Hublot is a Swiss luxury watchmaker founded in 1980 by Carlo Crocco. The company was named after the French word for “porthole”, which serves as a visual design reference across many of their models. Hublot is notable for being the first to pair a rubber strap with precious metals in their luxury sports watch. Today, Hublot is owned by French conglomerate LVMH along with brands like Bulgari, Chaumet, Gerald Genta, TAG Heuer, and Zenith.
Ayrton Senna Institute
Hublot worked with the Ayrton Senna Institute to unveil the Hublot Big Bang Ayrton Senna Limited Edition at the 2007 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, followed by the more colorful Big Bang Foudroyante Senna Limited Edition the following year. Both were limited to 500 pieces each.
Official Watchmaker of Formula One
Hublot became the Official Watchmaker of Formula One in 2010 with the announcement of the Hublot F1 King, a matte black monochromatic timepiece featuring the F1 logo on the dial. Shortly after, the first F1 King Power was revealed at the 2010 Chinese Grand Prix. Bernie Ecclestone, the then-CEO of the Formula One Group, lost his personal Hublot timepiece in a violent mugging later that same year which resulted in the infamous black eye ad.
As Formula One’s Official Watchmaker, Hublot released several limited edition pieces named after F1 destinations including Monza, Abu Dhabi, Suzuka, and Austin. The latter featured another first for Hublot: a red sapphire crystal. At the premier of Senna, the 2010 documentary film on legendary Brazilian world champion Ayrton Senna, Hublot unveiled two limited edition watches: The Hublot King Power Ayrton Senna with a production run of 500, and the much more exclusive Hublot King Power Tourbillon Ayrton Senna which was limited to just 10 pieces.
Partnership with Scuderia Ferrari
While its reign as Official Watchmaker ended when Rolex was named Formula One’s official timekeeper and timepiece for 2013, Hublot continued to remain in the F1 paddock with its partnership with Scuderia Ferrari which was announced in late 2011 after a short but successful deal with Cabestan. The result was a joint-deal with Movado, with the two watch brands covering opposite ends of the market. 2013 also saw the announcement of the MP-06 Senna, a limited edition of three models with a run of 41 pieces each to celebrate the Brazilian legend’s 41 victories and three F1 titles.
To celebrate the 90th anniversary of Scuderia Ferrari, Hublot released the Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary in 2019. Hublot also got to celebrate Ferrari’s 1000th Grand Prix in 2020 at the Tuscan Grand Prix, itself a unique one-off Formula One race at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello. In honor of the milestone, Hublot released two limited edition Big Bang chronographs: One in polished white gold with a rubber-lined vintage-inspired suede strap (ref. 402.WX. 0112.VR) as a nod to Ferrari’s past, and the other in carbon ceramic with a rubber and “SuperFabric” strap (ref. 402.QC.0112.NR) to reflect the team’s present and future. Both feature the Hublot Unico Manufacture movement, a 72 hour power reserve, and limited to 20 pieces each.
While taking more inspiration from the LaFerrari than Ferrari’s Formula One team, it’s worth mentioning the completely bonkers Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari. The technological marvel features a sleek exotic case shape, a tourbillon, and a mind-bending 50 day power reserve. There is still at least a hint of motorsport in its external winding tool, which clearly resembles a wheel gun. If all that somehow wasn’t crazy enough, Hublot would later release a version featuring a single-piece Sapphire case.
Hublot’s contract with Ferrari ended after the 2020 season, with Richard Mille taking its place for 2021 onward.
Involvement in MotoGP
For 2020, Hublot also dipped their toe in the premier class of two-wheeled Grand Prix racing by sponsoring the Esponsorama/Reale Avintia Racing MotoGP team. While Hublot branding featured prominently on the Ducati Desmosedici GP19’s and race suits of Johann Zarco and Tito Rabat, no MotoGP edition watches were produced.
References
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