A Brief Tour of Hublot’s Modern History in Five Watches

Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari Watch Sketch. Photo: Haute Time

One of the newest and most respected Swiss companies, Hublot, started in the 1980s. Carlo Crocco, an Italian familiar with the history of watchmaking, invented it. Before starting Hublot, Crocco served for his uncle’s well-known Italian timepiece company, Binda. He might have continued working for his uncle’s business, but he had other plans, so he decided to launch his own.

Carlo left his family as a result of his excursion to Hublot brands. He rose to the top and succeeded quickly because of his intense enthusiasm and determination to create revolutionary watches. The company started by creating distinctively appealing artworks.

Hublot, which in French means “porthole,” was the title of Crocco’s initial timepiece, and it received high praise from watch connoisseurs everywhere. This watch has a rubber bracelet and a gold case. Because the rubber band was unusual in the period, this unusual pairing was undoubtedly remarkable.

Later, in 1980, Hublot pieces were prepared for introduction at a Baselworld event. Despite Hublot’s initial lack of popularity in the manufacturing industry, their campaign thankfully caught the eye of several European aristocrats.

The design of Hublot timepieces features a sporting yet sophisticated appearance and a casual yet fashionable fit. It boasts a porthole casing, a dial, and a rubber band ideal for 1980s A-list celebrities.

Additionally, Hublot made a significant step toward prosperity in 2004. An advertising prodigy named Jean-Claude Biver became the CEO of Hublot. He was delighted by the Hublot timepieces’ craftsmanship even when the firm was only getting started. He emphasizes Hublot’s “Art of Fusion” philosophy in the future. Thus, the alliance between Crocco and Biver contributed to Hublot’s triumph in the sector.

Hubot continued to expand flawlessly after this. The first manufacturer of high-end timepieces to fearlessly join the sporting world is Hublot. At the moment, Hublot timepieces are the recognized sports pieces donned at numerous sporting events and football tournaments. Furthermore, Hublot operates more than 50 boutiques worldwide, making them a part of the exclusive watch industry.

Below is a brief tour of the Hublot modern history wristwatches:

1. Hublot Big Bang

The Hublot Big Bang timepiece, which debuted in 2005, is unquestionably durable. The design of this wristwatch, nevertheless, is purely elegant.

The Hublot Big Bang comes in a 44mm casing, featuring a ceramic bezel, which incorporates an ETA caliber 4100 movement and a legible braided carbon fiber dial. Although the clock has experienced numerous hue and material improvements throughout the years, the initial concept continues to be a favorite among watch enthusiasts.

Cristiano Ronaldo, then playing for Real Madrid, just had won Ballon d’Or and was congratulated by football legend Luis Figo. Cristiano was wearing a 44mm Hublot Big Bang, cased in 18k rose gold featuring a black dial and a diamond set bezel. Photo: Getty Images

2. Big Bang Unico

The Big Bang Unico, which was unveiled in 2013, combined the distinctive design of the Hublot emblem with the Unico Chrono, the company’s initial movement. This thrilling Big Bang series struck hard and displayed the label’s goals for manufacturing advancement by utilizing the innovative Hublot unique mechanism.

The revolutionary Big Bang design changed to make room for this brand-new Chrono movement. The Unico demonstrated a new identification in contrast to its performance, which had a flyback feature to halt and restore the chronograph to 0 and a 3-day battery reserve. The open dial featuring round digits, contained in an elegant casing with circular pushers as well as a crown over-molded with rubber, served to emphasize this brand-new structure.

The bracelet debuted in structural and textured rubber and was equipped with the “One Click” simple interchangeability mechanism. Five years afterward, the Big Bang underwent a revamp, making it more gender-neutral and adjustable to all wrist lengths. A completely recalibrated edition of the Unico movement, in which four trademarks covered technological advancements, was fitted into its updated unisex casing, which was lowered in diameter from 45mm to 42mm.

Mario Mandzukic, is wearing a 45mm Hublot Big Bang Unico Sapphire Chronograph, with a transparent composite resin skeleton dial limited to 500 pieces world wide. Photo: Mario Mandzukic

3. Hublot Classic Fusion

The famous Big Bang form is slimmed down for the Hublot Classic Fusion. As a result, the piece has a more streamlined design as well as a dial with less detail. The porthole housing and the visibly large hour markings and indexes that give the Big Bang its distinctive look are still present. The initial version was available in two casing sizes, 42mm and 45mm.

Today, the line has grown to include alternatives in the 38mm and 33mm sizes. Similar to the Big Bang, this Classic Fusion is offered in a variety of alloys, including gold, carbon, titanium, and ceramic. Additionally, the Classic Fusion series has produced a variety of limited edition iterations created in partnership with brands including Ferrari as well as the artist Carlos Cruz-Diez.

The 16th king of Malaysia; 60 year old Sultan of Pahang Abdullah Billah Shah, is wearing a 42mm Hublot Classic Fusion with an 18k rose gold bezel and a black dial with rose gold skeleton hands. Photo: Getty Images

4. Hublot King Power

Although the Hublot King Power’s 48mm casing’s sheer immensity splits views, its rubber band and featherweight materials make it comfy to wear on the wrist. The King Power boasts a classy, nearly military appearance with its sharp angles and straight lines. However, as one might anticipate from Hublot, the style exhibits a precise level of detail, from the movement’s transparency to the dial’s deep levels. A Unico movement created by Hublot is featured in the King Power.

This timepiece has been seen on athletes and entrepreneurs like Usain Bolt, Diego Maradona and Birdman.

The 53 year old American rapper, record executive, and co-founder of Cash Money Records; Bryan “Birdman” Williams, is wearing a 48mm Hublot King Power Split Second Gold Pave Pavé with a sapphire dial. His partner is musician Toni Braxton. Photo: Getty Images

5. Big Bang Meca-10

The Big Bang Meca-10 has a skeleton caliber movement featuring a 10-day power reserve that was contemporary and distinctive. It was influenced by Meccano kits. A rack mechanism comprising two barrels parallel toward the power reserve indication on the dial end and two racks gliding on a horizontal plane. It is exposed by the unusual and creative structure of the watch, which was constructed like a construction set.

Another example of the label’s technological and stylistic chutzpah was this variant, which featured a mechanical manual-winding movement. In addition to creating a new benchmark for the development of the watch industry, it also saw phenomenal commercial achievement in the manual-winding timepiece market.

Hublot Big Bang MECA-10 ‘Ceramic Blue’ with a titanium case, measuring 45 mm in width and featuring a skeletonized matte blue dial, on a blue rubber strap. Photo: Getty Images

Final Word

Hublot timepieces may not immediately turn heads, but they did receive the praise and admiration they merit. In addition, the Hublot brand won the hearts of well-known royals. And indeed, it distinguishes itself from the competition in terms of functionality and aesthetics. This is evidenced by the rubber strap, which is a special material.

Spotted in January last year by Superwatchman, The king of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf, wearing a vintage two-tone 32mm Hublot MDM Geneve in stainless steel and 18k yellow gold, featuring a black dial with a quartz movement. Photo: Kungahuset

Hublot brilliantly fuses tradition and technology with its craftsmanship, living up to its “Art of Fusion” idea. Besides, their timepieces are the epitome of elegance and refinement.