Opinion Revision: I Really Like Hublot Watches — There, I Said It

Hublot is easily one of the most controversial watch brands among enthusiasts. The brand seems to thrive but not necessarily in connoisseur’s circles. It catches a ton of flack, in some cases deservedly. I have to admit I hardly paid the brand any attention for the longest time. But I find myself coming around. There are a few Hublot watches that tickle my fancy, and I think it is about time I admit it.

Now, this article isn’t really about me. I will take my taste as a starting point, but I aim to look at why Hublot catches so much flack and, more specifically, how much of it still holds up in 2024. Let’s dive in!

So, what is triggering the controversy among enthusiasts in the first place?

Hublot is a relatively young brand founded in the late ’70s by the Italian Carlo Crocco. Now, enthusiasts tend to be extra critical of young brands, but that isn’t the main issue with Hublot. The first controversy emerged in the name and design of its first watch. Hublot is French for “porthole,” and the first Hublot watch featured a porthole-inspired bezel. With the Royal Oak just a couple of years older, that wasn’t considered very original.

Then, the brand made its life tougher by offering features that some would consider low-grade in rather expensive watches. Rubber straps, for instance, were completely new in the luxury realm when Hublot introduced them on gold watches. Today, this is widely accepted, but it wasn’t in 1980. Today, similarly, the brand still catches flack for using Sellita-based calibers in costly watches. Could Hublot apply its in-house capabilities to all calibers? Perhaps. Could the brand price its Sellita-based watches more competitively? Probably. But Hublot doesn’t, and that makes it vulnerable to scrutiny.

As the brand developed under Jean-Claude Biver, the designs became very extravagant. According to some, they were still too derivative. The Big Bang, in their opinion, was too much of a Royal Oak Offshore homage. In any case, many collectors considered Hublot watches for the nouveau riche, more fashionable status symbols than true horology.

Was Hublot too explicit about sensitive topics?

I think some of the trouble we tend to have with Hublot comes down to the fact that the watches make explicit what we don’t want to admit. For instance, the brand made an almost infinite range of limited editions. Jean-Claude Biver went on the record during a 2009 interview in The Economist to say, “People want exclusivity, so you must always keep the customer hungry and frustrated.”

Here’s the thing: the statement is hard to argue with, and most brands operate this way. At the same time, it feels fabricated and condescending to hear someone say it out loud. As watch geeks, we are well aware that we are wooed this way. But Biver didn’t score sympathy points for Hublot by proudly boasting it as his tactic. If a watch is rare because only two craftspeople are skilled enough to build it, then that feels genuine. Admittedly, this often is not true, so you could argue Hublot was merely transparent about something that its competitors aren’t.

The same goes for pricing. Luxury big-brand watch prices have been disconnected from physical value for a long time. Hublot was quite early to this game, though. Aficionados felt Hublot watches were expensive just for the sake of it. However, the majority of brands have played catch-up recently. I feel that, in many senses, Hublot is just explicit in what most other brands also do while pretending not to. And because this exposes us enthusiasts in a way, it rubs us wrong.

Hublot has serious technical prowess

Okay, let’s move on to why I feel some of this is starting to weigh less heavily in today’s market. Hublot is a true manufacture nowadays, for instance. RJ visited the premises and came away thoroughly impressed by the expertise and technical prowess the brand has gathered under one roof.

Nowadays, Hublot makes some impressive in-house calibers with high levels of finishing and interesting architecture. The brand also doesn’t shy away from highly complicated structures in materials such as sapphire, carbon fiber, and ceramics, although, admittedly, I don’t know how exactly much of this is done in-house. The old idea that they are generic calibers fitted in overpriced, cheap exteriors simply isn’t true.

Granted, there are still Sellita-based Hublot watches in rather high price segments, but now you get a choice, at least. In this sense, there isn’t much of a difference anymore with many competing brands. I am not trying to justify everything. As much as I like the new Big Bang Integrated Time Only Titanium 38mm, its €13,600 price is — how shall I put it? — quite dear. However, I have the same experience with most other brands, so there is no reason to single out Hublot.

Having some recent Hublot creations in hand

As I often say, watches are only partly represented by facts and figures. In the end, much of what makes or breaks a watch isn’t in the specs. The design comes alive or it doesn’t when you handle a watch. And the refinement in machining and finishing often has to be experienced in real life. To me, handling a watch with my eyes closed is as valuable as scrutinizing it through a loupe.

I have handled and inspected several recent Hublot watches this way, and I came away more positively humored than expected. The Big Bang Unico Dark Green Ceramic, for instance, is a desirable object in hand. Pushing the chronograph buttons is a satisfying and confidence-inspiring sensation. The soft, warm ceramic material and sharp lines come together very attractively. It is intricate in a manner that keeps you gazing at it.

This is a theme I found myself appreciating with many other models I tried as well. I usually prefer simple, classical, basic watches. The Hublots, however, seemed to speak to a different part of my brain, triggering sensations I haven’t had from watches before. They are engaging in a loud and in-your-face kind of way. It isn’t what I’d want in my daily watch, but I could see myself cheating with one now and then…What’s happening to me?!

A face of its own

The whole derivative porthole discussion took place long before I was born, but I get the point. I don’t think it applies anymore, though. Hublot has a very strong identity of its own nowadays. There is a very specific genre and style of watch for which Hublot is the go-to brand.

A couple of details on modern Hublot watches speak to me quite a bit. For example, the case construction of the aforementioned Unico is quite cool. The top of the mid-case flows down into the strap rather neatly. And right in the middle of it, we find a big push-button to release the strap. It is both functional, as in highly ergonomic in use, and aesthetically original.

So, am I a believer now? To some extent, yes. I am not lining up to place my order just yet, but I am certainly keeping a closer eye on the brand, not least of all because it seems to connect with the new luxury market that more traditional brands seem to want to get into. In this sense, Hublot is a very interesting canary in the mines, so to speak.

What do you think of Hublot? Let us know in the comments below!