Trawling through the annals of the internet, our search takes us back to the late 1970s. A brash Italian by the name of Carlo Crocco has just left the family business – Binda Group, best known for making Breil watches and Wyler Geneva – to launch a new luxury watch brand. One unlike the world has ever seen. This was Hublot, a brand that, from its inception, courted controversy and continues to divide opinion more fiercely than perhaps any other major player in the luxury watch market. But why? Why the intense, often vitriolic, dislike for a brand that consistently boasts impressive sales figures and celebrity endorsements? The answer, as we shall see, is multifaceted and deeply intertwined with the history, design philosophy, and marketing strategies of Hublot itself.
Why Do Watch Collectors Hate Hublot?
The animosity towards Hublot is particularly pronounced within the watch collecting community. This isn't simply a case of brand snobbery; it's a more complex reaction rooted in several key factors. Firstly, Hublot’s aesthetic is frequently described as "gaudy," "tacky," or even "chavvy." The brand's signature "fusion" approach, combining unconventional materials like rubber and gold, is seen by many traditionalists as a blatant disregard for horological heritage and craftsmanship. Where established brands meticulously refine classic designs over decades, Hublot often embraces a maximalist, almost aggressively modern approach that clashes dramatically with the understated elegance prized by many collectors.
The use of rubber, a material traditionally associated with more affordable timepieces, is a particularly contentious point. While Hublot successfully marketed this as a "revolutionary" material, many collectors view it as a cost-cutting measure that compromises the perceived luxury and prestige of the watch. The often oversized cases, adorned with flashy embellishments, further reinforce this image of ostentation and a lack of subtlety. This clashes directly with the values of many collectors who prioritize understated elegance, craftsmanship, and historical significance in their acquisitions. They see Hublot as prioritizing flash over substance.
Furthermore, the brand's aggressive marketing strategies, focusing heavily on celebrity endorsements and ostentatious displays of wealth, have alienated many collectors. This marketing often feels inauthentic and out of sync with the more nuanced appreciation of horological detail found within the collecting community. The association of Hublot with a certain type of conspicuous consumption irks those who view watch collecting as a pursuit of craftsmanship, history, and technical excellence rather than a mere display of wealth.
Why Hublot is Bad (According to its Detractors)
The criticisms leveled against Hublot extend beyond mere aesthetic preferences. Many argue that the brand's "fusion" philosophy is superficial, amounting to little more than slapping unconventional materials together without any genuine innovation in watchmaking. While Hublot boasts several in-house movements, many critics point to the brand's reliance on readily available movements from established manufacturers, arguing that this undermines the claim of genuine horological innovation.
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