Hublot
Hublot is a young watch label that has defined many conventions in the business, and this new way of thinking has made the company very successful. Hublot was created by Italian Carlo Crocco, who had designed his first wristwatch by 1967. In 1980, he founded the company MDM Geneva.
Crocco wanted to create watches pure in design, both elegant and sporty. The design of his watches was inspired by the round portholes on ships, "hublot" in french. And so the label Hublot was created.
According to Crocco, a sporty watch could not have a leather bracelet, cause it would be too fragile. After three years of research, the revolutionary rubber bracelet was ready for production. The bracelet was first of its kind, and was reinforced with invisible steel inserts that strenghtened the bracelet. Today, the rubber bracelets are very popular and used by several different labels.
In the same year, Claude Biver took took on the post of CEO of the company. Before taking over the position, he had led the famous watch companies Blancpain and Swatch Group. Since Claude Biver became the CEO, Hublot has been concentrating in to the developement of the American markets.
Today, Hublot is one of the few watch manufacturers in the world still owned by the founding family.
Hublots latest serie, Big Bang, was launched in 2005. The watch immediately won several prestigious awards, like Wristwatch of the Year 2005 award, Best Design 2005 in Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix, Best Oversized Watch in Watch of the Year Award of the Middle East in Bahrain, and Best Sports Professional in Watch of the Year 2005 in Japan.
Hublot has long been in partnership with the sailing and the nautical world. The label is the official sponsor for Yacht Club de Monaco, and is also co-operating with Prada Luna Rossa in the America Cup.
