Results for Hublot

Hublot Founder Carlo Crocco on the birth of fusion, royal customers and the return of his original design

Hublot Founder Carlo Crocco reflects on the risks that shaped the brand and why its first watch still matters

Hublot’s next big move, Grand Seiko’s design secrets, and Serica’s unexpected partnership

Hublot’s next chapter, Grand Seiko’s design philosophy, and Serica’s unexpected Peugeot collaboration headline this week’s watch news.

Business News: Former AP CEO François-Henri Bennahmias Brought In As Consultant To Hublot

François-Henri Bennahmias, the high-profile executive who served as the CEO of Audemars Piguet for more than a decade and grew annual sales beyond $2 billion, is being tapped as a consultant to Hublot in a surprise move by the LVMH-owned watch brand. Bennahmias was recently brought on to advise and consult for the brand, according to people familiar with the matter. Julien Tornare, the long-time LVMH executive who has served as Hublot's CEO since 2024, remains in the role, according to people who asked not to be named because Bennahmias' appointment hasn't been publicly disclosed.  The Hublot Classic Fusion Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons Bennahmias's move to consult for Hublot, founded in 1980 by Italian entrepreneur Carlo Crocco and known for its innovative, irreverent approach to watchmaking, including rubber straps on precious-metal timepieces, is an unexpected shift. The former professional golfer, who led Audemars Piguet until 2024, launched The Honourable Merchants Group in 2025 and promised to bring watch brands to the new luxury conglomerate that also included an electric bicycle company. While Bennahmias held discussions to acquire stakes in existing watch brands, none have been completed. THMG, as the luxury constellation is known, said in July that it would create a brand called 'N3W5' that will launch at Dubai Watch Week in 2027.  François-Henri Bennahmias at an event in Switzerland launching The Honourable Merchants Group.  LVMH, meanwhile, has been making c...

Hublot Hits Rewind

Introducing: Hublot Takes Us Back To The Beginning With The Classic Fusion Tributo

This story has been republished from our friends at Hodinkee Australia. What We Know Today, a luxury sports watch with a rubber strap is nothing revolutionary, but in 1980 it was scandalous. Italian watchmaker and entrepreneur Carlo Crocco fired the starting gun on a casual-luxury sports watch revolution when he combined a gold case with a rubber strap to build his ultimate Mediterranean summer watch: the MDM 'La Hublot.' Turns out his idea caught on and was quickly embraced by royalty in Monaco, Spain and Sweden, to name just a few. An archival shot of Carlo Crocco posing with early MDM Hublot models. Rarely-seen 'pre-Biver' Hublots, including chronographs and a dive watch. The original MDM 'La Hublot' and the new Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo. It's hard to imagine that Hublot is almost 50 years old. We as collectors tend to think of it as a young brand - and in many senses, it still is - but a half-century ain't nothing to sniff at. 46 years after its inaugural release, Hublot is going all the way back to its Carlo Crocco roots with the Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo, a standard-production watch that pays tribute to where the maverick brand started, made with the input of Mr Crocco himself (who officially exited Hublot in 2008). This release encompasses two models in 38mm, one in yellow gold and one in white gold, both housing a Zenith-sourced movement. In a departure from the standard Classic Fusion, the Tributo returns to the original MDM Hublot's 12-screw bezel design ...

The New Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo Takes Us Back To 1980

Forty-six years ago, Carlo Crocco put a gold watch on a rubber strap, and everyone told him he was mad. Now, Hublot has brought it back as the Classic Fusion Tributo. I sat down with him in Nyon, a week before his 82nd birthday, to hear where it really came from. Picture the showroom at […] Visit The New Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo Takes Us Back To 1980 to read the full article.

First Look - Hublot Returns to Its Roots with the Classic Fusion Tributo (Incl. Video)

Before the Big Bang exploded on the watch scene in 2005, Carlo Crocco had already set the wheels of Hublot’s universe in motion. His 1980 watch, with its unorthodox mix of gold and rubber, introduced the Art of Fusion that would later become the brand’s calling card. Returning to the source, the Classic Fusion Tributo […]

The new Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo looks to the past and future with serious upgrades

The new Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo takes inspiration from Carlo Crocco's original MDM designs that launched the brand.

Hands On: Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo

The Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo returns to Carlo Crocco’s original 1980 design, when Hublot was the name of a watch made by MDM Genève. The Tributo’s 38 mm gold case restores the original 12-screw bezel, while a Zenith-derived automatic replaces quartz beneath an austere black dial. The yellow gold variant sticks close to the original design, while its white gold sibling pairs a black onyx dial with blackened bezel screws for a high-contrast monochromatic look. Initial thoughts While today Hublot is almost synonymous with the Big Bang and other large, sometimes extravagant watches, the brand’s origin as a single model made by MDM Genève is rooted in Italian elegance. The original quartz-powered model from 1980 was the first watch to pair a precious metal case with a rubber strap, a then-unheard-of configuration that was nonetheless perfectly suited to la dolce vita in the Italian sun. The Classic Fusion Tributo honours founder Carlo Crocco’s original design, complete with 12 bezel screws and a low-profile feel on the wrist, while being sized up to contemporary standards and equipped with a competent automatic movement courtesy of sister brand Zenith. The white gold version’s onyx dial, an upgrade relative to both the original and the black lacquer of the 2023 remake, is another difference that taps into the ongoing stone dial trend. But it does so in a low-key way that makes sense for the design and doesn’t feel faddish. Curiously, the yellow gold version s...

Last Week In Watches: Rolex Revives the Padellone, Hublot Goes Full Koons

In Conversation with Jeff Koons on His New Collaboration with Hublot

Watch collaborations have saturated the market in recent years, but when I heard Jeff Koons was getting involved in designing a model, my ears perked up. His Celebration series featuring his Balloon Dog sculptures makes up one of the most memorable works of art to emerge in my lifetime as a child of the 90s. I wasn’t surprised this would be the source of inspiration for the watches he’d create.  The artist and self-proclaimed weirdo in me has always appreciated the daring and disruptive nature of Koons’ creations, but to the masses, they’ve been polarizing. It was clear that his approach to design wouldn’t be the right fit for just any watch brand – it would need to be with a maker who was equally daring, disruptive, and perhaps even polarizing itself. Enter Hublot, who has long received scrutiny for its audacious models that buck Swiss tradition. “I remember maybe about 15 years ago, I was at an event for the Louis Vuitton Foundation, and I had a conversation with Bernard Arnault,” Koons recalls. “He said, ‘you know, Jeff, you should make a watch,’ but we never did. Years later, our sons became friends, and Frederic said to my son Sean, ‘your dad should make a watch – Hublot has a lot of interest in partnering with him.’ And I was really excited about this idea of working with new materials and working with time.” All that said, the goal has never been a shock factor – it’s about authenticity – Koons’ identity as an artist and Hublo...

The Business of Watches Podcast: Hublot Chief Executive Officer Julien Tornare On Partnering With Jeff Koons And Re-Connecting With The Brand's Founder

This week on The Business of Watches, a veteran watch industry CEO who is taking on one of the biggest and most demanding challenges of his storied career. Julien Tornare is the head of Hublot, the irreverent and ground-breaking brand controlled by LVMH that's trying to reclaim some of its former glory and role as a trend-setter in industry innovation.  An affable and talented business leader, Tornare has spent almost three decades in the watch world with Vacheron Constantin and Richemont, then as chief executive of Zenith, where he oversaw a dramatic revival and upswing for the El Primero maker. He then had a brief tenure as the CEO of TAG Heuer before joining Hublot as the big boss in 2024.  Julien Tornare.Image: Courtesy Hublot Tornare talks about Hublot's turbulent journey over the past four decades and the spirit reflected in the brand's unconventional, outspoken ambassadors. He also addresses the marque's critics, arguing that the YouTuber shots are largely unjustified.  He also discusses the influence of Hublot's Italian founder Carlo Crocco as the company reconsiders its legacy ahead of its 50th anniversary in 2030. There's also news of a major new partnership with legendary American artist Jeff Koons, who is bringing his artistic vision to the watch brand for the first time through a series of bold collaborations. We also discuss the role that Jean Arnault, long considered the true watch enthusiast in the Arnault clan, now has with the brand.  There's plenty o...

First Look - Hublot and Jeff Koons Turn the Balloon Dog into a Watch

Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dog is one of those works that has become part of popular culture, taking the form of a balloon animal and turning something quite temporary and playful into a permanent, almost monumental object. Hublot‘s new collaboration transforms the normally sleek Classic Fusion into a watch that, like the balloon dog, looks inflated: […]

Hands On: Hublot Classic Fusion Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons

Hublot has just unveiled the Classic Fusion Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons, its latest — and arguably most striking — collaboration with a contemporary artist. Crafted from anodised aluminium, the case of the watch is delicately machined to almost perfectly replicate the creased, metallic look of a mylar balloon. The plump inflated look extends to the dial and strap, and the watch can be had in three different colours — red, blue, and silver — each of which is limited to 200 pieces. The Balloon Dog is powered by the HUB1710, an upmarket execution of the in-group Zenith Elite platform. Initial thoughts Jeff Koons is likely one of the few contemporary artists with mainstream name recognition outside the world of fine art. While he is arguably best known for his large-scale sculptures, including the Balloon Dog referenced by his collaboration with Hublot, he has had a prolific career and worked in numerous mediums. But it is his ability to replicate the tight, creased look of inflated latex and mylar in materials like stainless steel and aluminium that have cemented his status in the world of contemporary art. The Classic Fusion Balloon Dog taps exactly this expertise, crafted in anodised aluminium with a rounded, puffy form that transforms the sharp, angular Hublot style into something more soft and playful. The result is immediately recognisable thanks to the thoughtfulness of the execution. The familiar Hublot details are present, but have been carefully machined to loo...

Hands-On: The Hublot Classic Fusion Balloon Dog By Jeff Koons

Hublot is no stranger to opening its doors to outside creativity, with some of its most memorable (and often infamous) releases of the past few years in collaborations with artists and designers—Takashi Murakami, Daniel Arsham, and Samuel Ross, to name a few. Late last week, the brand dropped the news that the next big name in line for a collaboration would be the contemporary American artist Jeff Koons, most widely known for his series of bright, shiny balloon dog sculptures in a whole range of colors. Image courtesy of Hublot Balloon Dog (Orange) - Image courtesy of Christie's Rabbit - Image courtesy of Christie's Koons' name has reached a certain level of infamy and popularity alike in the art world, as the world's most expensive living artist today. His Balloon Dog (Orange) piece hammered at Christie's in 2013 for a whopping $58.4 million dollars, breaking auction records for an artwork by a living artist. Then, in 2019, his 1986 Rabbit piece shattered that result, selling for more than $91 million and taking the title. To this day, both pieces remain among the top ten most expensive artworks by living artists. Naturally, Koons faces criticism from critics and the wider public, from the overt commercialism and kitchiness of the art to the factory-style production methods he employs. Regardless, it's impossible to deny how iconic and recognizable the Balloon Dog series is worldwide. With that iconic look and a touch of infamy, the Balloon Dog feels like the perfect su...

Hublot Classic Fusion Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons: A Shiny, Puffy, Surprisingly Serious Watch

Hublot teams up with Jeff Koons for a watch that looks exactly like what you think it does, and pulls it off better than it has any right to

Does a balloon dog watch sound like fiction? Hublot and Jeff Koons made it a reality

The new Hublot Classic Fusion Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons Limited Editions fuse an iconic work of art with an iconic watch design.

Do You Have a Soft Spot For The Rubber-Clad Hublot Big Bang Original Soft Touch?

The rubber-clad Hublot Big Bang Original Soft Touch is a montre à tact, but not as you know it. The original tactile watch was invented by Breguet in 1799. It was a pocket watch featuring a hand that could be touched, allowing one to read/feel the time. You can touch the new Big Bang all […] Visit Do You Have a Soft Spot For The Rubber-Clad Hublot Big Bang Original Soft Touch? to read the full article.

First Look - New Sensations with Hublot’s new Big Bang Original Soft Touch Models

For over two decades, Hublot has embraced the ‘Art of Fusion’, blending unexpected materials like rubber, gold, ceramic, and sapphire into bold visual statements. The latest Big Bang Original Soft Touch pushes the boundaries even further, inviting us to experience how a watch feels. More than just a coating, Hublot has integrated a microscopic, textured […]

Hublot goes velvety smooth with the new Big Bang Original Soft Touch

The master of materials is at it again, not giving us a completely new tactile feel for our watches with the new Soft Touch rubber.

“Chasing vs. defending” - Novak Djokovic on tennis, tourbillons & his Hublot collection

Ahead of the 2026 US Open, Novak Djokovic caught up with our US Editor Zach Blass to talk tennis, watches, and Hublot editions.

Revewing The Hublot Big Bang MP-11 Water Blue Sapphire: A Serious Watch That Doesn’t Take Itself Too Seriously

The Hublot Big Bang MP-11 forms part of Hublot’s Manufacture Piece collection, and for good reason. Now, it’s time to take it out for a test drive… What We Love The Water Blue colour is sensational in person The movement is Hubot showcasing what it does best The undeniable wrist presence What We Don’t It is a large watch, and not for those with smaller wrists The older-style rubber strap is not easy to get the perfect fit, when compared to the newer style Will be out of the price range for many watch buyers and is a substantial investment Overall Rating: 8.4 / 10 Value For Money: 8/10 Design: 9/10 Wearability: 8/10 Build Quality: 8.5/10 There are some watches that look impressive in a press release, but when you finally see them in the metal, they somehow manage to be not as much. Then there are watches like the Hublot Big Bang MP-11 Water Blue Sapphire, where the opposite is true. The photographs give you an idea of what the watch is all about, but they really do not prepare you for what it looks like on the wrist. The MP-11 has always been one of Hublot’s more outrageous creations. First introduced in 2018, it was designed around a movement with seven series-coupled barrels and a 14-day power reserve, all packaged inside a relatively conventional Big Bang-style case. The Water Blue Sapphire version takes that already unconventional construction and places it inside a transparent blue sapphire case that allows almost every part of the movement to remain visi...

Bring a Loupe: A Seiko Sportura, A Breitling Tabarly Racing Mate, A Hublot Classic Fusion Orlinski, And More

I know we're all here for watches, but there's been so much killer music released in the last bit that it feels foolish not to at least note that, should you require some new jams, recent albums from Twisted Teens and Phoebe Bridgers are plenty deserving of attention, and if you haven't checked out the available tracks from the new Alabama Shakes, hoo boy. I hope you're all well as the days tick along. Scorekeeping last week's picks: the Lemania RAF monopusher sold for 2,000 GBP, and I can't find what the Goodwill UG Clapton ultimately went for, but I saw it cleared $24,000. From the dealers, the Alpina-Gruen sold. The Cartier Shutter and RAN monopusher both remain available. Strays You really like watches and are also a sophisticated connoisseur, and you need a new table lighter—to ignite your guests' cigars; what sort of host would you be otherwise—because someone made off with your last one? Here's a nice sterling Alfred Dunhill for you which, yes, has a watch in it as well because, again, you're sophisticated. Had there not been another watch in the same auction that seemed more interesting, this Omega 2998-4 would obviously have had a full write-up, but I'm also not sure what I would've written other than look at that thing. If you're up for a trio of watches, this lot's got a Tourneau "Top Gun," a solid gold Charles Nicolet, and a fowl-related Helbros for the hunter in your life; and while this Audemars Freres has a rough dial, Audemars Freres watches are uncommo...

Introducing - Hublot’s Big Bang Sapphire Sky Blue Brings a Fresh Shade to the Meca-10

Very few brands can create and machine sapphire like Hublot does, and it is a claim that proves itself time and again. It was in 2016 that Hublot first unveiled its sapphire Big Bang, followed by colourful interpretations, including the striking orange version introduced in 2021, which turned many heads. These transparent creations have since […]

Recalibrating Hublot

Hands-On With The Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Yellow Neon Saxem

Hublot’s Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Yellow Neon SAXEM is one of those watches that leave you in awe, combining neon sapphire brilliance with high-complication tourbillon watchmaking. What We Love The bold Yellow Neon SAXEM case completely transforms under different lighting. The skeletonised dial offers a beautifully balanced design that gives the watch real mechanical theatre. Few watches in watchmaking will command attention quite like this, especially in natural light. What We Don’t The 44mm case size wears better than expected, but it is still on the larger side. Even sapphire lovers may find the Yellow Neon SAXEM a lot to handle. A black structured strap option would let the case and dial take centre stage even more, while simultaneously reducing the overall ‘distinctive’ presence of the watch. Overall Rating: 8.6 / 10 Value For Money: 8.5/10 Design: 9.0/10 Wearability: 8.0/10 Build Quality: 9.0/10 Few timepieces in the world of watchmaking can grab attention like a bright yellow-coloured watch. Now imagine adding a transparent sapphire case to the mix, and suddenly, you have something that becomes almost impossible to ignore on the wrist. That is exactly what we get with the Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Yellow Neon SAXEM. This is a watch that does not ask to be seen, but rather commands it the moment you see it. In that regard, this, in my opinion, is the kind of timepiece that perfectly encapsulates what Hublot is all about. Since the beginnin...

Introducing - The Colourful Hublot Big Bang Summer Collection in Pastel Ceramic

Since 2017, Hublot has celebrated the arrival of each summer with a special collection unveiled in Saint-Tropez. For 2026, the brand prepared a series of Big Bang watches, demonstrating Hublot’s mastery of coloured ceramic. The range offers a lighter, seasonal interpretation of the Big Bang and spans manufacture chronographs, a tourbillon and compact automatic models. Two […]