Where Hublot leads, other watch brands are likely to follow. But will they always? After Jean-Claude Biver brought the official time-keeper relationship to top-flight football, numerous other watch brands followed suit to grab a slice of the increasingly lucrative football market. But how many have followed Hublot into the world of boxing after the brand partnered with the World Boxing Council? With more than ten different sanctioning bodies for boxing worldwide, unlike most other sports there is still plenty of opportunity for enterprising watch brands to jump on this new sponsorship bandwagon, but there seems little appetite for this within the industry. Maybe it’s a step too far: the point where marketing and brand image collide. But Jean-Claude Biver’s success, like that of any entrepreneur, has been achieved by taking such risks. His latest idea for Hublot is another such risk, but backed by the brand’s formidable marketing it will undoubtedly pay off.

No item of clothing divides opinions more than jeans. They are fine at a nightclub, trendy bar or maybe even at a chic restaurant, but definitely not on the golf course, at a gala dinner and in certain luxury hotel bars and restaurants. Take a look around at BaselWorld and count how many people you see wearing jeans. This doesn’t seem to worry Hublot, however, who are confident that jeans go perfectly well with a timepiece costing thousands of Swiss francs, and even one that is water resistant to a typically Hublot extreme of 4,000 metres.

BIG BANG JEANS by Hublot

The divisive fabric is used on the dial (vacuum- wrapped in epoxy) and strap (sewn onto black rubber) of three new Big Bang models in steel, set with diamonds, baguette diamonds or no diamonds at all, each a limited edition of 250 pieces. The extreme Oceanographic in carbon fibre shares the same attire but is limited to only 21 pieces and will only be avail- able from the Zegg & Cerlati stores at Place du Casino in Monte Carlo, Ischgl in Austria and Samnaun in Switzerland—an expression of gratitude to Tina Zegg, who came up with the idea of putting denim into a Big Bang.

BIG BANG CAVIAR by Hublot

For those looking for a more “formal” Hublot, the brand also presents new “Caviar” versions of the Big Bang inspired by the original million-dollar Black Caviar model. Here, the expensive stones that fully paved the case on the million-dollar model have been replaced by a multi-faceted case and dial that recreates the same look but at a much more affordable price. Like the denim models, the steel and gold versions of this new Big Bang Caviar are available with or without diamonds, in this case set only on the bezel. This three-hand Big Bang, powered by the HUB 1112 self-winding calibre, comes with a special strap with shiny silver or red-gold colour calfskin sewn on to a rubber base.

LVMH - increased firepower
TAG Heuer breaks the billion barrier
Zenith, a textbook case
Vuitton, vertical integration from above
All change at Bulgari
Denim and Caviar by Hublot

Source: Europa Star April-May 2013 magazine issue