We recently met Hublot CEO Julien Tornare for lunch in Geneva and spoke with him about his first year at the helm of the brand, the success of the Big Bang Anniversary in 2025, and that he will introduce a groundbreaking, technical concept of time measurement that will change the basics of watchmaking for ever.
For me, a mechanical watch is very meaningful because it has a heart, it has a heartbeat. It measures time, and time is probably one of the most incredible notions in the world today. It’s almost magic what was originally created with mechanical watches, and it’s very special to my heart, my country, and my culture. Today, I’m happy to wear one of the limited editions from the 20th anniversary of the Big Bang. It’s the original one in titanium with a ceramic bezel and a rubber strap. It features the famous Unico movement and the new One-Click system, which is very new for this model. It also has a special signature with a gold oscillating mass on the back and a secret signature on the crown. It’s a special anniversary, very close to my heart.
I used to wear the same anniversary piece in all black and I just changed this morning to go back to the original one. So, I do change sometimes.
It’s been fantastic; it’s been a year full of celebrations. We had the biggest party and event during Watches and Wonders in Palexpo in the arena, which people are still talking about. Afterward, we had local replicas in the markets. I went to China, Japan, South Korea, France, and the US to continue celebrating this fantastic anniversary of the first iconic watch of the 21st century all year long.
I think markets were very happy to see that we went back to the five iconic themes: the original, the all black, the red ceramic, the gold one, and the titanium one. That was amazing.
I had a busy start at Hublot since the very first days because when I started on September 1st last year, we only had a few months to prepare for 2025 in terms of products and anniversary celebrations. That was my very first priority: we cannot miss the 20th anniversary; we have to do something special. We worked very, very hard on that. Not so much was planned in the beginning; people were more focused on the brand itself than on one collection. But having closely observed what Jean-Claude Biver did when he launched the Big Bang collection, I wanted to build on that, and I think it’s been very successful.
I quickly realized that Hublot became famous through its disruptive and innovative approach, starting with Mr. Crocco mixing rubber with precious metals in the 80s, and continued by Jean-Claude Biver with the Big Bang, which brought creativity in new materials and a very dynamic marketing approach. My job now is to reboost these two engines – new materials, creativity, innovation, and very strong marketing. Additionally, I want to add a dimension that is often overlooked: the watchmaking aspect. I was surprised by the high level of watchmaking knowledge at Hublot, and my goal is to develop this strongly so that people also consider Hublot as a top watchmaker.
The watchmaking aspect surprised me the most. I knew Hublot was super dynamic in many areas, but the watchmaking side is so strong, and we don’t talk enough about it. The Unico movement is very strong, and I have new things to develop, including a global upgrade of the movement strategy and the level of finishing and small details.
Not so much, because people understood my move quite clearly. I am someone who always stayed a long time in companies. After achieving my goals at Zenith, I asked to move to a bigger brand because I needed something different. Hublot was a very good fit for me, and when the position became available, it was quite natural for the group that immediately asked me, and for people outside; everybody told me that I was a very good fit at Hublot for some reason.
The Big Bang started as a single model edition and then developed a lot, opening up a very large playground for new products and interpretations. Now, we need to think about what constitutes the iconic Big Bang, what it is as an icon of the 21st century, and what further developments are possible in terms of material, movement, and technicality. We need to make it constantly evolve, similar to how we talk about the Porsche 911 in cars. This can be achieved through small design evolutions, new dials, maybe new shapes, and definitely a strong upgrade in all movements and complication levels.
You are right; Hublot is a brand that is building the future, not repeating the past, so we need to continue to bring new things. We were the first to use coloured ceramic and vivid coloured sapphire, and I am now introducing new materials that will continue this development. The Big Bang was originally born with a basic movement; I will now upgrade that. There will be a lot more technicity fusion with new materials, which is a new approach to creating a watch that will be very interesting, last for a long time, and be taken very seriously by the watchmaking community. I’m tired of hearing that Hublot is only strong in marketing; we are first and foremost a very serious watchmaker, and I will work very hard to make our technical credibility go up and up.
This year, we introduced new coloured sapphires like water blue. We also presented the very first watch with two-colour ceramic, which is patented. This offers an incredible playground because there can be two-colour, three-color, or multi-colour ceramic with different motifs and designs.
Yes, but we were the first brand to do that.
No, I take it as a strength. We have the Classic Fusion, another key product line for the Maison. Towards the end of 2026, there will be a big focus on the Classic Fusion, which watch fans will definitely appreciate, as we are going back to the roots. Although Hublot is young at 45 years old, that is already a history. Next year, I will return to what Mr. Crocco originally created, reinterpreted in a very cool, contemporary way. Next to the Big Bang’s craziness, Classic Fusion will remain an icon for Hublot and we will emphasize that. And let’s not forget the Spirit of Big Bang, an interpretation of the Big Bang in a tonneau shape, where we can develop many things, especially complications.
In the watch industry, there have been very conventional brands, and then newcomers like Hublot brought new materials and more creative approaches. The challenge for these brands is to be taken seriously by real watch aficionados who look at movement details. We have everything at hand to upgrade the movement strategy, the level of finishing, and small details so that we can have on one side very high watchmaking standards plus top creativity and crazy marketing. It’s possible; it’s not because you do crazy marketing that you cannot be very serious on your movement aspect. I am very convinced there is a real market for that.
Yes, I want all Hublot watches to be equipped with a manufacture movement.
Yes, we are building a new manufacture. It will be finished in one year and will be impressive in size and concept. A lot of it will be dedicated to enhanced production, higher quality, and more movements, but also a big part will be focused on client experience. I’m working on six, seven different client experiences inside the manufacture that you cannot find in any other watch manufacture. It will be something out of the box, absolutely amazing.
It depends on the objective. To gain brand awareness, football played a big role because the audience is so wide that everybody saw it. Now, if you talk about Hublot anywhere in the world, people usually know it’s a watch brand. For the US market, American football is more tactical, as shown by our recent announcement with Patrick Mahomes. Then, the different ambassadors and friends of the brand help a lot with brand desirability because people see them, want to know more about the brand, feel it’s cool, and want to be part of it. And then, of course, the campaign with the cat was great because it was eye-catching. It achieved the best engagement rate and click rate in Hublot’s entire history.
Definitely the high-end watchmaking, all the MPs (Masterpieces) we did. In the past, there were so many absolutely amazing watches, and more recently, maybe less. So, I’m reactivating our R&D department to come up with new crazy ideas because people love these kinds of watches, which will be within the Masterpiece collection. Furthermore, Hublot has never been a brand very much focused on the women clientele, despite selling between 25-30%, and even 50% in the Middle East, to women. I will develop the Spirit of Big Bang collection and create a more feminine environment to address women, from ambassadors to events, campaigns, and store environments. It’s a growing segment, and while I don’t believe in gendered watches, I want to bring a feminine touch to some watches and a more feminine message in our global communication.
China is still challenging this year. The US has been quite strong in recent years, but now we have a new situation with taxes that we need to work on. As growing markets, Japan is strong for us, and Korea is a booming market. Europe varies from market to market but is doing well globally. We really capitalize on these for growth and let other markets breathe, as it’s important not to push too hard when a market is struggling. We invest in both our boutiques and work with multi-brand retailers, believing in a very balanced system. Boutiques serve as local embassies for the brand, and multi-brand retailers know their clients and offer neutral advice. India is also a great growing market, where we started very early and already have two boutiques, looking for a third. We open approximately three to four new boutiques worldwide per year.
I believe you cannot control the secondary market. It reflects the offer versus demand. Years 2021 and 2022 were bubble years for the whole industry, where too many watches were sold, leading to high prices on the secondary market and waiting lists. This bubble is now deflating, and prices are dropping, which is very healthy. I don’t believe in making people wait too long or buying watches to resell them. One should buy a watch because they love it, because it evokes emotion, and because they might give it to someone they cherish one day – not as an investment. The investment aspect was only due to the shortage during the bubble years.
It’s true. To keep limited editions special, you cannot make too many of them. Even if the business model is linked to Hublot’s dynamic of constantly bringing new ideas, we have to limit it. Next year, you will see very few limited editions. We will establish solid, iconic references, and only release a special watch if there’s a good reason, like a special anniversary, not just to do business.
Probably that people should always stay humble and remember who they are. They should remember that they can make good decisions and sometimes less good ones. Egos in the luxury industry sometimes become ridiculous. You have to learn to listen to people, including young people, who often have new ideas. Personally, I remain very simple; I am a human being before my position.
The first thing I did was change the governance because it was in my opinion not well organized. This was risky as it meant changing how people worked, but it was the right decision to shake things up and prepare the brand for the next 20 years. I built a very strong product team instead of just one person working with the CEO. Another bold decision was the Choupette brand campaign (with the cat); I had the courage to implement it, knowing people would talk about it and find it crazy, perhaps!
I got into the watch industry by chance, not originally because I loved watches. I learned to love watches on the job, and now I see it fits me so well because I wanted something at an international level with global exposure. I love design, and watches offer this approach. Also, the movements and their technicality increasingly fascinate me. As a Swiss citizen, I’m proud to export a piece of Swiss culture abroad. If it hadn’t been the watch industry, I would have done something aesthetic or design-related, like cars. Or something in the sports field, as I have a great passion for sport. I love spending time with people, listening to them, and learning from them, so interaction is key for me.
Next year, we are going to establish what we call the future of the Big Bang model will look like, giving the model even more character and personality whilst highlighting the Unico movement and knowhow on our iconic In-house movement. We also need to think about what comes after the Big Bang… stay tuned!
We have developed a vision until 2030 because half a century is a very important milestone. In just 45 years, Hublot has achieved so much and accumulated know-how, where other brands took hundreds of years. For the 50th anniversary, we want to make a very important, concrete statement that will change time measurement. In 2030, we will introduce a concept that will change the basics of watchmaking from a technical and philosophical perspective – something unbelievable. It will mark the history of timekeeping. It will be a completely different way of considering time measurement, possibly something transmitted from long, long ago that we feel a responsibility to transmit to future generations. It will be a concept that will literally cross time from generation to generation. It is super exciting and challenging, but it’s going to be good forever.
It’s difficult to say, but I think there’s a natural selection underway today, which will definitely change the landscape. Some brands and retailers might disappear. But thanks to the creativity and innovative spirit of our industry, we will continue to be interesting. The quartz crisis and later the connected watch had similar impacts, but interest in time measurement remains, even among young generations, probably because the dimension of time is so abstract and magical. As long as we continue to be creative and innovative, we will keep the younger generation interested, and I am very optimistic about that.
