Hublot is much younger than many traditional Swiss watch brands, but it established a recognisable identity very quickly. The company did not begin by trying to imitate older maisons. Instead, its early success came from combining materials that luxury watchmaking rarely placed together.
That idea eventually developed into the modern Hublot language of ceramic, carbon, titanium, sapphire and rubber, but the starting point was surprisingly simple.
The Beginning in 1980
Carlo Crocco introduced the first Hublot watch in 1980. Its most important feature was not a complicated movement or unusual display. It was the combination of a precious metal case with a black rubber strap.
Today that pairing feels familiar, but at the time rubber was not normally associated with luxury watches. Crocco used the contrast deliberately, creating a watch that felt elegant without following conventional dress-watch rules.
The round case and visible bezel screws were inspired by the appearance of a ship’s porthole. The French word for porthole, hublot, eventually became the name by which the brand itself was known.
Many of the ideas that later defined Hublot were already present in this first watch. The contrast between traditional luxury materials and something more functional became more important than any single model.
The influence of Carlo Crocco’s original design can still be seen in modern Classic Fusion watches. The 2026 Classic Fusion Tributo returned to the same basic idea with a compact 38mm case, black rubber strap and restrained dial while updating the mechanical side for a modern audience.
Readers can explore that connection in our article on Carlo Crocco’s 1980 Hublot and the Classic Fusion Tributo.
Jean Claude Biver Changes the Scale of the Brand
Hublot entered a very different period when Jean Claude Biver became involved with the company in the early 2000s.
Rather than turning Hublot into a more conservative Swiss watch brand, the company moved further in the opposite direction. Cases became larger, designs more architectural and material combinations more aggressive.
The idea later described as the Art of Fusion brought together traditional watchmaking with ceramic, rubber, carbon, precious metals and increasingly technical movement construction.
This period changed how Hublot was perceived. The brand was no longer defined mainly by the original gold and rubber watch. It began developing a much stronger and more recognisable modern identity.
Big Bang Becomes the Defining Modern Hublot
The introduction of the Big Bang in 2005 became the most important turning point in Hublot’s modern history.
The watch took ideas already present in earlier Hublot designs and amplified them. The case became more layered, the bezel screws more prominent and the combination of rubber, metal and technical materials much more visible.
The result was a watch that looked unmistakably modern. Big Bang became the model most closely associated with Hublot and later expanded into numerous variations using ceramic, titanium, carbon, sapphire and precious metals.
For readers interested in Hublot Big Bang replica watches, this period is also important because the collection became one of the most frequently reproduced Hublot designs. Its popularity created a wide range of replica versions, but the complicated case architecture also made differences in quality relatively easy to identify.
From Big Bang to Classic Fusion and Spirit of Big Bang
Hublot did not abandon its quieter designs after the success of Big Bang. Classic Fusion continued to represent a slimmer and more restrained interpretation of the same basic brand language.
That contrast became useful. Big Bang offered a louder, more technical appearance, while Classic Fusion kept a stronger connection to the simplicity of Crocco’s original watches.
Spirit of Big Bang later moved many familiar Hublot ideas into a tonneau-shaped case. The new shape changed the way the watch sat on the wrist while preserving the brand’s interest in skeletonised dials and unusual materials.
The MP collection pushed things further again, using complicated movements and unconventional displays that allowed Hublot to experiment beyond the traditional chronograph format.
These families are explained in more detail in our Hublot Collections section.
Why Materials Became Part of Hublot’s Identity
The history of Hublot cannot really be separated from materials. Rubber started that story, but ceramic, titanium, carbon and sapphire later became just as important.
Hublot’s approach was rarely about using unusual materials simply because they were new. The materials changed the way the watches looked, felt and interacted with the case construction.
Ceramic allowed stronger colour and hard surfaces. Titanium reduced weight. Carbon created technical patterns and textures. Sapphire allowed the case itself to become transparent.
For replica watches, this evolution created a different challenge. Matching the basic shape of a watch is one thing. Reproducing the appearance and finishing of an unusual material is much harder.
A Hublot replica with convincing material finishing therefore needs more than the correct colour. Texture, reflection, edge definition and the way different surfaces meet all matter.
Our Hublot Materials page explains those differences in greater detail.
How Hublot’s Past Still Shapes the Current Range
Modern Hublot watches can look very different from Carlo Crocco’s first design, but the underlying idea has remained surprisingly consistent.
The original watch challenged traditional luxury by placing gold next to rubber. Big Bang expanded that philosophy into layered cases and more aggressive material combinations. Later collections pushed it into transparent sapphire, carbon construction and increasingly complicated movements.
That continuity is why the brand’s history matters when comparing modern watches. The collections may have changed, but Hublot has repeatedly returned to the same basic idea of combining materials and design languages that were not traditionally expected to sit together.
For readers following Hublot replica watches, understanding that history also makes modern comparisons easier. A good replica should not only copy a logo or dial colour. It should reproduce the design decisions that make a Big Bang, Classic Fusion or Spirit of Big Bang feel recognisably different from another collection.
For current releases and developments, continue to our Hublot News section. Readers interested in practical comparison advice can also visit our Hublot Buying Guides.