Hublot Introduction and Brand Insights
About
Since its fairly recent founding in 1980 as a disruptive sport/luxury watch, Hublot has grown by leaps and bounds. Its timepieces are visionary, often with proprietary materials and bold three-dimensional movement and case architecture that pull at the heartstrings of the adventurous collector.
With a tag line—not only for its marketing but also for its entire creation strategy—of “Art of Fusion,” Hublot was the first watchmaker to bring rubber watch straps to the luxury market. With its porthole case shape and vanilla-infused rubber strap, the brand quickly made headlines.
The brand’s Art of Fusion concept took shape under the guidance of watch industry legend Jean-Claude Biver. He insisted that all of the collections the brand released would be a fusion of products, partnerships, materials, art and other walks of life. By deftly blending the art of horology with creative, avant-garde vision, Hublot has accomplished the ultimate fusion.
Additionally, Hublot has built relationships in different athletic and artistic realms, which today are referred to as “Hublot Loves ….” Hublot Loves Football. Hublot Loves Art. Hublot Loves People. It is these concepts – along with incredible watches – that have brought the brand stellar success. With an extensive research and development laboratory secreted away in its Manufacture, Hublot regularly develops unique and proprietary materials for straps, cases and dials.
Often referred to as Hublot Genève (Hublot watches are made in Nyon, outside of Geneva), Hublot watches can hold their value on the second-hand market – especially if the watch is crafted of a noble material or in one of Hublot’s own invented materials. Used Hublot watches are often most readily available in titanium and stainless steel.
Top Hublot Watch Models
The majority of new and pre-owned Hublot watches boast distinctive features that recall the original porthole design, including the six screws on the bezel and a bold, daring and distinctive appearance. Hublot's collections range from incredibly complicated watches to a simple Hublot automatic watch series.
In fact, the Hublot collection is so extensive—and runs the gamut in value from tens of thousands to a million and up—that we narrow it down here to just the key collections, without the Hublot capsule collections and offshoot watches.
Hublot Big Bang Watches
Easily the most extensive umbrella collection for Hublot watches is the Big Bang series. This is the Hublot model that most closely recalls its original past, but with a highly modern design. The Big Bang watches feature round dials with shaped outer cases that offer a distinctive angular aesthetic. Because this is the brand’s most iconic series, it is further broken down into individual smaller collections.
Classic Fusion
More subdued in thickness and boldness than the larger Big Bang watches, the Hublot Classic Fusion timepieces also include at least a half-a-dozen subset series, all designed to offer reinterpreted elegance. With more than 200 models in the Classic Fusion collection, the watches run the gamut from three-hands watches to chronographs, moonphase indication watches and partnership watches with artists such as Richard Orlinski and Cruz Diez, luxury bespoke footwear and leather goods company Berluti, and with Ferrari.
Spirit of Big Bang
The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang watches are tonneau (barrel) shaped watches inspired by the Big Bang. The watches offer an open-worked multi-layered construction and, like the round siblings, are crafted in a variety of materials and colors. The models include three hands, chronographs, moonphase and tourbillons.
Big Bang Original
The Hublot Big Bang Original watches include a 38mm, 41mm or 44mm body crafted in steel, titanium, gold and the brand’s proprietary Black Magic material, with metal or ceramic bezels. Some versions feature diamond adornments on the bezel and the case. All of the Hublot Big Bang Original watches offer chronograph functions and are fitted with rubber straps.
Connected E Series
Another part of the Big Bang collection are the Hublot Big Bang Connected E Series watches. Offered in 42mm sizes, the connected watches represent a fusion between traditional watchmaking and the digital world of smart watches.
Additional Hublot watches in the collection include:
- The skeletonized Big Bang Meca-10 with in-house-made movement that offers an impressive 10 days of power reserve
- Big Bang Complications including tourbillons and extended tourbillon escapements
- Big Bang One Click with one-step, no-tool strap interchangeability
- The Big Bang Ferrari series, created in partnership with Ferrari, and the other partnership series, Big Bang Sang Bleu
First released in 2011, the Hublot MP collection of watches is designed to showcase the brand’s revolutionary movements and space-age cases. These are ultra-high-tech, high-mech watches such as the MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis watch and the TechFrame, with a highly structured open-worked case that resembles the framework of a building, bridge or even a super car.
Big Bang Unico
One of the most important series in the collection is the Hublot Big Bang Unico. This series, which at any given time has at least 50 different models, features watches powered by the brand’s UNICO manufactured skeletonized movement that is equipped with a self-winding column-wheel flyback chronograph. Also included in the Big Bang Unico series is the Unico GMT watch and the Unico Golf watches designed to help track and improve golf scores.
The Big Bang Unico watches can be found in traditional metals, but Hublot also opts to case the all-important calibre in special materials that include:
- A Red, Blue, or White Magic material that is impervious to water
- Its own proprietary King Gold that is highly scratch-resistant
- Sapphire or ceramic
It is offered with rubber straps or with bracelets and can be found in multiple sizes with and without diamonds.