Round-Up5 Things you probably didn’t know about Hublot
A brand that created a niche for themselves in the Horological world;how did they do that? Read more to find out!
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HUBLOT – (pronounced as ‘ooh-blow’, not ‘hoo-blot’) was built on neither rich heritage, nor tradition, but on the brute force of innovation and savvy marketing. Call it the young upstart in the watchmaking world that has raised the bar of innovation and clubbed it with smart marketing; today it’s right up there with the top brands, and we’re more than happy to have them with us at our Delhi Duty Free store at IGI Airport. But was anything but easy for the brand to be where they are today.
Having entered an industry that had already indulged itself in a ‘tradition’ of hundreds of years of watchmaking, for Hublot, the journey began fairly late in 1980. But despite all that, they were never afraid to be different than the rest. With the use of varied materials (including the first ever rubber strap watch of the world) the industry had never seen before, they created a niche for themselves. Their formula for success? Bringing together cutting-edge innovations and age-old traditions of watchmaking to create something bold and distinct that would easily appeal to those looking for a timepiece with substance.
What makes the brand different? Well here are some of the facts you probably didn’t know about them:
Home of the most unusual materials for watches
“Art of fusion” as they call it, Hublot is considered to be home to some of the most unusual materials and combinations ever used in the watchmaking world.
To name a few? Magic Gold (Gold alloy infused with ceramic) – the world’s first and only scratchproof 18-k gold alloy, Gold Carbon & Titanium Carbon (Metal infused with Carbon Fiber), Texalium (Carbon Fiber & Aluminum that can be treated to produce different colours) and Osmium – one of the rarest metal elements known to man. Phew!
They made the first ever rubber strap watch
Hublot’s obsession for unusual materials started in 1980 itself, after 3 years of extensive research, which paved the way for the world’s first rubber strap watch. Despite not selling a single watch at its debut in the 1980 Basel Watch Fair, the watch went on to be a commercial success with sales in excess of $2m in its first year! The watch was even declared the ‘watch of European Royalty’ in its debut year.
Rubber straps today are synonymous with almost any sport or diver’s watch, but now you probably know where they came from.
Bernie Ecclestone got mugged, and they made a campaign out of it! (Seriously)
The Formula One boss, Bernie Ecclestone (worth an estimated £2 billion) was attacked and mugged by few men in 2010.
His limited edition Hublot also went with the robbers but instead of adding salt to his wounds (literally), Mr Ecclestone found humour in the incident and took a selfie of his battered face. He then contacted Hublot, and suggested his selfie be used as part of an adverting campaign called “See what people will do for a Hublot.” (For the record, The Watch Guide condemns all forms of violence).
Insensitive or great marketing? You decide!
Timing the fastest man on earth
For a watch brand, it’s perfectly natural to be associated with the fastest man on the planet.
Hublot announced their partnership with Usain Bolt and even honoured an entire collection in his name for his record-breaking feat called “The King Power Usain Bolt”. Mr 9.58 also times his laps with a Hublot.
Hublot loves Cricket
Known to partner with some of the biggest names in the world of sport, Hublot is also the first ever Swiss luxury brand to have invested in Cricket, the second most popular sport in the world (after football).
They announced their partnership at the 2015 Cricket World Cup and even developed a Classic Cricket themed Chronograph to commemorate the same.
View All Hublot Watches at Ethos
Hublot is now available at our Delhi Duty-Free store (IGI Terminal 3).
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