Watchepedia offers an informal look at the entire spectrum of fine timepieces and watches.

Contact urich:

urich@watchepedia.com

917.512.1802

WEPCO

P.O. Box 307

Bacliff, TX 77518

WOW No. 28, Rebellion

WOW No. 29, Wyler Geneva

WOW No. 30, Reactor

Hublot

The Hublot brand was created in 1980 by Carlo Crocco.

Hublot became well known because of its style and its natural rubber strap. It was not one of the biggest sellers in the US but  popular in Europe.

Hublot was always well thought of and some of the original models were and are very popular even today, almost 30 years later.

Hublot needed a new dance partner, someone who could make it sing and dance.

In  May of 2004 a new CEO was elected to take over the helm of Hublot. His name is Jean-Claude Biver.

April of 2008 marks the announcement that LVMH has purchased Hublot.

What does that mean for LVMH? What does that mean for Hublot? What does that mean for Tag Heuer and for Zenith, all the other LVMH brands and other smaller companies with BIG BANG dreams.

This new ownership of Hublot means many things to all the questions above.

First it will not affect the other brands except to put a new standard of performance, a higher bar to reach for them. I’m sure that Tag Heuer would like to be able to do what Hublot has done in 4 years.

In 4 years Mr. Biver redesigned the watch Hublot and made it the ipod of the Watch Industry. He created a new look, a new style and a new noise. He made a Bang, a very big bang.

In 4 years what was the wallflower Hublot, became a standard, an icon and it has become the worst thing in the world for all of those other companies who think that their watch company can produce watches and sell watches with the styles they have without trying something NEW and without promoting and advertising and doing some super PR and getting the name OUT THERE.

When Mr. Biver told me about the Big BANG, I told him that it was more of a description of him rather than a watch (He can be very loud and demonstrative.) but as time went by Mr. Biver did the impossible. He created a new fine luxury watch brand that leapfrogged ahead of all the rest. I don't know of anyone even mildly interested in watches who does not know the name and what the watch looks like.

It takes big words backed up by product and then have those words promoted, advertised and  those products put on the wrists of those who will continue to promote the watch and the claims of the designer, the company and the consumer.

Hublot today is the watch to compete with.

The French word "hublot" means: Porthole in english.

I always had the idea of a round window on a cruise ship but now I can see that it’s a window looking into the future and the future belongs to Hublot and for those who can learn a lesson from the marketer who claimed he could make a big BANG.

Congratulations to all at Hublot and to LVMH.

NOTE;

The watch on this weeks WOW is really, now, an icon. It’s simple, easy to look at and it makes me want one.

Thanks for watching

URICH