Hublot 2020: Connected and Integral

Haute horlogerie brand Hublot recently unveiled its Novelties for 2020 virtually, with special focus on its Connected offering, the Big Bang e. “Day & Night” magazine Zoomed up with David Tedeschi, Regional Director Middle East & Africa, Latin America & Caribbean, to take a look at their latest…

Q: When Hublot first debuted a Connected watch, the Big Bang Referee 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, it was a limited edition of only 2018 – other than the watches used by the FIFA referees – and was sold out immediately, disappointing a large number of Hublotistas and football fans. Is that why your new Connected offering the Big Bang e is not a limited edition?
Yes; we are not doing a limited edition. We will have limited production, but not limited edition. This will allow us to satisfy the increased demand. We are now only limited by the number of watches we can produce. The initial idea was to launch this watch for the Euro Cup; since the Euro Cup has been postponed, we decided to go with the alternate version of the watch that we had already created.

Do you like the fact that the Big Bang e at 42mm is something that is more wearable?
That actually is the game-changer, and we were able to achieve this thanks to the evolution of technology that has made the hardware smaller. That was the biggest inconvenience of the previous edition; at 49mm, it is big even for me as I prefer to wear 42mm watches. This watch at 42mm is definitely a game-changer, not just for men but also for women. It is a unisex size and a lot of women now go in for 42mm watches in our collections.

Can you tell us the artists that Hublot has contracted with for creating faces for the Big Bang e, and which other artists you will collaborate with in the future?
I cannot tell you about contracts specifically, but all our contracts also include the world of smartwatches as well. The idea is not that just because we unveiled the Hublot Big Bang One Click Marc Ferrero today, we will also bring out tomorrow another watch with Orlinski, for instance. The idea is that we take time, and every few months, debut new faces and new dials that our customers can download directly. That is the philosophy for that watch and the artwork and animation that Marc Ferrero has done with that watch is super-cool. Even if it is not to everyone’s taste, this artist has a huge imagination and the stories that appear on the watch are funny and will add delight to your day.

You have unveiled the Big Bang e in Titanium and Ceramic; will these be the only materials for the watch?
For now, we think these two materials make commercial sense; the pricing of the Big Bang e Ceramic matches the price of the 49mm 2018 edition, while the titanium one is even lower than our previous edition. We believe that this the price range we should target, as we will be the most expensive high-end connected watch in the market. We are not competing with Apple at all, which starts from around US$350 and goes up to US$1,000, depending on the bracelet and the size. We want to be in a price range that no one else is present, and now we have already received a lot of requests from our partners who want to do limited editions, based on this watch.

Since, we are using the same case as the one for the Big Bang Chronograph collection but without the pusher, we can easily do it in ceramic, steel, gold or other material. Similarly, like Apple, we can do it in aluminium and gold-plate it, as we have the technology for that. There is no limit in terms of software or materials for the Big Bang e. I feel like a kid, imagining all the combinations that I could work with this watch.

The strap that you use for a Big Bang can also be used for the Big Bang e; was this interchangeability of straps between watches a feature right from the beginning?
Definitely yes; we wanted to use the same system as the Big Bang Unico 45mm watch for the Big Bang Referee 2018 World Cup Russia Connected Watch. It was not possible because the shape of the case precluded that option. Another reason that the Big Bang e 42mm is a game-changer is the fact that you can use the strap of any Hublot 42mm watch that you already have for this watch. Additionally, we now have green or light-blue bracelets; all these straps in new colours and materials can also be used on our other regular collections.

Considering the fact that in 2018 the Middle East was one of the top two markets for the Connected Watch, what are your expectations for the Big Bang e now?
My expectations are much more now than in 2018 as there are no limitations currently; it is a limited production watch, not a limited edition. I really hope that I do not have to work on an allocation basis per region, thus satisfying both to our partners and ourselves.

Can we now expect a new edition of the Connected Watch from Hublot every two years?
I am not sure what you mean by a new edition; our aim was to bring it down to 42mm. I believe it will remain this size, and I don’t think we will bring out a Classic Fusion Connected watch. We plan to use the Big Bang collection because the idea of the Big Bang is to always be innovative. If the technology evolves to that extent, then we may bring out a Big Bang One Click 39mm Connected Watch totally dedicated for the ladies.

How has the client feedback for the Big Bang Integral watch that you debuted in January 2020 been?
It has been amazing; this is the first time we have a really integrated bracelet on the Big Bang collection. This edition has been made to fit the bracelet and it looks even better than the Integrated bracelet that we have on the Classic Fusion. The quality and the integration of the bracelet is really amazing; it has sold out. Customers had pre-ordered and were waiting for it to be shipped. It is always better to have production matching demand than having unsold watches at points of sale.

Since Baselworld 2020 has been cancelled, how will Hublot watches be unveiled this year?
We have had very good feedback on the group activation – the LVMH Watch Week – that we did in Dubai in January. It is also good to present only along with our group brands rather than with every brand. I believe this group-level event will continue to be held in January, either in Dubai or elsewhere. We may unveil the rest of the collection, with or without the other brands, in Geneva in April. It is a very smart idea to present 35-40 per cent of our collection in January, with deliveries to start in February, March, and April. In April, we present the rest of the Novelties, with these being in our distribution network throughout the year. It is too late to launch everything in April.