 2022.
Hublot has been very successful over the past decade. AsCEO, how will you be able to achieve similar successes inthe next 10 years? It is a huge challenge to remain at this
high level or to continue to grow at that rate. Hublot is
closely linked to the work and accomplishments of Jean-
Claude Biver, but the greatest challenge lies in the task of
ensuring that the brand is solid and secure for the time
after him. That’s why we are in the process of building up
a strong in-house manufacture. Only with our technical
and horological expertise here in Nyon will we be able to
conduct good marketing strategies and organize impor-
tant events. Our workshop, our in-house caliber Unico,
the manufacture complications and our extraordinary
case materials represent an important foundation for fu-
ture success. The integration of innovation, know-how
and creative people in an in-house manufacturing facil-
ity are all hugely important for our future success.
Do you intend to increase the number of in-house move-ments? Yes. The goal is to have 70 to 75 percent of the
watch movements we use come from our own manufac-ture. We will need full integration of our research and de-
velopment.
Do you also plan to have your own three-hand watch inthe future? Yes, we strive to have a manufacture caliber in
most of our watches. A three-hand movement isn’t in the
pipeline yet because there’s still so much going on with
the Unico caliber. We are producing about 12,000 move-
ments per year. Once the new building is finished it will
be 20,000.
Ricardo Guadalupe
and Pelé present
referee substitu-
tion boards with
a new watch shape
for the 2014 FIFA
World Cup.
In the world of
soccer, Hublot
lends its support
to top teams such
as Paris Saint-
Germain.
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 51
Who supplies your escapement and oscillator compo-nents? Hairsprings in particular? We’re working with
suppliers like Atokalpa and Concepto, to name just two.
We are currently checking out various opportunities and
partners, because in order to guarantee real independ-
ence it’s important to have two solid suppliers who offer
the same quality at about the same price.
Hublot is one of the most innovative watch manufactur-ers ever. Doesn’t that mean a huge challenge for the fu-ture? Absolutely. That’s why we always need creative peo-
ple who can let their imaginations run free. This philoso-
phy applies to every employee of this company. Our suc-
cess is based on innovation. Innovation can affect very
different areas: the movement, a complication, the mate-
rial or the aesthetics. I see even the idea of denim in a
watch as an innovation.
You have integrated the production of carbon-fibercases and created the scratch-resistant material MagicGold. Do you intend to increase this kind of vertical in-tegration, like producing more cases under your ownroof? It’s the only rational solution when using high-tech
materials like carbon fiber, Magic Gold or colored ce-
ramic. The added value for these kinds of watch cases is
very high. We don’t need to produce traditional gold or
steel cases ourselves – there are specialists for that.
Magic Gold will be followed one day by Magic Alu-minium. How far have you come with that project? We
are working on it, but it will be some time until it is ready
to be introduced to the market. Problems like oxidation
have to be taken care of first. On this and other projects
too, we are working together with the Federal Institute of
Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).
The next Hublot material is said to be linen. When willthe new case be available? It is planned for the fall of
2015. It’s quite a complicated matter to create a new ma-
terial. It’s another story completely for watch case materi-
als, for water resistance, for example. We solved that
“WE WERE THE FIRST WATCH BRAND TO BECOME INVOLVED IN SOCCER.”
52 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
problem for linen. Now we have to think about its serial
production. Then and only then will we be able to make
and supply watches made 100 percent of Swiss materials.
These watches will be marketed primarily to our female
customers.
The smallest Hublot case currently measures 33 mil-limeters. Will you be offering smaller watches too in thefuture? Not in the next two years. In my opinion the 38-
and 41-millimeter watches are the right size for women
too.
How do you envision the development of the Big Bangafter these past 10 years? The Big Bang is our icon. But
Hublot rests on two pedestals, the second one being the
Classic Fusion. The Big Bang accounts for 55 percent of
our sales and the Classic Fusion for 40 percent. The Big
Bang is linked with the Hublot name like no other watch.
It shocked the watch scene and focused a great deal of at-
tention on our brand. At the moment the trend is going
back to more classic watches. The current Classic Fusion
is our interpretation of the original Hublot – it’s a mod-
ern watch with a strong identity. So it will, with a skele-
tonized movement or a small complication perhaps,
have an enormously wonderful future.
Who is a Classic Fusion customer? While we will cer-
tainly be winning over new clientele with this line, we’ve
noticed that it also appeals very much to our established
Hublot customers. It’s right for anyone looking for a thin-
ner, more elegant look.
What will you offer to women in 2015? We have begun a
new partnership with the top model Bar Refaeli. But to
gain new female customers we need extremely creative
watches, most of all. Simply reducing the diameter of a
watch isn’t enough. The extremely successful Jeans mod-
els pointed us in the right direction, so we’ll be introduc-
ing watches with traditional Swiss embroidery on the
dial produced by the world-renowned company Bischoff
“THE BIG BANG SHOCKED THEWATCH SCENE AND FOCUSEDA GREAT DEAL OF ATTENTIONON OUR BRAND.”
Stated goal:
within just a few
years, at least 70
percent of Hublot
watches will be
powered by in-
house movements.
INTERVIEW WITH RICARDO GUADALUPE
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 53
in St. Gallen. Again, a 100 percent Swiss product. That
model will debut in Basel.
You saw great success in 2014 with the Pop Art watch.Do you regret having an edition with such limited quan-tities? No. The Pop Art watches were sold out quickly and
right now we simply have to think of something new. I
am considering 50 to 60 models that will come and go. If
we were to put everything in our regular catalog we
would have over 500 different listings and that would just
be too much.
Which global market is the most important for you today? We are very strong in Latin America. And China
is showing continuous and significant sales, not to
mention the U.S., the Middle East, Southeast Asia and
Europe. But we really need to grow in the Chinese region.
That’s where we are making about six percent of our sales,
compared with around 30 percent on average for the rest
of the Swiss watch industry. There’s great potential there,
especially since Hublot is such a young brand. We’ll be in
a great position to appeal to the younger generation in
China with our particular concept.
Chinese people don’t own many watches yet and look fora model that works for any occasion. Wouldn’t the Clas-sic Fusion be the right product? Of course if I had the
right formula I’d use it right away. First of all we’ll find
better results among the Chinese who travel to Paris,
New York or Rome. Hong Kong plays a major role within
China itself. Many Chinese are mad about products like
the Ferrari watches, Big Bang or King Power. Others pre-
fer the Classic Fusion. There’s no identifiable tendency
yet. We need to work more on the brand in China and
turn it into a dream for more and more Chinese.
Where are the differences within the European mar-kets? Europe is our most important market with 40 per-
cent of our sales, but it is greatly influenced by the tourist
trade. In Paris, for example, 80 to 90 percent of our sales
are to tourists. Germany is shaped much more by local
factors.
Hublot has a price range between 4,000 euros and overone million euros. Isn’t that too broad? The majority fall
in the segment between 15,000 and 35,000 euros. That’s
where we have a very large segment of the market. I wish
that would be the case for the 50,000 to 100,000 euro
range, but we still have a lot to do there. At the moment
we generate revenue in this range primarily from tourbil-
lons, but in 2015 we’ll introduce complications such as a
chronograph with perpetual calendar, an alarm and a
GMT, and this will strengthen our position.
With in-house movements? We use our own movements
as the basis but we collaborate with suppliers like La
Joux-Perret or Dubois Dépraz for solutions they manu-
facture exclusively for Hublot. So broadly speaking we
can talk about manufacture products.
You plan to move into the new building in the summer of2015. What will the new building hold? Everything asso-
ciated with the machine-based production of movement
and case parts. Plus, the continuously expanding cus-
tomer-service area. Assembly and R&D will remain in
this building. R&D will also take care of individual pieces
for special orders, like Ferrari watches made from special
case materials. The demand for this is slow but steady.
Will there be a new series of LaFerrari watches? The
LaFerrari was an incredible success story. We’re already
working with Ferrari on a new edition, but we’re talking
about a time frame of three to four years.
Who enjoys greater profit from the partnership: Hublotor Ferrari? Both brands profit equally. It is a fortunate sit-
uation that also sees success in Formula 1 and Scuderia
Ferrari. Ferrari takes us very seriously. So far we have al-
ready hosted about 200 events together, both locally and
globally.
Hublot has
mastered the
production of
brightly colored
ceramic case and
carbon fiber
components. The
newest material to
join the ranks is
linen.
WWW.WATCHTIME.COM
INTERVIEW WITH RICARDO GUADALUPE
54 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
But Hublot can’t create a special watch for each Ferrarievent, right? What are you thinking? We only make spe-
cial edition watches for large events like “30 years in Hong
Kong” or the 60-year anniversary of Ferrari on Rodeo
Drive in Los Angeles. We unveil no more than two or
three Ferrari watches related to a special event per year.
Since 2015, Hublot has also been involved in the world ofcricket and poker. Why is that?Cricket is a religion, partic-
ularly in India. And India is a future market for us. Even
though we already have a presence there, the potential for
growth is high. And because cricket is also huge in South
Africa, Australia and Pakistan, we’ll be able to win over
other important customer groups and widen the knowl-
edge of the brand. In Las Vegas, where the finals of the
World Poker Tour took place in December 2014, Hublot is
operating the most important and high-volume independ-
ent Boutique. Glamor leads us to people we may be able to
win over for Hublot. Poker and other games of chance are
part of our world just like art, music and fashion. Hublot
needs to be anywhere we find potential customers.
Will there be a new watch for each partnership? Yes, we’re
talking about 360° activities: partnership, event, watch.
So at some point there will have to be a golf watch. We’re
already working on it. A watch for golfers must have spe-
cific features which we’ll create in our typical fashion, not
like other brands. We’re talking about a module with a
calculator for strokes, maybe even for several players.
Hublot is operating more and more independent Bou-tiques. Are they better than traditional licensed jewel-ers? At the current time there are 77 Hublot Boutiques
worldwide and 21 of these we operate ourselves. Bou-
tiques have the flexibility to pursue different goals. On
the Paris Place Vendôme, for example, the primary goal
is promoting our presence. Exorbitantly high rent there
makes it difficult to achieve any reasonable kind of profit.
But our location in Las Vegas is primarily about doing
business. Our partner there does great work, and we’ve
also made remarkable strides with our Boutique in Dal-
las. Every location has its own unique characteristics. But
at any location every Hublot Boutique must consistently
meet our high quality standards with respect to visual
impression, service, and the watches it offers. That’s one
reason we guarantee staff education and training.
You mention service. Hublot produces about 40,000mechanical watches each year. Each one will requiremaintenance or repair eventually. After-sales customer
Second mainstay
alongside the
Big Bang: the
Classic Fusion
collection
Boutiques form an
important compo-
nent of the brand’s
strategy (pictured
here: Place
Vendôme, Paris).
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 55
service presents a very particular kind of challenge. We
are setting up a large service department in our new
building because it is a key part of our brand image. We
are working on specific online programs that will link
specific on-site activities within the Boutiques to the
main facility. Repair and maintenance has been growing
20 to 30 percent annually and continues to grow, so I en-
vision an important area of economic activity here for
Hublot in the near future.
How long does a customer need to wait for a watch to beserviced? Normal repairs and service should not require
longer than six weeks. Warranty cases should not take
more than two weeks.
Hublot has developed a system where a purchasedwatch will need to be “activated” over the Internet.What are the advantages you see here? At the moment
we are able to track 70 to 75 percent of the watches sold.
The remainder have connectivity problems or some
other difficulties. Activation acts as proof of the watch’s
authenticity – there are so many forgeries these days.
This helps us fight the gray market. Only official points-
of-sale can activate a watch, and once you bring a watch
to another dealer, the watch will be designated as used,
pre-owned. Our warranty period begins as soon as the
watch is activated. That way, we can also see what sells
well or not, and that helps with logistics and planning –
there’s still an 18-month lead-in period.
In 2015, Hublot will be celebrating the 10-year anniver-sary of the Big Bang. Have you planned a multi/mega-karat anniversary model for this special occasion? We
considered it, but ended up throwing out every idea. In-
stead we’re holding a Big Bang tour where we’ll show de-
velopments over the last 10 years. The exhibit will travel
to several different cities. Our only “anniversary model”
will be a case holding 10 watches – each set with precious
stones, each one listed at a million – so all together, it’s a
really special tenth anniversary.
“THE BIG BANG IS OUR ICON.BUT HUBLOT RESTS ON TWOPEDESTALS, THE SECOND ONEBEING THE CLASSIC FUSION.”
A PERFECT WEEK
56 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL WWW.WATCHTIME.COM
SUNDAY
STARTING THE WEEK full of adrenaline at the Formula 1 GrandPrix with Hublot’s fastest partner,Ferrari. The team has added evenmore excitement since Ferrari signed Sebastian Vettel alongsideKimi Räikkönen. A love of innova-tive technologies, fine craftsman-ship and exclusivity link Hublotand Ferrari, who forged a partner-ship in 2011. But only one thing istop priority now: speed. Things arelooking good – quick pit stops andred’s ahead. The unmistakablesound of tires on the race track.And again and again, a quickglance at the watch. Today it’s gotto be the Hublot Big Bang FerrariTitanium, one of the newest Fer-rari watch models from Hublot. As technically sophisticated as therace cars, its bezel is made of a veryinnovative alloy. Black and skele-tonized to reveal the inner work-ings, with Ferrari-red accents. Final round: once again Vettelpasses the Hublot banner on therace track – for the win!
Formula 1 with Ferrari
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 57
The new Big
Bang Ferrari
Titanium
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With the Dallas Cowboys
A PERFECT WEEK
MONDAY
AMERICAN FOOTBALL in Arlington,Texas. An NFL match-up in the gigan-tic AT&T Stadium, home of the DallasCowboys. An enormous dome upabove that opens and closes. High-tech equipment that’s simply amazing.Stadium clocks from Hublot. I’mseated among the home team fans andemotions are high. On the field: con-stant action and total physical exer-tion. Everything around me is blueand white, five-pointed stars every-where: the colors and logo of theworld-famous team from Dallas. Themost exclusive accessory – the limitededition Hublot watch for the DallasCowboys with blue details, the Cowboys logo on the back and a five-pointed star at 5 o’clock (because theteam has won the Super Bowl fivetimes already). Down on the field theteam is doing everything to ensure another victory. Soon to be seen in anupcoming Super Bowl!
Phot
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om P
enni
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etty
Imag
esPh
oto:
ToTTm
Penn
ingt
on/G
etty
Imag
es
58 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL WWW.WATCHTIME.COM
Classic Fusion
Dallas Cowboys
Phot
o: F
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ergi
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Skiing in Courchevel
TUESDAY
A PERFECT DAY to strap on some skis.Where? Courchevel in the French Alps.Crisp air, blue skies, bright sunshine.Awesome panoramas all around. So easyto leave the pressures of daily life on theother side of the mountains. Wheneveryou need to know the time, just take aglance at the six-foot-high Hublot clockat the base of the chair lift. Or, you mightjust pass by one of the 50 Hublot clocksthat are placed all around Courchevel.Hublot has been partnering withCourchevel’s French School of Skiing foryears. After an amazing day on the slopes,it’s off to a quick trip to the Hublot Boutique on the elegant Rue du Rocher.Hublot resides here in a chalet-like build-ing that’s true to the local style – befittingthe location and also a clear sign that thepeople from Hublot, with all their inter-national flair, are Swiss.
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HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 59
WEDNESDAY
A SUMMIT MEETING of sorts in theAllianz Arena. Bayern Munich is play-ing in the Champions League againstthe Chelsea Football Club led by thefamous manager José Mourinho. As a Hublot fan, we’re on the right side,regardless. For Bayern, Hublot hascreated the King Power Bayern Mu-nich – with striking red and Bavarianwhite-and-blue accents. If you’recheering for the Brits, you’ll probablybe wearing the watch Hublot designedfor their eccentric manager: the KingPower Special One. “The Special One”is Mourinho’s nickname, and thechronograph is special too with a bezelmade of blue carbon fiber. Blue is saidto be Mourinho’s favorite color andalso happens to be the color ofChelsea. A fantastic match on greengrass with two world-class teams whoalways give it their all. A super atmos-phere. Exciting until the last second!
A PERFECT WEEK
Top-Class Soccer Game
Phot
o: M
atth
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Get
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60 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL WWW.WATCHTIME.COM
King Power
Special One
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A DAY FOR INDULGENCE. First awine tasting with the exclusive Officedes Vins Vaudois. Vineyards in the direct vicinity of the Hublot facilities.The event was initiated by the Office des Vins Vaudois, a close partner with Hublot – both devoted to the wine-producing area they call home.
Wine tasting in Canton de Vaud
THURSDAY
IN THE EVENING, a cigar tasting ses-sion with the Fuente family, which hasproduced cigars for over 100 years.Pretty cool: there’s also a Hublot watchto pair with the premium cigar “ArturoFuente ForbiddenX” with a dial made ofreal tobacco leaves. The Fuente familyplantations in the Dominican Republicharvest their tobacco for these exclusivecigars. A Dominican Puro to smoke; aDominican-Swiss collaboration to tellthe time.
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 61
A cigar with the Fuente family
Classic Fusion
Arturo Fuente
ForbiddenX
Style update with Lapo ElkannTIME NOW TO SHOP for sun-glasses with Lapo Elkann, brotherof Fiat president John Elkann. Lapois the co-founder and president ofthe sunglass brand Italia Independ-ent. Their trademark is sophisti-cated design, Italian style. An excit-ing and glamorous partnership hasbeen forged recently between ItaliaIndependent and Hublot, and thefirst product of this partnership: aspecial watch made with the high-tech material Alutex.
A PERFECT WEEK
FRIDAY
62 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL WWW.WATCHTIME.COM
Piano concert with Lang LangFINALLY SEEING LANG LANGlive in concert! When the youngChinese pianist steps onto thestage, he looks like the star of anAsian boy band, but the moodchanges immediately once he sitsdown at the keyboard. First thequiet tones and melancholy ofChopin, followed by the passionand elegance of Rachmaninoff.Lang Lang’s own sparkling sophis-tication and extravagant, uncon-ventional presence may very wellbe what links him and Hublot. Lang Lang is a friend and supporterof the brand – a wonderful match.
Big Bang
Alutex Blue
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Miami Heat vs.Los Angeles Lakers
SATURDAY
FINISHING off this fantastic week withan unrivaled sports highlight: basket-ball. The Los Angeles Lakers goingagainst the Miami Heat with an amaz-ing line-up of NBA stars. Dazzling per-formances on the court. To be as tal-ented as these guys! Dream on ... still,many of them wear the same watches I do. Hublot enjoys a close relationshipwith professional basketball andthey’ve designed some terrific specialeditions for the NBA. One watch forthe Lakers team and one for their superstar Kobe Bryant, known as the“Black Mamba.” And that’s the name ofhis Hublot: King Power Black Mamba.Another special Hublot was dedicatedto Dwyane Wade who is playing on theopposing team, the Miami Heat. His isthe Classic Fusion Dwyane Wade. Theman is not only a basketball champion,he’s a fashion icon as well. But rightnow his mind’s on other things – it’s abattlefield out there.
Phot
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Dwyane Wade
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 63
Kobe Bryant
Classic Fusion
Dwyane Wade
King Power
Black Mamba
MATERIALSMATERIALS
NOTHING IS BYG
ISB
ERT
L. B
RU
NN
ER
IMPOSSIBLE
66 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
MATERIALS
AT THE BEGINNING OF 2004, there were few
people in the watch industry who would have bet on a suc-
cessful future for Hublot. The brand, founded in 1980 by the
Italian Carlo Crocco, made a staid impression and stood at
the brink of financial ruin. But then Jean-Claude Biver ar-
rived on the scene. He believed in a successful recovery for
Hublot and prescribed a clearly formulated concept called
Fusion. In his words, “Today we need Fusion. We tried to
repeat traditional watchmaking during the past 25 years
(quite successfully, by the way), but there’s a new market
niche now. A need for an alternative. It means fusing tradi-
tion with new visions. Our entire epoch is ripe and ready for
Fusion – in other fields too, like architecture, music and gas-
tronomy. Fusion is a part of the 21st century.”
This foundation was laid long ago. The very first Hublot
watch from the year 1980 sported an unusual pairing of a
gold case with a rubber strap. Today, rubber is an essential
part of the Hublot collection. Natural rubber is obtained
from latex – a milky substance tapped from the rubber tree.
To make it useful for wristwatches, raw rubber is mixed with
various additives to give it the desired properties and colors.
Hublot has made a name for itself as a real pioneer who has
made rubber straps a respectable option for wristwatches.
A phenomenon that began with rubber continued and
expanded in 2005 with the sophisticated “Big Bang” and
“King Power” cases. Around a dozen of the more than 70
components making up these cases are well-suited for illus-
trating the art of Fusion. These include the bezel, gasket,
front and back cover plates, the case body, separate flanks on
Hublot attributes a great deal of
its success to the USE AND
COMBINATION of innovative
materials. If something isn’t possible
yet, Hublot will make it so.
A SPORTY LOOK: RUBBER STRAPS –
LIKE ON THIS BIG BANG UNICO – ARE
AN ESSENTIAL DESIGN FEATURE
AT HUBLOT.
the left and right, the edge of the case back crystal, the crown
and pushers as well as the strap and the two lug covers. The
14 screws holding the ensemble together offer even more
opportunities for Fusion.
TITANIUM Titanium plays an essential part in the art of Fusion. This
material, first discovered about 200 years ago, combines all
the positive properties of steel and aluminum as well as
being anti-magnetic and anti-allergenic. It’s a component in
almost every single Hublot watch case. Dyeable synthetic
resin enjoys equal importance to link or divide the different
layers of these remarkable cases.
Of course, traditional classic materials like gold,
platinum and stainless steel have not lost favor at Hublot,
even while Jean-Claude Biver and his team were looking
towards the future. The variety of materials used by Hublot
was and continues to be an expensive endeavor. Each year
the manufacture invests more than 20 million Swiss francs
in research and development. The financial support and
cooperation with universities and research institutes in
various countries has borne fruit in many different areas.
MAGIC GOLDJean-Claude Biver was not content with scratches on most
watch materials. In 2008, he approached Andreas Morten-
sen, the director of the Institute for Material Science and
director of the Institute for Mechanical Metallurgy at the
Technical University of Lausanne, Switzerland (EPFL). He
has a deep understanding of the creation of new alloys that
are revolutionizing the properties of well-known materials.
Another later development turned out to be a real stroke of
luck for Hublot: Senad Hasanović, a doctoral student of
Professor Mortensen and graduate in materials science, was
enormously interested in the topic. He chose to leave aca-
demics and turn to the watch industry – that is, to Hublot.
The first truly revolutionary result proved to be the spec-
tacular fusion of ceramic and 24-karat gold. The watch in-
dustry has used high-performance ceramic for scratch-
resistant cases since 1986. Mixing it with pure gold to create
a hard material that meets the strict standards of the Swiss
Precious Metals Control Office presented an extremely dif-
THE ART OF FUSION: LIKE THE CASE OF THE
SPIRIT OF BIG BANG, ALMOSTALL HUBLOT CASES ARE
MADE COMPLETELY OR PARTIALLY OF TITANIUM.
MATERIALS
68 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
ficult challenge. The result in 2011, called Magic Gold, has a
hardness of 1,000 Vickers, which exceeds conventional 18-
karat gold many times over. Diamonds are virtually the only
substance that can scratch this precious metal.
CERAMICThe history of zirconium began in the late 18th century and
has advanced to become an indispensable basic material at
Hublot. These days the use of black or white ceramic has be-
come almost common, but it’s something else altogether
when the ceramic is bright Ferrari red, Ferrari yellow or blue.
Hublot took on this immense challenge in past years and
executed it with masterful success. How they did it remains
a well-guarded secret, and for good reason. In order to
achieve the desired level of luminosity and color consis-
tency, Hublot had to make extensive financial investments
to develop sufficient expertise in processing technologies.
There are different parameters to meet in producing ce-
ramic, such as the type of raw material, the grain size of the
resulting powder, the pressure exerted and the subsequent
temperature. These wide-ranging variables were examined
and tested in numerous, minutely detailed trials. After three
years, reproducible patented results now free Hublot from
virtually any and all limitations. Now almost every color can
appear in ceramic form. A prime example is a watch intro-
duced in 2013 with a Ferrari-red ceramic bezel.
CARBONFiber-reinforced synthetics are an essential part of innova-
tive lightweight construction. Modern aircraft, race cars,
and eco-friendly automobiles now demand the use of light-
weight, highly durable and chemically stable carbon fiber.
For Hublot, reason enough to use this material for watches
too. In 2011, the acquisition of the company Profusion SA
(founded in 2006) gave Hublot the expertise it needed. Since
producing the pioneering model Senna F1, Profusion
MAGIC GOLD: THE COMBINATION
OF GOLD AND CERAMIC ENSURES
THAT THE BIGBANG FERRARI
RARELY SHOWSSCRATCHES.
THE BIG BANG FERRARI HONG KONG
WAS ONE OF THE FIRSTLIMITED EDITIONS WITH
BRIGHT RED CERAMIC COMPONENTS.
LIGHTWEIGHT:CARBON FIBERMAKES WEARINGTHIS BIG BANG UNICO HARDLY NOTICEABLE.
CARBON FIBERBECOMES BRIGHTBLUE OR GRAY BY PUTTING AGLASS-FIBERLAYER ON IT:THAT’S WHATHUBLOT CALLSALUTEX.
MATERIALS
70 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
founder Jean-Pierre Kohler and his colleagues have mas-
tered the production of components made of carbon-fiber
sheets measuring around two millimeters in thickness.
ALUTEXOne real shortcoming of carbon as a material lies in its limi-
tation to the color black or, at most, dark blue. This has led in
recent times to the development of the material Alutex. Car-
bon fibers form the basis for the finished case components.
During the manufacturing stage, Hublot replaces the top of
the multi-layer sheets with a 0.2 mm layer that is chemically
dyed, completely fade-resistant and mechanically similar to
heavy-duty fiberglass.
This material can be handled and processed on the same
machines and with the same tools as carbon components.
Obtaining the desired colors often created problems for the
technical team at Hublot, however. Carbon and glass fibers
are fused with epoxy resin in a mould. The original color
changes during this process, often quite dramatically.
For example, to obtain a bright blue color of the brand-
new limited edition (100-piece) Big Bang Unico Alutex
Blue, more than a hundred carefully documented experi-
ments were required. This was the only way the – naturally
top secret – process for serial production could be repro-
duced exactly. The same process is used for the new Big
Bang Unico Alutex Grey. Additional colors will follow over
the course of the next few years and secure Hublot’s leader-
ship role in the area of innovative case materials.
LINENThe same is true for the newest material on the scene that
embodies several of Hublot’s primary interests – nature,
the environment, durability and Swissness. Organic flax
from Switzerland’s Emmental region also adheres to its
own unique conventions for processing. Dry stalks are
broken and cleaned of residual fibers, then bundles of fine
threads undergo further processing. After conventional
spinning on traditional spinning wheels, reeling and artis-
t ic weaving produces natural linen textiles that can be dyed
in any color. The resulting thin, sturdy sheets are saturated
with transparent composite. Like its carbon counterpart,
Hublot can make case components that are both light-
weight and sturdy.
NATURE AND SYNTHETICSTOGETHER IN HARMONY:
THE NEWEST HUBLOT CASES ARE MADE OF LINEN
RESIN COMPOSITE.
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 71
The positive characteristics of this material are widely
known. Automobile parts made from natural fiber-
reinforced plastic have been used in that industry for years.
Unfortunately, the direct transfer of knowledge and process is
limited in this case, so once again, Hublot has had to assume
the role of the experimenter. As so often in the past, the
knowledge won through experimentation with an absolutely
new and modern case material pays off in the end. One re-
ward for these efforts is exceptional individuality. Every piece
of linen has its own unique structure, and it is 30 percent
lighter than carbon with virtually the same strength. No won-
der that the aviation and space industries are working more
and more with linen; high-performance racing bikes have
been made of this material in Belgium for years.
OSMIUMThe dial contributes to the overall look of a watch more than
any other component. This has once again taken Hublot
into new territory. The Classic Fusion Tourbillon Firma-
ment has a dial of pure, costly crystal osmium. Osmium is
the rarest metal on Earth. Only about 30 grams can be ob-
tained from around 10,000 tons of rocks. Geologists have
estimated the world’s osmium supply to be about 200 tons,
compared to about 13,000 tons of platinum.
Resulting from the lengthy history of its origin at a depth
of more than 2,900 kilometers, osmium is not only ex-
tremely rare but extremely hard as well. At 22.6 grams per
cubic centimeter, it is the material with the highest density.
Its specific gravity is higher than that of platinum, iridium
or rhenium.
Crystalline osmium is also fascinating because it does
not oxidize and keeps its magical blue shine forever. Re-
searchers in Switzerland developed the high-tech crystal-
lization process. Its structure is altered by heating the
osmium to its extremely high melting temperature of 3,033
degrees Celsius. The unique structure is the result of the
differing crystal sizes, measuring between a few tenths of a
millimeter to a couple of millimeters.
Hublot has proven its trailblazing role in the materials
sector with innovative and extremely rare materials. It is this
rich spirit of discovery that forms an important cornerstone
for the exceptional success of this young manufacture.
EXTREMELYRARE PRECIOUSMETAL: THEDIAL OF THECLASSIC FUSIONTOURBILLONFIRMAMENT ISMADE OF CRYSTALLIZEDOSMIUM.
72 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
LADIES’ WATCHES
LuxuryWIT H AN EDGE
BAR REFAELI’SFIRST OFFICIAL
PHOTO SHOOT FORHUBLOT
74 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
LADIES’ WATCHES
EVEN SUPERMODELSneed to know what time it
is. Bar Refaeli preferred to read the time from one of her
Hublots even before she was officially named as an ambas-
sador of the brand on February 12, 2015. This world-
famous model had already been a Hublot customer for
some time and now she’s the face of youthful glamor at
Hublot.
Bar Refaeli is unique in the world of fashion. Hardly
any other model can say she was in front of the camera at
eight months, only to take a three-year sabbatical at the
age of 12 (when she needed braces!).
Today, Bar Refaeli exudes a sunny, relaxed elegance
and natural sex appeal. Her captivating smile, freckles,
blond hair and tan make her a carefree vision of summer
– perfect for modeling beachwear, for which she is well-
known.
And now, as we see, for watches too. In her first Hublot
photo shoot Bar Refaeli appeared before the camera in a
lacy black catsuit – the skin-tight outfit harmonizes per-
fectly with the watch that’s making its world premiere. The
Big Bang Broderie is the first watch in which the strap, dial
and bezel are decorated with embroidery. The watch was
specially designed to celebrate the beginning of the collab-
oration between Hublot and Bar Refaeli, but the creation of
the Big Bang Broderie presented a few special challenges.
Embroidery on a watch – how is that supposed to work,
when the lacy structure needs to be both delicate and
Jeans and gemstones,
graffiti style and
traditional watch-
making. Hublot
ladies’ watches are
known for mixing it
up in unorthodox
COMBINATIONS.
Newest additions: a
world premiere watch
with delicate embroi-
dery and a world-
famous ambassador
for the brand.BY MARIA-BETTINA EICH
WORLDPREMIERE:
BIG BANGBRODERIE,
HIGH-LIGHTING
SWISSHANDI-
CRAFTS
LADIES’ WATCHES
76 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
durable? Hublot found a partner within Swiss borders to
bring this project to life. St. Gallen embroidery is world-
renowned as a traditional Swiss handicraft – so Hublot nat-
urally joined forces with the noted St. Gallen embroidery
company Bischoff, which supplies lace and textiles for
haute couture and luxury lingerie.
The artisans at Bischoff fashioned tulle embroidery for
the new Hublot watch, creating a skull motif, which is vis-
ible only upon closer inspection, out of delicate floral
arabesques – an edgy design that is both baroque and
trendy. The embroidery then had to be attached to the
watch. To do this, the embroidery patterns were fixed and
then molded into the carbon fibers to give them strength.
Months of research were needed to develop this new
technology and the result is a new chapter in the history
of Hublot with its “Fusion” philosophy. The innovative
combination of materials is one of the most important
creative principles of the brand. Fusing delicate lace em-
broidery and hard carbon fiber is a remarkable expres-
sion of the company’s vision. The combination of tradi-
tional watchmaking (a mechanical automatic watch
movement) with cutting-edge fashion is something one
has almost come to expect from Hublot.
VIBRANT:BIG BANGPOP ART
Street style and jeweled art: the newPop Art version
In her first Hublot photo shoot Bar Refaeli linked the
lacy seduction of embroidery with the coolness of the
black watch and its skull design. Emanating elegance and
power, Bar stands before a cityscape: feline, blond, confi-
dent. During the shoot she said she easily identified with
the vibrant spirit of the watch and felt like Catwoman –
with a little secret to hide.
Bar Refaeli left the shoot dressed in her own clothing
and was further proof of the direct parallels to the Hublot
style. Part of Hublot’s history of Fusion is embodied in
the Big Bang Jeans ladies’ watch collection. Now there’s a
new member of this collection with a denim strap inset
with stylish frayed strips – just like the trendy, frayed
jeans jacket Bar Refaeli tossed on after the shoot. Pairing
a rebellious jacket with a classic, blond hair knot is Bar
Refaeli’s way of living her own form of Fusion: a perfect
ambassador for the brand.
CONTEMPORARY TRENDSThe Broderie and Jeans watches are not the sole repre-
sentatives of multifaceted Big Bangs inside the world of
fashion. Snakeskin, patterned leopard and zebra print
have inspired other Hublot watch designs that are always
fashionable, surprising and a bit subversive. With a taste
for luxury that stands apart from classical traditions,
these designs are distinct expressions of contemporary
trends.
The introduction of the Big Bang Pop Art set off an
unusually powerful “bang” even for Hublot. Flashy color
contrasts and a graffiti-like dial design suggest the work
of Andy Warhol and street artists. New Big Bang Pop Art
models come in “Smoothie Pink” and “Shocking Pink”
with turquoise, a wonderfully wild combination.
The spectacular Pop Art design has advanced into the
spheres of haute joaillerie. The newest Pop Art watches
sparkle at every turn with precious gems in the brightest
colors. This spirited, bejeweled watch design has a direct
link to the Hublot collection Big Bang Tutti Frutti –
watches with baguette-cut gemstones in their bezels in
hot pink, orange, bright blue or a more discreet cognac
tone, each with straps that perfectly match the color of
the gemstones.
Vibrantly fashionable colors and materials, precious
gems set in gold or stainless steel and always with a strik-
ing watch shape: This aesthetic has made Hublot a trend-
setter – reinterpreting the definition of luxury in the
ladies’ watch scene.
EVEN COOLER:BIG BANGJEANS,NOW WITHSTYLISHLYFRAYED INSETS
Killer design:Big Bang SnowLeopard
Wild life: Big Bang in zebra print
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 77
INSIDE HUBLOT
78 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
An imposing
modern black building
stands in Nyon,
Switzerland – it’s the
HUBLOT
MANUFACTURE for
milling parts, machining
screws, assembling
movements, manufac-
turing cases, developing
complications and
creating watches of the
future and even their
unique materials.
BY JENS KOCHPHOTOS BY FRED MERZ
THE MANUFACTURE
Challenging: in the complicationsworkshop, a single watchmaker isresponsible for assembling a move-ment from A to Z. Here is where minute repeaters, tourbillons andastronomical displays are created,each made up of hundreds of parts.
80 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
INSIDE HUBLOT
HAND GAME: WHEN SETTING THE HANDS CAREFUL NOTE MUST BETAKEN OF THE PRECISEMOMENT THE DATE ADVANCES. HANDLING THE SENSITIVE, LIGHT-WEIGHT COMPONENTS REQUIRES IMMENSE DEXTERITY TO AVOIDSCRATCHES.
INSIDE HUBLOT
82 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL WWW.WATCHTIME.COM
ALCHEMIST’S LABORATORY: HUBLOT DEVELOPED MAGIC GOLD,THE WORLD’S MOST SCRATCH-RESISTANT 18-KARAT GOLD ALLOY.ONLY DIAMONDS CAN AFFECT ITSSURFACE. PRODUCING THE CASECOMPONENTS REQUIRES SEVERALHEAT TREATMENT UNITS TO MELTAND SINTER THIS COMBINATION OF CERAMIC AND GOLD.
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 83
PRECISION WORK: AT HUBLOT, A HIGH-TECH MACHINE SETS THE JEWEL BEARINGS IN THEMAINPLATE, AUTONOMOUSLY SELECTING AND PRESSING THE CORRECT JEWELS INTO THE VARIOUS POSITIONS.
INSIDE HUBLOT
84 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
INSIDE HUBLOT
86 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL WWW.WATCHTIME.COM
HAPPY LANDING: IN THE LABORATORY, HUBLOTWATCHES MUST SUSTAINAN IMPACT BY A HAMMERAND ACCELERATION OF5,000 GS. A CATCH BASKETAND THE SYNTHETIC STRIKING SURFACE OF THE HAMMER PREVENT EXTERNAL DAMAGE.
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 87
BY ALEXANDER KRUPP
88 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
In the fall of 2014 Hublot provided support
to the underwater expedition “RETURN
TO ANTIKYTHERA”. Technical equipment
for this effort included a high-tech dry
diving suit and the Hublot diving watch
Oceanographic 4000.
TEX
T:G
ISB
ERT
BR
UN
NER
HIGH-TECHUNDERWATER
IN OCTOBER of last year a research
team returned to the site of a legendary
discovery – with support from Hublot.
Here’s the background: in 1901 the
remains of perhaps the world’s oldest
mechanical calculator was recovered in
an ancient sunken shipwreck near the
Greek island of Antikythera (located be-
tween the Peloponnese peninsula and
Crete). Assumed to have been built in
the second century B.C.E., the shoebox-
size bronze geared mechanism once
powered a number of different astro-
nomical displays which include the
Egyptian calendar, a schedule of the
Panhellenic Games in all its host cities,
the position of the sun in relation to the
zodiac, moon phases, the sidereal year,
and five different astronomical cycles on
the back ranging in duration between 18
and 76 years.
In 2008 Mathias Buttet took the An-
tikythera mechanism as a model and,
within four years, miniaturized it to
wristwatch size. But, in contrast to the
original device, the Antikythera pre-
sented by Hublot in 2012 also features
the time of day and a tourbillon. The
commercial model is a slimmed-down
version called the MP-08 Antikythera
SunMoon featuring a simplified and
miniaturised version of the original
mechanism. The result is a movement
containing 295 components and 7 com-
plications, all of which are placed on the
dial side (compared to 495 components
and 14 functions on both sides of the
original calibre exhibited at the Museum
of Athens). This titanium hand-wound
watch has a power reserve of 85 hours
and is offered in a limited edition of only
20 pieces.
THE RETURNHublot played a crucial role in the
“Return to Antikythera” expedition by
providing the research team – commis-
sioned by the Greek Ministry of Culture
and Sports and led by the maritime ar-
Heavy-duty inevery way: the so-calledExosuit weighs240 kilogramsand cost $1.3 million.
DIVING EXPEDITION
chaeologist Brendan Foley – with finan-
cial support. This included a recently de-
veloped dry diving suit plus additional
equipment valued at $1.3 million.
Thanks to its special aluminum alloy and
18 rotating joints, the 240 kg atmos-
pheric “Exosuit” is flexible and ex-
tremely sturdy. Its water-resistance of up
to 300 meters creates the same pressure
conditions for the diver as on the surface,
and complex gas mixtures are no longer
necessary. Instead, the diver breathes
normal oxygen that is recycled inside a
closed circuit. Dives of up to 50 hours are
theoretically possible before the suit and
its wearer need to return to the surface.
Hublot also supplied powerful pro-
fessional diving watches to the team that
are fully in line with the formidable look
and technology of this new high-tech
dive suit. The researchers wore the
Oceanographic 4000 watch – titanium,
water-proof up to 4,000 meters and
equipped with an inner unidirectional
dive bezel. Its generous dimensions
and modern look are a good fit for the
Exosuit, with its “King Power” case
measuring an impressive 48 millimeter
across. Even if you’re not an undersea
diver you can call the Oceanographic
4000 your own: At the occasion of the
new Antikythera expedition, Hublot
has created a special version made of
carbon fiber called “Exo4000” (see
photo). The watch is provided with a
white Nomex strap as well as an addi-
tional black nylon/rubber strap.
Until now, no additional pieces of
the Antikythera mechanism were
found during the research mission, but
the scientists did recover fragments of
artworks and everyday objects that had
remained out of reach to the 1901 expe-
dition. So the aim of the mission has
already been achieved – a successful
collaborative endeavor in which the
Antikythera team, the Greek govern-
ment and Hublot play a part.
Professional diver: the Exo4000 with inner dive-timebezel is water-proof to 4000meters.
Antikytherathen and now:the remains ofthis ancientmechanism inspired Hublotto create twowristwatches so far.
Phot
o: F
otol
ia.c
om/S
erge
y Pe
term
an
SPECIAL HUBLOT WatchTime | 91
Hublot is regularly developing new
watch movements and thereby expanding
its KNOW-HOW in complications and
base calibers.BY ALEXANDER KRUPP
EXPERTISECENTRAL
IN-HOUSE MOVEMENTS
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 91
92 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
WATCH BRANDS like to claim the title manufacture,
but mere lip service and hard reality often stand miles
apart. According to the unwritten rules of the Swiss
watch industry, a company may call itself a manufactureonly when it produces at least one caliber within its own
facilities. This has been the case at Hublot since 2010, the
year when the chronograph caliber HUB 1240 “Unico”
was first unveiled. Since that time the spectrum of ex-
clusive movements has grown steadily, as well as the
company’s horological expertise and the complexity of
its own calibers. Tourbillons, minute-repeater mecha-
nisms and unique complications, accompanied by great
personal and financial investment, are vivid proof of the
successful rise of the manufacture into the top ranks of
the watchmaking world.
HUB 12 40 “UNICO”
Hublot gave itself plenty of time for the creation of its first
in-house chronograph caliber. Accordingly, the HUB
1240 “Unico” unveiled in 2010 is striking because of its
superior technical features, reliability and accuracy. Al-
though the Unico is not a movement with integrated
functions, all of its operations play out clearly before the
eyes of the observer. Namely, Hublot assembled the entire
chronograph mechanism on the dial side. The column
wheel is also placed there for controlling the chrono-
graph functions, and two classic clutch mechanisms
linking the chronograph with the watch movement: one
for the chronograph itself and the second for the hour
counter.
An immensely helpful aspect is the flyback function,
which is used to reset and restart a running chronograph
without a hack mechanism. The balance wheel operates
at four Hertz, which permits stopping actions accurate to
an eighth of a second. A powerful mainspring guarantees
a 72-hour power reserve, so the HUB 1240 will continue
to run steadily even after spending a quiet weekend on
the shelf.
The exchangeable escapement can be considered as
an expression of unusual creativity, which can be re-
placed if necessary with just a few simple steps. The
expression of the timeless art of watchmaking is lastly
the use of the anti-magnetic and oil-free material silicon
for the escapement.
COMPLICATIONS:chronograph with column-wheel and flybackfunction, date
OVERALL DIAMETER:30.4 mm
HEIGHT: 8.05 mm
POWER RESERVE:ca. 72 hours (Single barrel)
BALANCE FREQUENCY:28,800 vph
NUMBER OF COMPONENTS: 293
NUMBER OF FUNCTIONALJEWELS: 38
IN-HOUSE MOVEMENTS
SKELETON TOUR BI L L ON HUB 6010
Hublot developed this tourbillon with an impressive
five-day power reserve for the visually-oriented watch
fan. Both the front and back of the watch showcase the
beauty of watchmaking skills at their finest. The watch-
makers have skeletonized the 34.4 by four millimeter
in-house hand-wind movement to its outer limits. Even
the opulent barrel was opened up as much as possible to
permit unobstructed views of the lengthy power reserve.
The generous size of the tourbillon at 6 o’clock is eye-
catching. Every minute, the delicate cage – designed to
compensate for negative gravitational effects – com-
pletes an entire revolution. Cradled within the cage, the
Glucydur balance completes 21,600 vph along with the
auto-compensating hairspring. The winding action of
the long mainspring is remarkably smooth.
COMPLICATIONS:minute tourbillon
OVERALL DIAMETER:34.4 mm
HEIGHT: 4 mm
POWER RESERVE:115 hours (Single barrel)
CAGE DIAMETER:12.9 mm
BALANCE FREQUENCY:21,600 vph
NUMBER OF COMPONENTS: 155
NUMBER OF FUNCTIONALJEWELS: 19
WWW.WATCHTIME.COM94 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
CATH E DR AL MI NUTE R E PEATER TOURB ILLON HUB 8001
The pinnacle of mechanical watchmaking has always been embodied by
the minute repeater. Two tiny hammers strike gongs to announce the time to
the precise minute. One small action winds a spring and sets the chiming
mechanism immediately in motion. A low tone indicates the hour. Low-high
double chimes announce the number of quarter-hours. Lastly, another high
tone sounds for every additional minute.
To ensure the greatest possible acoustic quality, Hublot uses special cathe-
dral gongs in its in-house caliber HUB 8001, which are about one-and-one-
half times longer than standard gongs and require specialized know-how to
ensure they do not hit against each other and cloud the sound. Immense
technical investment is needed for a wristwatch with a minute repeater.
Around 100 parts must interact perfectly to mark the time audibly. Added to
this are also the components for the hand-wind movement and minute tour-
billon – no wonder it took 24 months to design.
Only a single watchmaker is responsible for the assembly from A to Z. The
reward for these efforts? The watch won the Grand Prix de Genève 2014 in
the Striking Watch category.
COMPLICATIONS:minute repeater, minute tourbillon
OVERALL DIAMETER:33.5 mm
HEIGHT: 6.35 mm
POWER RESERVE:80 hours (Single barrel)
CAGE DIAMETER: 12.9 mm
BALANCE FREQUENCY:21,600 vph
NUMBER OF COMPONENTS: 322
NUMBER OF FUNCTIONALJEWELS: 30
IN-HOUSE MOVEMENTS
HUBLOT SPECIAL WatchTime | 95
KEY OF TIME HUB 9002
“Linger awhile, thou art so fair!” These famous words
from Goethe’s Faust indicate the human desire to halt
and extend an irretrievable moment in time. It would be
worth a fortune to some people to be able to stop time in
this way – conveniently enough, Hublot offers its “Key of
Time.” In addition to its conventional three-Hertz move-
ment, this model has a small, sophisticated transmission
that can slow the passage of time whenever life is espe-
cially precious – at the very least, it makes the appearance
of running at one-fourth the normal tempo. And when-
ever one is impatiently waiting for an event to happen,
it’s possible to bestow time with “wings” to fly at four
times normal speed. Fully winding the hand-wind
mechanism will power the vertical tourbillon for the
MP-02 Key of Time for 96 hours. The fleeting seconds are
shown through a small opening in the case.
The rotational speed of the hour and minute hands
can be influenced externally. A kind of split-seconds
mechanism, common to chronographs, ensures that the
correct time can be restored immediately (whenever
reality calls for it!). The Key of Time is clearly the most
complicated watch produced in Hublot’s workshop.
COMPLICATIONS:minute tourbillon, variable display speed
DIMENSIONS:ca. 40.2 x 40.1 mm
HEIGHT: 9.5 mm
POWER RESERVE:96 hours (Single barrel)
CAGE DIAMETER: 12.9 mm
BALANCE FREQUENCY:21,600 vph
NUMBER OF COMPONENTS: 512
NUMBER OF FUNCTIONALJEWELS: 74
96 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
ANTIKYTHE RA S UNMOON HUB 9008
Only 20 fortunate people in the world have the privilege
of owning the MP-08 Antikythera SunMoon wristwatch
with its light gray titanium case. The complicated hand-
wind caliber HUB 9008 with a 85-hour power reserve
stands out with seven extraordinary functions. A minute
tourbillon is in place for the precise measurement of
time. In addition to a display for hours and minutes,
there are a wide variety of astronomical displays on the
front. The wearer can see which constellation is cur-
rently behind the Sun and how long it will take the Sun to
pass over a constellation. Also, a date “sun hand” rotates
once a year around the dial. Its tip points to the month
and the date. This hand provides additional information
on the sidereal position of the Sun in relation to the ob-
server on Earth.
The moon hand is just as precise in its indication.
Careful observation shows the viewer the moon phase,
its form in the sky, the name of the constellation behind
the Moon, and how much time the Moon requires to pass
a constellation. In this watch movement the time span
COMPLICATIONS:minute tourbillon, seven
astronomical displays
DIMENSIONS:35.2 x 37 mm
HEIGHT: 12.43 mm
POWER RESERVE:85 hours (Single barrel)
CAGE DIAMETER: 12.9 mm
BALANCE FREQUENCY:21,600 vph
NUMBER OF COMPONENTS: 295
NUMBER OF FUNCTIONALJEWELS: 37
between two new moons equals 29.36 days, while the
rotational relationship between the Moon and Earth
corresponds to 27.322 days. Plus, the speed of the Moon
varies in this complicated mechanism analogous to the
astronomical circumstances. Because of the rigorous
demands, the finishing, assembly, adjustment and qual-
ity control of this 295-component movement remain in
the hands of a single watchmaker.
IN-HOUSE MOVEMENTS
WWW.WATCHTIME.COM
L AFE R R AR IThe extraordinary MP-05 LaFerrari is truly, without
reservation, a world-premier timepiece. The internal
and external treatments match the style of the sporty race
car LaFerrari. In the world of mechanical watchmaking,
a power reserve of 50 days is nothing less than astound-
ing and requires power provided by 11 serial barrels in an
arrangement that recalls an engine block and its control
mechanisms. The power stores do not deplete consecu-
tively, but release their energy in unison.
Just as impressive are the indications for seconds,
minutes, and the remaining power reserve. A horizon-
tally mounted minute tourbillon with a 14.5-mm alu-
minum cylinder reveals the smallest time unit. Two
black anodized, luminous-coated barrel cylinders turn
on the right side of the “engine compartment” to show
the hours (top) and minutes (bottom). The cylinders on
the left are controlled by a differential gear train and
serve as the “fuel gauge.” The technical experts at Hublot
even thought of a comfortable way to provide power to
the watch – the mainsprings are wound using a small
power screwdriver, delivered alongside the watch in a
Schedoni-leather and carbon-fiber case.
COMPLICATIONS:minute tourbillon,
power-reserve display
DIMENSIONS:45.8 x 39.5 mm
HEIGHT: 15.3 mm
POWER RESERVE:50 days (11 barrels)
CAGE DIAMETER: 14.5 mm
BALANCE FREQUENCY:21,600 vph
NUMBER OF COMPONENTS: 637
NUMBER OF FUNCTIONALJEWELS: 108
IN-HOUSE MOVEMENTS
98 | WatchTime HUBLOT SPECIAL
Ebner Publishing International, Inc.274 Madison Avenue, Suite 804
New York, NY 10016
Tel 646-742-0740
Fax 646-742-0749
Email: [email protected]
www.watchtime.com
Production Director: Michael Kessler
Chief Executive Directors: Gerrit Klein, Martin Metzger (deputy),Florian Ebner
U.S. Publishing Director: Dominik Grau
European Publishing Director: Jens Gerlach
Thanks to: Philippe Tardivel, Sheena Mohs and Anaïs Treandfrom Hublot
© Ebner Publishing International, Inc.All Rights Reserved. March 2015. Printed in Germany.
Editorial Director and Project Editor: Rüdiger Bucher
Contributors: Gisbert L. Brunner, Rüdiger Bucher,
Jens Koch, Alexander Krupp, Maria-Bettina Eich
Assistant to the Project Editor: Bettina Rost
Translations: Joanne Weinzierl
Graphic Design: trurnit Publishers GmbH, Munich
Production: Dr. Cantz’sche Druckerei Medien GmbH,
Ostfildern-Kemnat
AMER ICA’S #1 WATCH MAGAZ INE HUBLOT SPECIAL
TOURB I L L ON TONNE AUHUB 9006
Power and stamina – that’s the tonneau hand-wind caliber
HUB 9006 with a power reserve of 115 hours. The art-
fully skeletonized mechanism is available in different
versions, depending on the equipment of the watch. The
Hublot technicians positioned the large barrel at the 12-
o’clock position and an equally large tourbillon is placed
at 6 o’clock, with a cage that turns once a minute. The
balance wheel within vibrates at 21,600 vph. For each
in-house movement, the watchmakers require 155 parts
to complete its finishing, assembly and adjustment.
COMPLICATIONS:minute tourbillon
DIMENSIONS:33.5 x 35.3 mm
HEIGHT: 4 mm
HEIGHT WITH TOURBILLONBRIDGE: 5.7 mm
POWER RESERVE:115 hours (Single barrel)
CAGE DIAMETER: 12.9 mm
BALANCE FREQUENCY:21,600 vph
NUMBER OF COMPONENTS: 155
NUMBER OF FUNCTIONALJEWELS: 19
WWW.WATCHTIME.COM
www.hublot.com • twitter.com/hublot • facebook.com/hublot
Big Bang Unico All Black. Totally black, totally matt: perfectly
complementing the UNICO movement, with a 72-hour power reserve.
Manufactured in-house by Hublot. Limited edition of 1000 pieces.
Hublot_ChronHbt_BBUnicoAB_210x280.indd 2 05.02.15 13:46
www.hublot.com • twitter.com/hublot • facebook.com/hublot
Big Bang Broderie. 18K gold case set with 209 diamonds totaling 1.3 carats. Unique process of
encasing historic St-Gallen lace to a carbon fiber bezel and dial. 100% silk
embroidered strap stitched to black rubber. Limited edition of 200 pieces.
Hublot_ChronHbt_BrodGold_210x280.indd 2 05.02.15 13:54
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