Cover Story
From mind-boggling complications to case materials that are literal space-age technology, Hublot is at the front of the pack when it comes to innovation. GMT GCC finds out how the Maison’s ‘art of fusion’ sends its timepieces stratospheric.
Hublot recently grabbed the watch industry headlines with a new and novel launch – that of the Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origins. As well as forming an alliance between two of Switzerland’s hottest players – both young brands, Hublot and Nespresso have achieved worldwide recognition since being founded in the 1980s – the timepiece also connected materials never previously considered in horology. And they are?
“This is a watch that delivers three world firsts,” said Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe on the timepiece’s launch. “And is a symbol of the infinite possibilities for upcycling. A Big Bang made from the recycled aluminium of Nespresso coffee capsules; the first watch with a rubber strap containing four per cent recycled coffee grounds from Nespresso capsules and over eight per cent recycled rubber. And, finally, it’s the first watch with a Velcro strap made with SCafé, a fabric containing five per cent recycled coffee grounds and 95 per cent recycled polyester. It took the R&D teams a whole year to achieve the uniformity of colour of the watch’s seven different materials, and to find the right balance of ingredients and perform the quality and durability testing on all the product components.”
For any other brand this may be a coup, a once-in-a-Maison’s-lifetime achievement of foresight and technology. But for Hublot, innovation that others can only dream of is all in a day’s work – indeed, it’s part of the House’s very raison d’être. Passionate about making the future of watchmaking reality in the here and now, Hublot’s manufacture is fully equipped for the brand to constantly strive and push further in terms of the combinations and the materials they create.
‘Art of fusion’ is Hublot’s well-known tagline, encompassing the brand’s multifaceted relationships with technology, artistry, materials and inspirations. But nowhere is it more apt than in the Maison’s in-house Metallurgy and Materials lab, as well as its own foundry – a literal crucible bringing dream materials to life. Indeed, the brand itself says that the ‘art of fusion’ has three pillars – materials, movements and design. And it’s clear to see that materials comes first and foremost.
The Hublot story began with gold back in 1980 – it was founder Carlo Crocco’s daring decision to combine the precious metal with a rubber strap that put the brand on the map in the first place – but it was the 2011 development of Hublot’s Magic Gold that solidified its position as an innovator. An 18 carat scratch-proof alloy of gold and porous ceramic, this hardy material never dulls or shows damage, fusing the strength of ceramic with the sumptuous feel and appearance of gold. It was a winning combination – and it wouldn’t be the brand’s last.
Other metallic combinations have emerged from the manufacture – including a magnesium and aluminium alloy that the brand calls Hublonium – but it’s not just about metal. In fact, ceramic has become something of a signature for Hublot, with a pillar box red shade the perfect example of the brand’s material mastery. Iron oxide gives the ceramic its hue, while intense and precise levels of heat and pressure are applied to ensure a uniform finish on this temperamental material. In reality, in order to achieve high-colour finishes, pigment is pushed into the porous ceramic under high heat and pressure – a technique that was discovered by accident after machinery in the Hublot manufacture was accidentally left on overnight. But once shaped and finished, ceramic gives one of the most hard-wearing, uniform and lustrous finishes possible. And Hublot’s expertise means that as well as red, it also comes in vivid blue, green and yellow, as in the waspish Spirit of Big Bang Yellow Magic, and black as used in the Big Bang Integrated Time Only Black Magic, its inky satin-finished case and bracelet a sight to behold.
Perhaps the most interesting material – or should we say, materials – to come from Hublot of late are various forms of synthetic sapphire. Tinted to what are frankly mouthwatering candy-coloured translucent shades, as well as perfectly icy clear as in the case of the Square Bang Unico Sapphire, you could almost imagine that these timepieces would melt in the mouth.
But the knack for creating this pristine, ultra-hard case material has given Hublot the freedom to produce some truly groundbreaking forms – not least of all the unforgettable Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon Purple Sapphire, and the totally eye-popping Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Neon Yellow Saxem. This particular timepiece uses a material that’s really verging on rocket science – SAXEM, the brand’s useful acronym for ‘Sapphire Aluminium oXide and Rare Earth Mineral’, is most often used in satellites and lasers. But the Hublot lab has put it to extremely powerful effect as a sunshine-bright, fully translucent cocoon for the proprietary Automatic Tourbillon movement within, the ideal way to catch sight of this impressive calibre from each and every neon angle. Launched just last February at LVMH Watch Week, this was a first for Hublot and watchmaking in general – and the brand has picked up many such firsts along its journey.
From carbon fibre and platinum to titanium and stainless steel – and even diamonds, like in the Spirit of Big Bang One Click Stainless Steel Diamonds – Hublot isn’t afraid to give any material a try. If its properties coincide with what a particular timepiece is trying to achieve then it’ll be given a shot. Which brings us back to rubber. The effect that the decision to pair this humble material with 18 carat gold had right at the brand’s outset can’t be underestimated, and the reasoning behind it remains the same as it is today: it was the best material for the job. Rubber remains a mainstay of Hublot’s timepieces, from the ribbed matt black strap of the MP-13 Tourbillon Bi-Axis Retrograde with its gravity-defying complications, to the translucent and perfectly clear versions made to match each new sapphire creation. The avant garde spirit of Hublot is never stronger than when mixing things up to get results never dreamed of before. And really, isn’t that what the art of fusion is all about?
