Top 17 Facts About Hublot – Interesting Things to Know
Hublot is one of the most famous luxury watch brands in the world. But at the same time, Hublot is quite different from most of the other top swiss luxury watch brands such as Omega, Rolex, or Patek Philippe. Whilst the most well-known luxury watch brands are often more than a hundred years old and have long histories, Hublot is in comparison just a child.
Founded in 1980 in Geneva, Switzerland, and although that is a relatively long time, it’s nothing compared to the other brands that it goes against. But still, everything that Hublot has been able to achieve in this relatively short period is nothing short of impressive. In a short time, compared to the others, Hublot has managed to build a name for itself and become one of the most recognized watch brands in the world. That is impressive.
If you’re curious about the Hublot brand and are looking to learn more, you have come to the right place. In this article, we take a closer look at facts about Hublot, its watches, and the company. Let’s dig right in.
Top interesting facts about Hublot
1. Where does the name “Hublot” come from?
In french, Hublot means porthole. A porthole is a small window on the outside of a ship or aircraft and it is this that has contributed to making Hublot so iconic. The bezel of a watch is a central part of its design, and it is exactly that, a porthole, that the bezel is meant to resemble. The iconic bezel design can be found on most Hublot watches and is an important design feature that makes them stand out from the crowd.
2. Hublot is the first Swiss watch brand to have invested in cricket
Whilst cricket is not a very popular or well-known sport in the west, it is wildly popular in other parts of the world, in particular India. In fact, cricket is the second most popular sport in the world after football. And Hublot is the first Swiss watch brand that has invested in this sport.
Hublot’s partnership was announced at the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Hublot even made a special edition cricket-inspired chronograph to celebrate this partnership.
3. Hublot has experimented with all kinds of different materials imaginable
Hublot’s motto is “Art of fusion”. This refers to Hublot’s vision of working with different materials but is also a motto that Hublot follows with everything they do.
As a result of this, Hublot has created watches with all kinds of different materials imaginable and created watches with materials never done before. For example, in the Hublot X Berluti partnership, Hublot created a limited edition watch whose dial was made with signature Berluti leather.
In another collaboration between Hublot and Arturo Fuente, one of the biggest names when it comes to cigars, Hublot created the Hublot “Hublot Arturo Fuente ForbiddenX” watch which features real tobacco leaves on the dial – the same leaves that are used to make the ForbiddenX cigars.
In addition to this, Hublot has invested heavily into research and development to create new and high-performing materials never seen before. Hublot invented its proprietary Magic gold which is the world’s first 18k scratch-proof gold alloy. Hublot achieved this by infusing gold with ceramic. Moreover, Hublot has created Gold carbon, which is gold infused with carbon fiber, as well as Texalium, which is carbon fiber and aluminum.
With all of this said, Hublot puts a lot of focus on materials and both inventing and daring to experiment with new materials to create watches that are truly unique.
4. Hublot created the world’s first rubber strap watch
Today, rubber straps can be found on many different watches. From affordable brands like Seiko and Casio to the most ultra-luxury like Patek Philippe, Rolex, and Audemars Piguet.
But did you know that Hublot is responsible for creating the world’s first rubber strap watch? Today, we take rubber straps for watches for granted, but that has not always been the case. With Hublot’s quest of experimenting with new materials, it’s not so strange that Hublot found rubber to be a suitable material to work with. Hublot debuted the first rubber strap watch in 1980 but it did not become an instant success. In fact, Hublot did not sell a single watch at the Basel Watch Fair that year. But the popularity of this watch picked up and eventually became a commercial success, selling for more than $2m in the first year.
After its launch, it was dubbed the ‘watch of European Royalty’.
5. Hublot spent three years developing the rubber strap for its watch
Now you know that Hublot created the world’s first rubber strap watch. But did you also know that it took Hublot 3 years to develop the rubber strap?
Through experiments, trial and error, development, and tests, Hublot finally had a finished product after three years. This just goes to show the level of attention to detail and effort that goes into developing watches.
6. Hublot was the first brand to combine rubber with gold
Hublot’s art of fusion has led to many new and exciting creations. One such is the combination of rubber and gold. Hublot created the world’s first watch to combine rubber and gold. At the time, it was considered bold, but that is exactly what Hublot is. But today, you can find many watches that use this combination.
7. Hublot has been the official timekeeper of the FIFA world cup four times
Hublot remains a close partner to FIFA and sponsors the world cup events. Hublot is the official timekeeper of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and is timing every match to the final on December 18th, 2022. The Qatar world cup is the fourth time that Hublot performs the role.
8. Hublot has had a relationship with football since 2006
Hublot uses the motto “Hublot loves football” when it talks about its relationship with football. The company has been involved in the sport since 2006. It also makes Hublot the first luxury brand to invest in the sport. Over the years, Hublot has made many different football-related Hublot watches, including a PSG – Paris Saint-Germain limited edition, a Chelsea FC timepiece, and an FC Bayern Munich watch, amongst many others.
9. Bernie Ecclestone was robbed for his Hublot and Hublot created an advertising campaign about it
Bernie Ecclestone, one of the most prominent individuals of Formula one and the former boss of formula 1 was attacked and robbed of his Hublot watch by several men in 2010.
Mr. Ecclestone took a photo of the injuries he obtained and approached Hublot to use his photo in an advertising campaign. Hublot agreed and use the quote “See what people will do for a Hublot”.
10. Hublot has a close relationship with many different sports
We have already discussed that Hublot has a close relationship with football and cricket but the company is also involved in several other sports. Hublot made a limited edition watch for 16-time NBA Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, and also has partnerships with skiers, poker players, and more.
11. Usain Bolt, the fastest man on earth is a Hublot ambassador
Usain Bolt is known as the fastest man in the world and has won Olympic gold as well as countless other medals. He is also a Hublot ambassador and has his own limited edition Hublot watch.
12. Hublot has been a sponsor of the World Poker Tour
Hublot is active in many different sports and Poker is also one of them. Hublot developed the Big Bang Unico World Poker Tour, a limited edition watch of 200 pieces to celebrate the partnership.
13. When Kobe Bryant died in 2020, his limited edition shot through the roof in price
Kobe Bryant had made a limited edition watch together with Hublot, the Hublot Big Bang Black Mamba Kobe Bryant King Power 48mm.
After the tragic death of the legendary basketball player Kobe Bryant in 2020, the price for this watch shot through the roof and tripled, or quadrupled in price overnight. This just shows the legendary status this iconic player had and continues to have – and the impact he made in the world.
14. Hublot launched its second factory on the 10-year anniversary of the Big Bang
The Big Bang is the single most iconic and important model from Hublot. It is appreciated and known all around the world and has played a central role in the success of the brand. So in conjunction with the 10-year anniversary of the Big Bang, Hublot opened its second factory in Gland, Switzerland.
15. Hublot Has more than 90 Boutiques Worldwide
With more than over 90 boutiques around the world, Hublot is truly a global brand, loved and appreciated all around the world. Hublot’s boutiques can be found in some of the most special and prominent areas in the world, including Mykonos, in London, and on 5th avenue.
16. Hublot puts innovation at the forefront
Hublot puts innovation at the forefront of everything it does, from developing new designs to experimenting with new materials. Hublot is a bold company that dares to do things differently than the status quo. Whilst many other luxury brands tend to be more careful and classic, Hublot is the opposite. They date to try new things and to create the most striking and intriguing creations.
17. Hublot created an industry-revolutionary way of detecting fakes watches
Counterfeiting is a huge issue for the luxury watch industry. In fact, more counterfeit watches than luxury watches are made every year.
To combat this, Hublot created a new, revolutionary way to prevent and detect counterfeit watches. To enable this, they created a smart card that allows people to authenticate their Hublot watch. This system was presented at BaselWorld in 2009.
