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Determined to disrupt, Hublot want to make it crystal clear to any doubters that they are a force to be reckoned with.
With only 45-years of high-end watchmaking experience, the Swiss brand is relatively young compared to many of its rivals but it’s by no means overawed.
It counts some of the world’s most popular sports stars among its roster of ambassadors and their, albeit, paid goodwill goes a long way to help the young brand punch well above its weight.
Jamaica’s eight-time Olympic medalist, Usain Bolt, is one of Hublot’s main attractions when doors open at the annual celebration of elite luxury goods.
The rush to meet him risked turning into a mini-stampede. Fortunately, this reporter runs a bit quicker than most, and managed to catch the former sprinter.
“I’ve been in Hublot pretty much most of my career, so for me I’m happy to be ambassador for them. I’ve retired for years and I’m still working with them,” explains Bolt. “We’re still doing a lot of different things… It’s always a pleasure to be associated with great luxury brands.”
“Time is everything… my whole life has always been focused on time and what it’s all about. The speed and how it affects my life so it’s just everything to me.”
“Ok, what’s your favourite watch?,” I ask
“Oh my God, it’s actually my first Big Bang because it was actually made out of the spikes that I ran my second world record out of. I really like the touch that they did for me,” says Bolt.
Innovation and creativity
Without having centuries of watchmaking under its belt, Hublot relies on innovation and creativity rather than heritage. Its focus, according to its CEO Julien Tornare, is firmly on the future.
“We have young clients but we also have more mature clientele that have been buying the typical watch brands that we all know, but they want something new. They want to experience new materials, says Tornare.
“They want a new way of expressing watchmaking and Hublot offers that to a wide range of clients going from teenagers all the way to people in their 70s, 80s. We are very present in contemporary art. We are present in music. We’ve done so many things. We basically like to collaborate with emotion drivers. And what better emotion drivers than sport, music or art?”
As enormous images of French football’s star striker Kylian Mbappé played out on giant screens around the exhibition, another soccer legend very discretely inspected the watches on display. So much for quiet luxury he perhaps thought before being tackled by yours truly.
Luís Figo, needs no introduction, to any fan of the beautiful game. The former Portugal international has long had an association with luxury watches and played toyed with my idea that Hublot might one day like to make him a signature model.
“I think it’s two worlds that mix each other very well because in football you always have to be on time, if not you lose your goals. And to have the chance to be with a luxury brand like Hublot is always a privilege,” Figo stressed.
“When you love watches it’s more easy to understand and to be happy to be an ambassador like a brand like Hublot. I’ve been collaborating for already 6-7 years so I’m very pleased and honoured.”
Video editor • Joseph Allen