What does it take to make a mark on the world of watchmaking? Is it having the centuries-old name of a great watchmaker? Is it the claim of once being a watchmaker to royalty? Or does bringing something new to an industry built on tradition suffice?
I like to think it can be any of the above. Hublot might not share the same heritage as many other brands out there, but since it’s establishment over 30 years ago the “porthole” brand has brought out countless innovations to the industry in terms of material use and combinations. And yet, Hublot rarely receives the credit it deserves for practically revolutionizing a watch part we tend to overlook: the rubber strap.
Carlo Crocco founded Hublot in 1980, with the intention of manufacturing luxury sports watches built around the world of water sports. As Crocco was an avid sailor, he was unsatisfied with the metal bracelets and leather straps solely available at the time. He wanted to create a watch that looked as good with a suit and tie as it did on the deck of a sailboat. Since he found metal bracelets uncomfortable and leather straps unsuited for getting wet, he decided to give rubber a try.
But remember that back in 1980 a luxury watch with a rubber strap was simply unheard of. To most, it simply didn’t make sense. The idea of combining a precious metal like gold with the same material car tires are made of was flabbergasting.
There were those however who immediately saw the benefits of a rubber strap. It was softer and more durable than conventional leather straps and didn’t look as sporty as a watch on a metal bracelet. It was completely suited to watersports and warmer humid climates, where sweat tends to alter and decompose leather over time.
Within a few years of its initial launch in 1980, Hublot became the “it” watch among jet setters and European royalty such as the Kings of Greece, Sweden, Spain and the Prince of Monaco. I guess we could say that Hublot was a watchmaker to the royal courts after all!
In more recent times Hublot has taken its staple rubber strap to new heights, with different textures and designs like the smooth rubber of the 80’s to the tire-tread pattern of the Big Bang’s strap in 2004. Hublot has even combined rubber with other materials like calf and alligator leather, flameproof NOMEX, and even denim. In fact, Hublot even want so far as to produce a tourbillon watch (Big Bang Gummy Tourbillon) coated in rubber to pay homage to the material that put Hublot on the map.
Today, just about every single watchmaking brand out there has a rubber strap somewhere in their lineup, and its use has expanded far beyond just sports watches. But let’s remember who first had the audacity to use this wonderful material in a luxury watch, forever changing our perception rubber.