hublot

Hublot founder Carlo Crocco established his business in 1975 with the watch brand "MDM" - Marie-Danielle-Montre, after his wife's name. Looking back, one can already recognize features of today's Hublot watch. With the presentation of the first Hublot model series at Baselworld in 1980, the brand entered the orbit of the major luxury brands. The brand name ( German: porthole ) refers to the hinged cover on the dial side. The first-ever rubber straps also evoked maritime associations. By the time the legendary Big Bang series amazed the watch industry in 2007, success was inevitable. A strong distribution network contributed to this: the newly opened Hublot boutiques in Paris and St. Tropez were followed by a further 30 luxury shops worldwide. Since 2008, the company has been part of the luxury goods group LVMH, and in 2012, Hublot was ranked 40th in the "Interbrand Study." of the most valuable Swiss brands. In 2014, the company reported growth of 12 percent to approximately 400 million francs.

The ultimate kick, a monument that Hublot has set for itself and not a timepiece that you can buy online. The unbroken value record is held by the world's most expensive watch - the $5 million Hublot Big Bang - from the watch manufacturer in Geneva/Nyon. The fact that online watch purchases have long since extended to luxury brands also highlights how much the acceptance of and demand for luxury watches has increased. A watch of this magnitude, however, must remain unique to maintain its aura. It is less the technical sophistication than the value of 1,282 jewels that makes this Hublot an absolute queen of hours . The movement and shape are rather unspectacular; the bling-bling effect is achieved by the special process by which the gemstones were implanted in the white gold case, without leaving the diamond settings visible. Twelve diamond cutters, five diamond setters, and several watchmakers created this masterpiece in 14 months of dedicated work. A buyer was found just minutes after its presentation. Today, it can be admired in the watch boutique "The Hour Glass" on Orchard Road, Singapore's finest shopping boulevard.

The use of rubber straps was just the beginning. The in-house metallurgy department, in collaboration with leading technical and scientific institutions in Switzerland, developed exceptional, state-of-the-art materials that transformed the watch industry. The traditional precious metal alloys used up to that point faced unbeatable competition from the first 18-carat, completely scratch-resistant gold alloy, which remains unsurpassed to this day. Hublot continually relied on unusual materials to clearly distinguish itself in the market for the highest-quality luxury watches. Materials research and color creation, as a vehicle for ideas, became the company's defining characteristic. Hublot's signature combination of gold, ceramic, magnesium, titanium, and rubber has received numerous international awards. The company's determined desire to create something spectacular is evident in a more recent creation, the "Tobacco Watch," the Classic Fusion Forbidden X, and the Classic Fusion Tourbillon, of which just 30 pieces were produced. Only after opening a cigar humidor does it reveal itself as a watch. The viewer is drawn to a dial made of the finest Dominican tobacco from the Arturo Fuente plantation. Naturally, the tobacco leaves first had to be treated with a special resin to preserve their shape and color. The ceramic bezel reflects the brown of the tobacco. A red ceramic model followed in 2013, and in 2015, a watch made of natural fibers, which can be produced in a more environmentally friendly way than the carbon wristwatch, was launched. The Big Bang series, launched in 2005, became a bestseller.

Like other world-class watchmakers, Hublot relies on the magical combination of sports and luxury watches. By the time Hublot developed the official "FIFA Watch" and became involved as a timekeeper at the FIFA World Cups in South Africa and Brazil, the company could already look back on a long history of sponsorship with the Swiss Football Federation, the Mexican Football Federation, and as a partner of Diego Maradona. The company logo on the FIFA referees' shields literally sealed a place in the final. To honor the qualification, Hublot dedicated its own watch collections to each FIFA World Cup. A partnership with Ferrari was also reflected in various versions of the Big Bang Ferrari as a tribute to racing. Its characteristics: 72-hour power reserve, limited to 250 pieces, gray or black ceramic, 4.5 mm case, titanium screws, countersunk head, sapphire crystal with internal and external anti-reflective coating, HUB 1214 Unico movement. A Ferrari-inspired horse leaps across the dial, while satin-finished and rhodium-plated indices move against gray ceramic or in red lacquer on a black background. Rubber strap with stripes. The commitment to the World Boxing Council, the global governing body of boxing, was born out of our own enthusiasm. It resulted in 12 exceptional watches dedicated to boxing legends. All pieces were finished with a handwritten signature. The auction proceeds of over $1 million went to the World Boxing Council's charitable initiatives, retirement and emergency funds. In May 2015, Hublot appeared in front of the cameras in Las Vegas with the then undefeated boxing champion Floyd "Money" Mayweather and presented the special model King Power WBC Full Pave with emeralds, made for this event before his fight against Manny Pacquiao.

At Baselworld 2012, Hublot ventured a return to history with the principle of the Antikythera mechanism. The ancient Greeks used it to determine the transit of the planets. This modern-day sensation, a wristwatch barely larger than a postage stamp, features the calendar of the Panhellenic Games, the phases of the moon, the position of the sun within the constellations, and other ancient cycles. Today, this rarity can be seen at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris.