Hublot, the complicated brand

Dont know too much about hublot, as most of their watches arent my cup of tea and too big for me, didnt dig into them 🤷🏻‍♂️

Most are a bit over the top, but there are a few very nice looking pieces.  I actually love the Murakami editions

Well if hublot didn't offer a bad value for the money i would even like them.An expensive watch does not need to be serious and i like their unique approach.

Hublot definitely isn't my favorite brand but I think some people dunk on them far too much. It's not like they're upcharging for some shitty Chinese/sweatshop-made timepieces for hundreds of dollars, like MVMT or Daniel Wellington do

Hmm... Now I know people are gonna hate me for this with how controversial it is but I get the same vibes from Rolex... Rolex's at least in my opinion seem way too much money for the product in return that is unless you look at the watch half a mm away from your eye. I know personally I don't do that but I guess the appeal of Rolex is similar to something like Casio, horological significance? But in a way similar to hublot in my opinion showing your wealth? I don't know but this is just a random view on the internet though :P. If people are angry it's completely fine I understand. 

The thing about Hublot that gets me is just how ostentatious they are. They’re the epitome of a status symbol watch, and in my mind that alone makes them worthy of derision. 

I agree. It’s not as if a Rolex is really any “better” than a Tudor or Omega, yet they cost twice as much. There aren’t that many people outside of the enthusiast community who know what Tudor is, but everyone knows Rolex. People who aren’t really even into watches want them, so there’s a higher demand, and they can charge more. Capitalism at its finest! 

I agree with this. Everything about Hublot is built around the desire to own and perceived status of owning a Hublot. They're a marketing firm, I read somewhere recently that when you buy a Hublot you're actually buying 5 because they've given the other 4 away to celebrities as marketing. 

They use generic of the shelf parts in a shiny wrapper. 

I think they're aimed at people not interested in watches or horology but fashion. They're essentially an expensive fashion brand. 

Just my opinion. 

I think you all bring up a really important point about brand identity.  A particular brand can always become co-opted by wider social forces, resulting in connotations that the manufacturer never intended.  

Take Cristal, for example.  In the mid-90's / early-2000's, hip hop culture discovered the brand and incorporated it into lots and lots of song lyrics and artists' public imagery.  Although it undoubtedly helped the brand's sales, in the short-term, I wonder if it hasn't harmed their long-term brand identity.  I mean, I'm not a hip hop guy, and don't wish to associate with hip hop culture; therefore, I would purchase almost any other champagne brand before I were to ever purchase Cristal.

Another example, even more brilliant, is certain brands paying people NOT to wear their clothing!  A competitor sent a Gucci handbag to Snooki, in order to destroy Gucci's brand identity!

https://www.npr.org/2018/07/09/627403187/snooki-and-the-handbag

I would argue that several watch brands are treading dangerously close to this kind of brand dilution as well - they've become so popular in the imaginations of the wider public that the brand no longer represents "great watch," but instead, "symbol that I've made it."  When that happens, in the short term, demand skyrockets, supply cannot keep up, and grey market prices also skyrocket.  Invariably, these sorts of dislocations are short-term, but they can cause long-lasting damage to the brands.  Once the wider public's attention is drawn away to the next hot thing, demand can plunge for those previously desired brands.  And those brands won't be able to rely on their formerly diehard enthusiast / loyalist customers anymore, because a) those loyal customers couldn't get their hands on the product during the "boom," and moved on and developed loyalty to alternate brands, and / or b) the brand's imagery was so tarnished by the "boom" that the former loyalists no longer want to associate with it anymore.

Yep. I agree with you and @James007 wholeheartedly. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hublot go the way of other brands that were once insanely popular but are now almost comically passé — take Ed Hardy, for example, who had the same kind of gaudy trendiness as Hublot. Now, if you see someone wearing Ed Hardy, it’s almost like the guy in his 20s who still wears his high school football letter jacket. The brands that endure do so because they have a timelessness and elegance that you don’t get from something as ridiculous as Hublot. And they focus on making a quality product that speaks for itself. 
 

As for Rolex, I do wonder what’s going to happen to them when the dust settles, and whether or not the current boom is ultimately going to hurt the brand. 
 

I also think this is why I like underdog brands like Zodiac so much. They don’t get the respect from so-called “aficionados” (barf) that their watches from the last several years deserve, but they make bitchin’ watches, and liking them kinda feels like being in on something good that other folks are ignoring. 

I think they are cool watches and Hublot puts a lot of money into RnD, but for me they’re just overpriced fashion pieces.

For this amount of money, a watch with a history-rich brand behind it is much more justified in my opinion.

Some of them have fascinating movements. Some look not entirely nauseating. Well, their design is nauseating, but at least the finishing seems really good.

However, they don't seem like the thing to wear unless you're an overpaid football star or you're just famous for being famous. Or if you're a spoiled child of a Russian oligarch, and papa wants to buy you a toy that costs more than an Invicta, but is roughly as ugly as an Invicta.

Bottom line, from a technical standpoint, the basic Hublots have movements based on the ETA 2892/Sellita SW-300. Looks like Hublot puts some thought into the modules they put on top of it - if they do at all - but still, that's not exactly very becoming of the money they ask for it. So...yeah, the power of marketing. Then there are their in-house movements, which would be great, if they weren't put in designs straight out of Eyal Lalo's wet dreams.

Other than that, they're an ugly duckling unfortunately conceived in an intercourse between the PP Nautilus and the AP Royal Oak in the Davy Jones' Locker of Jean-Claude Biver's megalomaniac mind.

Hublot barely catches my attention.  They are ticking exactly the wrong boxes for me. It's as if they were selling diamond-encrusted tractor wheels that also create a map of the soil composition they travel on - and I'm not even a farmer.

They may be well made but they scream gauche and for those seeking attention. 

Their tagline could well be, "Hublot: Proof Money Cannot Buy Good Taste."

The pimp look just isn't my thing.

Even if I had the cash, not a chance I would own one. Even if gifted one I wouldn't wear it. 

Hard pass. 

I 100% agree!!!

I enjoy my gold classic fusion 42MM.  It‘s a fun, unique piece to wear and the finishing on the thin case and sunburst grey dial are really impressive.  I know it’s not for everyone but if you get a chance to try one on, put aside what you think you know or heard about the brand and give it a shot.

Funny. I'd say nowadays this is so much truer for Rolex than for Hublot.

In my opinion the "entry" level Hublots are overpriced for what they offer, but as soon as you enter Big Bang or Meca 10 territory every doubt fades away. Those are top-notch movements with serious horological heft. People, who claim otherwise, don't know any better. Also, the cases are one of the most complex out there and the quality is amazing.

And don't get me started on the materials they are using: Their knowledge in this field pretty much exceeds every other brand (some with decades of history) and their courage to try new things is admirable.

Disrespecting all of this just because you don't like their style or their way of marketing doesn't make you a "connoisseur" but only demonstrates a very narrow viewpoint to this hobby.

Could not agree more - when it comes to case design no brand has advanced the tech more than Hublot in the last 20 years and there's stuff they can do with ceramics no one else is matching at any price.

I also agree on movements - get past the intro level and they swing as big a bat as anyone.

Which is really then a matter of styling - are you a mid century modern kind of person, less is more, international and timeless all that stuff - Hublot isn't for you.  Hublot is post modern contemporary, its playful, tells jokes, asks questions and reflects the world here and now.

For example - nothing says this is post pandemic 2022 (weird, difficult, confusing, complex) than a sang bleu while nothing says some calming timeless certainty more than a Sub.

Which is really then a matter of styling - are you a mid century modern kind of person, less is more, international and timeless all that stuff - Hublot isn't for you.

Yes, Hublot is probably not my cup of tea.