REVOLUTION_International_Vol 54

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INNOVATIONS IN THE INDUSTRY: HUBLOT, THE KING OF MATERIALS Knownaroundtheworldforitsloudmarketinganditspresenceat sporting events, Hublot has been a trailblazer since its inception and is today quietly making waves with its R&D innovations which have even attracted the European Space Agency. WORDS KEVIN CUREAU 116 BACKTOTHEFUTURE
Left Crystallized gold, a rare natural gold formation, is mimicked by Hublot through modern technology. Above Mr Jean-Claude Biver, the nonexecutive president of the LVMH Watch Division and chairman of Hublot, has shaped the brand’s ideology to incorporate various unusual materials. Why do watch enthusiasts or collectors love to hate on Hublot? Many would say that the brand is too loud or too heavily marketed for their taste, while others will say that Hublot watches copy the look of the icons that are the Royal Oak and the Nautilus. But behind the layer of visible boisterous marketing techniques, Hublot has many times cemented its position as an innovative high-end luxury watchmaker, and one of the most important brands in the watchmaking industry. If you take the time to dig into the brand, handle its timepieces and learn all about the company’s innovations, a brilliant shift will take place where instead of spitting out unwarranted amounts of vitriol at the first sight of a Hublot watch, you will get past your first impressions, look closely at the pieces, and understand that all the parts make sense together and represent the perfect image of the brand. THE ART OF FUSION To understand Hublot in its entirety, it is important to remember that right from the start, the brand didn’t skimp on time and resources to create the best possible product, and sought to break out from the mold of the luxury watch business. Having left his family business in the late 1970s, a young confident Italian man named Carlo Crocco set out to launch his own watch brand in Switzerland. The first watch he presented, called the Hublot after the French word for “porthole”, was the first luxury watch that had the audacity to mix a precious metal like gold with a rubber strap. The strap took three years of research to produce and revealed the amazing properties of natural rubber that instantly adapted to the wrist of the wearer and provided long-term comfort. Although the timepiece received no interest when it was presented during the 1980 Basel Fair, the original mixture of high and low soon grew in popularity due to the new luxury sports watch market of the time, and many clients, retailers, celebrities, and even members of royal families, found themselves attracted by the Hublot watch. Hublot’s motto today is the “Art of Fusion” and this single principle is what drove the watch brand from its creation with the pairing of gold and rubber, and what brought the company enormous success. It’s not until 2004 though that the brand took a new turn and rose to another level when the one and only Mr Jean-Claude Biver became CEO of Hublot. A genius of the watch industry and a watch brand savior, Mr Biver sought to immediately create a new collection and flagship model, the Big Bang Chronograph. The rest is history and the brand would not be where it is today without him. Ask Mr Biver what is the one watch he will keep for the rest of his life, he will immediately reply that it would be the Hublot Bigger Bang Tourbillon prototype watch he often wears. It was the starting point of his success at the maison and the watch that would guide Hublot and give birth to the whole collection of Hublot watches. According to him, it is the timepiece that has brought him the most luck in the industry and one he would never part with. It is under his direction that the concept of the “Art of Fusion” would personify Hublot’s future and become the intersecting point of many different materials such as gold, titanium, carbon, ceramic, rubber, etc... BACK TO THE FUTURE 117
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CELEBRATING THE MACHINE WITH A HEAR
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BREGUET BOUTIQUES - NEW YORK 646 69
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COLLECTION Fifty Fathoms ©Photogra
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HOME OF FINE WATCHMAKING SINCE 1833
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CALIBER RM 67-01 RICHARD MILLE BOUT
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SEVEN DAYS V45 S6 SQT 212.463.8898
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intentionally allowing the majority
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Tangente Update. Made in Germany. T
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CALIBER RM 07-01 RICHARD MILLE BOUT
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Piaget Altiplano 38mm Bulino Engrav
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On Niclas Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso
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THE GREAT INNOVATOR — THE INCREDI
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CEO of Bvlgari, Jean-Christophe Bab
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I should also pause to reflect on t
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The Octo Finissimo Automatic Sandbl
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TIMELINE 2014 OCTO FINISSIMO MECHAN
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2018: OCTO FINISSIMO TOURBILLON AUT
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The Bvlgari × Revolution Octo Fini
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2020: OCTO FINISSIMO AUTOMATIC SATI
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THE MODERNIST At the attic of Zenit
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THE GAME CHANGE - LVMH WATCH FAIR I
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with an integrated bracelet. While
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BVLGARI SERPENTI SEDUTTORI TOURBILL
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In 1983, Land Rover created one of
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LVMH WATCH WEEK DUBAI MADE OF STARD
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This page, clockwise from top left
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ZENITH × REVOLUTION AND THE RAKE T
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64 THE MODERNIST
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Page 72 and 73: THE FIRST FULLY INDUSTRIALIZED WATC
Page 74 and 75: 72 THE MODERNIST
Page 76 and 77: WHEN THE STARS ALIGN One of the bri
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Page 81 and 82: INTRODUCING THE ZENITH X THE RAKE A
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Page 85 and 86: ZENITH X REVOLUTION CHRONOMASTER RE
Page 87 and 88: THE MODERNIST 85
Page 89 and 90: staying too deep for too long. It c
Page 92 and 93: THE CARRERA, 1964 (LEFT) VS 2020 (R
Page 95: BACK TO THE FUTURE Combine a French
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Page 100 and 101: significant technological advanceme
Page 102 and 103: LA GRANDE DAME As Grand Seiko celeb
Page 104 and 105: A NEW SPRING DRIVE Last year when w
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Page 110: Next, housed in yellow gold and wit
Page 113 and 114: In January this year, when Oris bro
Page 116 and 117: This page, clockwise from top left
Page 120 and 121: INNOVATIVE MATERIALS Hublot’s inn
Page 122 and 123: A TRUE SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY This m
Page 124 and 125: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING RETAIL-SMAR
Page 126 and 127: smell what is going on, they can fe
Page 128 and 129: A SPECIAL HOUSE Parmigiani CEO Davi
Page 130 and 131: 128 BACKTOTHEFUTURE
Page 132 and 133: STRIVING FOR HONESTY A Breitling am
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Page 136 and 137: to California to visit Joshua Tree,
Page 139 and 140: VINTAGE Bona fide style icon and fo
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Page 143 and 144: changed color through the alchemic
Page 145 and 146: this. As a comparison, of the Ferra
Page 147 and 148: HOW LASER WELDING WORKS 1. A series
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Page 151 and 152: Left The Day-Date 36 reference 1803
Page 153 and 154: Above left A reference 18238 “Gol
Page 155 and 156: A-Z OF DAY-DATE STONE DIALS Agate A
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Page 159 and 160: CALL COLLECT: MARK CHO Founder of T
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Page 167 and 168: Above The Royal Oak Perpetual Calen
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the knowledge or the know-how to di
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www.grand-seiko.com/us-en
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