For many years, watches have represented a status symbol used to indicate one’s wealth and class. Back at the time of its invention, a watch was worth a small fortune and stood as a number one item on everyone’s wish list.
Nowadays, acquiring a watch is a lot easier than before, but the difference in quality, complexity, and design sets apart first-class products from the average ones. Although they all serve the same purpose of providing the accurate time, timepieces are the ones you need around your wrist if you want to leave a good impression.
One brand that can help you with that is Hublot, a high-end luxury watch manufacturer that successfully hovers side by side with the world’s most renowned names in the industry. Read on to hear more about this classy accessory’s history.
How It All Started
The history of Hublot dates back to the 1980s when an Italian Carlo Crocco founded MDM Geneva and launched his masterpiece product to the stars. Crocco was born into a family of watchmakers from which he acquired the love for the craft. He started developing his style in 1967 when he designed his first watch.
Yet, it wasn’t until a gold watch with the first natural black rubber bracelet was created that the company became so famous. This particular watch was the first such item in watchmaking history. It quickly got accepted among the aristocracy and became world-known in no time.
What was so spectacular about this watch was that it didn’t comply with fashion rules back then. Instead, the Hublot watch was intended to represent simplicity, form, and function, combining a sports watch with a dash of elegance. But how could that be accomplished?
The ‘Art of Fusion’
It took Crocco three years and around $1 million to come up with the unique natural rubber bracelet that was both lightweight and durable. This created a boom among watchmakers since the bracelets of luxury watches at the time only featured leather, precious metals, and other exotic materials.
Once the simple black dial was surrounded with a golden frame and placed on the rubber bracelet, an elegant sporty watch was born, ready to be used on any occasion. However, although quite innovative, Hublot was not so commercially successful until Jean-Clade Biver became the CEO of the company and started emphasizing the ‘Art of Fusion’ principle.
Long Waited Success Crowned With Ferrari Partnership
After the new CEO aggressively promoted Hublot, the light at the end of the tunnel appeared. The watch became highly appreciated by many famous athletes and celebrities, including Diego Maradona, Usain Bolt, Jay-Z, Elton John, and Giorgio Armani, to mention but a few.
Finally, Hublot became recognized worldwide when it became the official timekeeper of Ferrari. Later on, this partnership deal resulted in Hublot designing Ferrari-inspired watches that were most popular among the rich and famous.
The collaboration with Ferrari cleared Hublot’s path towards many other great partnerships with football clubs like Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus. Hublot was also chosen to be the official watch of FIFA, which all the referees accepted with a broad smile.
