 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Watchmaking |
| Founded | 1980; 45 years ago (1980) |
| Founder | Carlo Crocco |
| Headquarters | Nyon, Switzerland |
Key people | Ricardo Guadalupe (CEO) |
| Products | Wristwatches |
| Revenue |  CHF 670 million (2023) |
Number of employees | 800 (2024) |
| Parent | LVMH |
| Website | www.hublot.com |
Hublot (French pronunciation:[yblo]) is aSwissluxurywatchmaker founded in 1980 byItalian Carlo Crocco.[1] The company operates as awholly owned subsidiary of the French luxury conglomerateLVMH.
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Ascion of the ItalianBinda Group dynasty, best known for making Breil watches, Carlo Crocco left the company in 1976, to start a watch company. Moving to Switzerland he formed MDM Geneve and set about designing a watch that he named the Hublot after theFrench word for "porthole". The watch that he created featured the firstnatural rubber strap in the history of watchmaking.[2] It took three years of research to create the strap. Despite failing to attract a single potential customer on the first day of its debut at the 1980,Basel Watch Fair, the watch quickly proved to be a commercial success with sales in excess of $US2 million in its first year.[2]
Crocco, preoccupied by his own design work and many activities for the Hand-in-Hand Foundation, a charity helping deprived children all around the world, set out to look for someone to who oversee Hublot. In late 2003,Jean-Claude Biver, then president ofSwatch Group'sOmega division,[3] met Crocco, and in May 2004, Biver assumed duties as CEO, becoming a board member and minority shareholder in Hublot Watches.
Upon his arrival, Biver set about creating a new flagship collection that was unveiled in Basel in April 2005, with the Hublot "Big Bang" chronograph. It was an immediate success and orders increased threefold in one year. A few months later, in November 2005, the Big Bang chronograph was awarded internationally, receiving the "2005 Design Prize" in the "Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix", the "Sports Watch Prize" at the "Watch of the Year" ceremony in Japan, and the Middle Eastern Prize for the "Best Oversized Watch" at the Editor’s Choice "Watch of the Year" in Bahrain. Following the arrival of Biver in 2004, the brand's sales were 24 million Swiss francs and by the end of 2006, sales were close to 100 million Swiss franc.[citation needed]
As of 2019[update], Hublot had 169 Boutiques[4] in several countries. In February 2007, Hublot opened its first mono-brand store inParis, in the Rue Saint-Honoré. The second was opened in the summer of that year, in the Hôtel Byblos,Saint-Tropez. Today, Hublot has store onBond Street,London.United States locations includeBal Harbour,Beverly Hills,Boca Raton,Dallas,Houston, two inLas Vegas,New York,Palm Beach andScottsdale.[citation needed]
In April 2008, luxury goods groupLVMH announced it had acquired Hublot from Crocco for an undisclosed fee, adding to its existing portfolio of watch brands includingTAG Heuer.[1]
AtBaselWorld 2009, Hublot unveiled a new method of detectingcounterfeit watches. Using asmart card, the system authenticates watches on Hublot's servers. The system went live in August 2009.[5]
To increase the public profile of their brand Hublot have engaged in a number of sponsorship deals. In 2008, they agreed a sponsorship deal with the football clubManchester United, worth£4 million a year.[9] Later, Hublot started endorsing some top football clubs likeFC Bayern Munich,Juventus,Paris Saint-Germain,Ajax Amsterdam.
In 2019, Hublot became the first watch brand to work with ICC when the brand was announced as official time keeper for cricket's flagship event, 2019 ICC cricket world cup co-hosted by England and Wales.[10]
In 2015, the company signed an agreement withSan Lorenzo de Almagro of Argentina.
They provided special versions of their Big Bang watches to referees officiating atUEFA Euro 2008.[1] In March 2010, Hublot was appointed the Official Watchmaker ofFormula 1.[11] Hublot have released a number of Formula One themed watches, including celebrating the return of the US Grand Prix to Austin, Texas, US in November 2012, with theHublot F1 King Power AustinArchived 25 March 2013 at theWayback Machine.[12]
In April 2010, Hublot became the official time keeper of the2010 FIFA World Cup and the2014 FIFA World Cup.[13] They have also been involved in a tie-up with theFinancial Times, sponsoring the newspaper'siPad app.[14]
Hublot andFerrari announced during the 2011, Ferrari World Finals at Mugello a long-term strategic partnership which will officially start on 1 January 2012, making Hublot Ferrari's "Official Watch" and "Official Timekeeper".[15] The partnership has so far been built on two watches: the Hublot Big Bang Ferrari Magic Gold and Big Bang Ferrari Titanium.[16]
The company also the sponsors of theNational Basketball Association'sLos Angeles Lakers andMiami Heat.
They were also the sponsors of theFIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 in Oslo.
Hublot continued its sponsorship and partnership activities in 2012 with becoming the Official Watch of the UEFA EURO 2012 tournament and Official Timekeeper of the tournament.[17]
In April 2012, Hublot Partnered the Swiss Confederation at the World Expo 2012 inSouth Korea, a 3-month world event, where countries have the opportunity to promote themselves to the world.[18] and displayed its new Divers Watch theHublot Oceanographic 4000 King Gold White, which has been tested to a water resistance of 5,000 m and is certified water resistant to 4,000 m.[19]
Hublot also partnered with theArchaeological Museum of Athens in presenting Hublot's "Tribute to theAntikythera Mechanism" movement. The Hublot movement officially joined the National Museum's collection on 5 April 2012, and will now be on display alongside the remains of the original mechanism.[20]
In January 2013, Scuderia Ferrari had Hublot as its official sponsor for 2013, 2014 and 2015 F1 Season.
In November 2015, Hublot was the official timekeeper and a major sponsor of the inauguralWBSC Premier12 international baseball tournament held in Taiwan and Japan, promoting their partnership with the motto, "Hublot Loves Baseball."[21]
In August 2015, Hublot was announced as the new official timekeeper of theUEFA Champions League, starting from the2015–16 season.
In February 2019, the company signed an agreement withClub Olimpia from Paraguay.
In September 2020, Hublot was announced as the new official timekeeper of thePremier League, starting from the2020–21 season.
From 2021, Hublot is no longer listed as a sponsor for Scuderia Ferrari, being replaced byRichard Mille.[22]
In 2024, Hublot again became the Official Watch for theUEFA Euro 2024 tournament and being appointed as the Official Timekeeper for the event.
At the opening ceremony for its first store in Beijing, Biver introducedJet Li as Hublot's next brand ambassador. Li is the brand's first Asian ambassador as well as the first film star to work as a Hublot ambassador. Other brand ambassadors have included Formula 1 driverAyrton Senna's family and Institute; world's fastest manUsain Bolt;[23] designerSamuel Ross;[24]France andPSG playerKylian Mbappé; football playerPelé; American boxerFloyd Mayweather, Indian cricketerRohit Sharma and formerly, theManchester United football team, golfersDustin Johnson,Justin Rose andPatrick Reed.[25]
Hublot has also developed a network of Friend of the Brand in the fields football, gastronomy, arts and sports. These include2018 Ballon d'Or winnerAda Hegerberg, football coachesJosé Mourinho,Gareth Southgate, andDidier Deschamps, tennis playersSimona Halep andElina Svitolina, chefsYannick Alléno andPaul Pairet. Former footballerDiego Maradona was a Hublot Friend of the Brand until his death in 2020.
Formula One Management President and CEO,Bernie Ecclestone, was attacked by four men and had his Hublot watch stolen. He later worked with Hublot to use his bruised face in an ad campaign with the tag line, "See what people will do for a Hublot."[26]
In August 2021,Serbian professionaltennis playerNovak Djokovic became a Hublot brand ambassador.[27][28]
On January 7, 2022, Hublot announced Chinese Pop StarLay Zhang as the new Hublot Brand Ambassador.[29]
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