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Q&AHublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe Delves Into The Brand’s Art Of Constant Innovation

With the debut of the world’s first truly vivid red ceramic, other new materials, new movements, and the brand’s first smartwatch, Hublot’s smorgasbord of innovations this year gave CEO Ricardo Guadalupe a lot to tell us about. Here are excerpts from the conversation

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What are the biggest highlights from Hublot this year?

We have two new materials and two new movements. The first one is the red ceramic—a world first. The Big Bang in vivid red ceramic—our new Big Bang Unico Red Magic—is very strong for us. It’s difficult to manufacture ceramic in such a hue, and it’s taken four years of research and development to perfect the manufacturing process. Among movements, there’s the next version of the Unico movement. Unico is our own in-house chronograph movement—which we launched in 2010—and this year, we have a new version that allows us to put it in a smaller and thinner watch that’s just 42mm in diameter. My favourite this year, I would say is the Big Bang MP-11. There you have everything—our know-how in technique on the movement, and at the same time, a new material—carbon fibre 3D.

Hublot
“The Big Bang in vivid red ceramic—our new Big Bang Unico Red Magic—is very strong for us. It’s difficult to manufacture ceramic in such a hue, and it’s taken four years of research and development to perfect the manufacturing process.”
Hublot
“Among movements, there’s the next version of the Unico movement. Unico is our own in-house chronograph movement—which we launched in 2010—and this year, we have a new version that allows us to put it in a smaller and thinner watch that’s just 42mm in diameter.” The Unico seen on the left is in the new, smaller size.

What are the biggest trends this year according to you?

Watches have gone smaller, even though there still is a demand for big watches. But we wouldn’t go to 48mm anymore. I would say, for men, it’s between 40 and 45mm. The other trend is lightness. Today, we produce watches that are light, which is why we use materials such as carbon fibre and titanium in order to be light.

For Hublot, the trend is to create watches with a lot of spectacle with visible mechanics, such as the Big Bang MP-11, with seven barrels that are vertical. It’s about creating watches that are true pieces of art, those that are immediately recognisable as something spectacular on the wrist.

Hublot
” My favourite this year, I would say is the Big Bang MP-11. There you have everything—our know-how in technique on the movement, and at the same time, a new material—carbon fibre 3D”

Something like the Classic Fusion created in collaboration with artist Richard Orlinski?

Yes, it’s another example of a piece of art. There’s art through mechanics, but there’s also art through the work of artists. And Richard Orlinski is a sculptor with a strong identity. We decided to use his techniques, his art and imbibe it in a watch. The result is fantastic and it’s in high demand.

Now let’s talk about the Big Bang Referee—Hublot’s first smartwatch.

It was a request from FIFA to have a watch for the referees for the 2018 World Cup, and we said that if we are the official timekeepers of FIFA and if the referees want something, it has to be a Hublot. Being a part of the LVMH Group, with TAG Heuer already having developed a module for their Connected smartwatch, we decided to work with that. So we used this basic module, and we developed specific applications for the referees and the fans of football. This was a one-shot limited edition of 2,018 pieces, at a retail price of CHF 5,000. And the idea is to use this Big Bang Referee more as a marketing tool than anything else. We don’t plan to do smartwatches as a core business.

Hublot
“We used this basic module (of the TAG Heuer Connected), and we developed specific applications for the referees and the fans of football. This was a one-shot limited edition of 2,018 pieces.”

You say this is a one-off product. Will we really never see another Hublot smartwatch?

It is a one-off piece, but we could do another one-off piece for another partnership, like, let’s say, Ferrari. Never say never. But we can say that this will never be a collection, and any smartwatch we do will always be a one-off special edition.

How much of a challenge is it to innovate within Hublot’s tight product guidelines?

It’s always a challenge, of course. It’s also a risk when you create new movements or materials. In a way, for instance, the Unico Sapphire has been a risk we have taken to industrialise this material. I would say that when you have a strong product, it’s the most important thing for the brand. Any brand that has an iconic model in their line are the brands that are most successful today. For instance, there’s Patek Philippe with the Nautilus and Rolex with the Oyster Perpetual.

Hublot
“It’s also a risk when you create new movements or materials. In a way, for instance, the Unico Sapphire has been a risk we have taken to industrialise this material.”

How would you interpret the brand’s tagline, ‘The art of fusion’?

The art of fusion is about connecting tradition and innovation. It’s about trying to make watches that are not just repeating the past but also connect you to the future.

Hublot
“The art of fusion is about connecting tradition and innovation. It’s about trying to make watches that are not just repeating the past but also connect you to the future.” Exemplifying this art of fusion are these watches from the latest edition of the Classic Fusion collection.

Apart from Hublot, which brands do you admire?

Rolex, because it’s a reference brand for our industry. All the work they have done on the product and the quality is unbelievable. They keep improving every time. Also, there’s Patek Philippe, which is the Rolls-Royce of our industry with an incredible history.

What advice would you give a novice who might be interested in buying a luxury watch?

I would say you have to go by emotion. I think the emotion transmitted through the product is crucial. After that, the brand should be an influencing factor. For watchmaking, you need passion, know-how, innovation, creativity, and it’s very important to have quality as well.

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