Disruptive watchmaker Hublot unveiled two new editions of the Classic Fusion Black Magic aimed specifically at the regional market during the Dubai Watch Week. While these two editions feature Arabic calligraphy on the dial, other recent artistic releases include the Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Sapphire and the Big Bang Tourbillon SR_A by Samuel Ross. David Tedeschi, Hublot Regional Director for the Middle East, explains the marque’s fascination with arts and sports
Q: Can you tell us first about the Dubai Watch Week editions?
A: This year, we are introducing two new editions for the UAE market at Dubai Watch Week: two editions of Classic Fusion Black Magic that feature calligraphy by the eminent Emirati calligraphy artist Wissam Shawkat on the dial. Wissam is a long-time partner who has worked with Hublot in designing regional animations for us and he is also a particularly good friend of the Seddiqi family. Both these factors influenced us in choosing to work with him on these two new editions.
Q: This is the first time Hublot is partnering with an Arabic calligraphy artist?
A: Absolutely; this is the first time we are collaborating with an Arabic calligraphy artist to do a limited edition and I believe it is going to be highly successful. The design is amazing and the calligraphy on the dial talks about time and what is important for the brand. Hublot is a watch brand, and we are trying to showcase time in a way that is different from the norm.
Q: The Square Bang came out as a limited edition. What is the feedback on the watch? Do you think it can be a pillar of the brand, as did the Spirit of Big Bang, which began as a limited edition, but is now a pillar?
A: Definitely; when we launched the Spirit of Big Bang collection, back in 2014, at the very beginning, we just wanted to bring a watch that had a different shape than our current collections for existing clients who already had many other of our watches – either the Classic Fusion or the Big Bang. But we came to realise immediately after launching the watch that we had created a segment that didn’t exist. Not only were Hublot repeat clients purchasing it, but it brought in completely new clients to the brand, and this is exactly what is happening with the Square Bang Unico.
Last year when we launched the watch, like all other watch brands, we also were struggling with production after COVID as it was difficult to get the supplies from our suppliers. And so, we had the limited capacity in production, but the feedback we have had on this particular model was absolutely amazing and now we are planning to increase our production based on this model next year because it has been so successful. Again, it is creating another segment of clientele for us that are purchasing Hublot through this model, which is absolutely amazing.
Even in the design, it has maintained the DNA of Hublot; even though it’s a different shape – a square – you can tell it is a Hublot even from a mile away. It has what we call the sandwich construction of the case, which allows us to play with all the materials that we want. Of course, the goal while creating this collection was to really retain the DNA of the brand in the watch.
Q: Can you tell us how the Big Bang Tourbillon SR_A by Samuel Ross project started?
A: It is a long partnership that we have with Samuel Ross; he has been very close to the brand for quite a while now. When we are feeling comfortable with someone and we enjoy that person and the art – the fashion, the design – that this person is doing, it was natural for us to find a way to collaborate with him again. When we collaborate with such artists, Hublot gives them the absolute flexibility to reinterpret what they want, in terms of the product, for our partnership. That flexibility can be quite tricky, because, in this watch, the case is a Hublot, and yet quite different. This is what we like to do, and I believe this is what is makes us successful at the end of the day.
All the models that we have that are completely different – from the rest of the collection – are always successful and I do remember last year when we launched the first Samuel Ross Edition, people were just getting crazy about that watch. I was really happy that we were able to re-visit this collaboration and add another model in the collection because some people were frustrated at not getting the watch. As you can imagine, with only 50 watches per edition, the demand was way higher, and we are trying to find a way to give access to people who are frustrated about not getting the first edition to be able to buy the second one.
Q: The Hublot Murakami collection has been a big hit since the beginning, and the same is now true of the Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Sapphire; will there be a regular line of Murakami in the future that will be sold worldwide, or will it always be a very limited edition where most of the watches are earmarked for Japan only, with very small quantities for the rest of the world?
A: When it comes to working with such a well-known artist like Murakami, we give him a free interpretation of what he wants to do. A lot of watches were allocated to the Japanese market because he wants to support the Japan market specifically. I believe that that such collaborations should remain highly limited; something that is rare because opening it to a non-limited edition or a bigger edition in terms of quantity is not the strategy that we are looking for in such a partnership.
Q: Hublot has had partnerships with Murakami and Samuel Ross, both of which had unique case designs. Will there be more future partnerships with other people who will have the freedom to create their own case design?
A: At the end of the day, Hublot is a brand that is incredibly open minded and one of our mottos is that Hublot Loves Art. This is really something that we are trying – to create something around art and reinterpreting art into the watch and, of course, there have been many collaborations. One of our first collaborations was with the artist Romero Britto when we did the watch for the World Cup in in 2014. It is extremely exciting to work with artists who are not from the watch industry and who give us their own interpretation of what they think a watch should look like and this is what is amazing about the MP-15 Takashi Murakami, or the Samuel Ross edition. It looks like a Hublot watch, and yet it doesn’t look like a Hublot. It is their interpretation of our watch, and this is this is what I love. In March this year, we had announced our partnership with Daniel Arsham as well. Hopefully, very soon there will be something coming out around our partnership with Daniel.
Q: Hublot has been sponsoring football and golf, and lately you have started sponsoring tennis; why tennis and what made Hublot interested in that sport?
A: Tennis is an important sport worldwide, it is one of the most-watched and most-followed sports and us doing a partnership with Novak Djokovic was a must, I would say. We were already into the tennis world, but more on the local level with some regional friends of the brand. But with Novak Djokovic, it becomes a global partnership. Novak is a charismatic character. He has the same mentality and the same philosophy as Hublot, which we are trying to spread. Stay tuned because something could come out soon. I am really excited, as I am a big tennis fan, so I cannot wait to see this partnership evolving and getting bigger.
Q: Hublot is the only luxury watch brand that has been successful in the digital world; how do you explain that?
A: For that you need to understand why Hublot decided to do a digital model. The story began before 2018 when we were approached by FIFA to develop a watch – a digital watch for the referees during the World Cup. We agreed and we worked on something and presented them the product. As the product was so cool, we decided to commercialise it as well. That is why our first digital watch was called The Big Bang Referee watch. It was the same watch that the referees were wearing during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Since then, we decided to do something around football because our smart watch displays not only all the results of the football games during the World Cup, but also during the Champions League, Premier League games and so on. Watch owners receive live all the updates of all the games on their watch. We found that a really enjoyable way to develop this particular watch was to go into football and, a couple of years ago, we even launched a non-limited edition, which is part of our core collection, and it is doing very well. This is aimed at the young generation who do not have the spending power to buy a Big Bang. They can still afford to enter into the world of Hublot by buying a Big Bang, but a digital one. We are doing this to catch the attention of the younger generation and to keep them interested in our brand as well.
