You will not confuse a Hublot with any other watch. That’s a deliberate design choice and a commercially effective one. When Jean-Claude Biver took over the brand in 2004, he articulated the concept as fusion: unexpected combinations of materials that shouldn’t work together but do. Natural rubber meets gold. Carbon fibre meets ceramic. The result is a watch that divides opinion, and any watch that generates strong opinions has marketing power that money can’t replicate.
Watch Avenue buys, sells, and sources Hublot watches for clients across Australia. The Big Bang is one of the most recognisable luxury watches in the world, and we handle them regularly.
Hublot was founded in 1980 by Carlo Crocco, an Italian living in Switzerland. His original concept was a gold watch on a natural rubber strap, which at the time was considered a radical combination. The watch community did not entirely warm to it at first, but the market for accessible luxury did. The name Hublot is simply the French word for porthole, a reference to the round case with visible screws.
The brand remained relatively niche through the 1980s and 1990s. Jean-Claude Biver’s arrival changed everything. Biver’s philosophy was simple: be the first, unique, and different. He expanded the case, introduced titanium and ceramic materials, developed in-house movements, and partnered with Formula 1, football, and art to build brand visibility at an extraordinary rate.
LVMH acquired Hublot in 2008, providing the resources to accelerate both production and marketing. The brand’s growth through the 2010s was among the fastest in the watch industry. Today, Hublot is one of the most commercially recognised luxury watch brands in the world, particularly in sports and entertainment contexts.
The criticism of Hublot often focuses on the aggressive marketing and partnership-led identity. That’s a fair observation, but it misses what the brand actually does technically.
The Hublot secondary market is active but price-sensitive. Current production pieces generally trade at a discount to retail, sometimes a significant one. This is partly supply-driven, partly because the brand’s marketing creates strong first-purchase demand that doesn’t always translate to secondary market premium.
Where Hublot performs well in resale is in limited edition and collaboration references. A Hublot Big Bang tied to a major FIFA World Cup, a celebrated artist collaboration, or a limited production run will hold value considerably better than a standard production piece. These are the references worth watching.
Condition matters a great deal in the Hublot market. The rubber strap degrades over time, and replacements are needed. Cases show wear in ways that affect perception of value. Well-preserved examples with original documentation consistently trade better than equivalent pieces that have been worn hard.
Hublot is one of the brands where grey market buying makes most sense. The discount to retail on current production is real, the authentication is manageable for an experienced team, and the supply is generally good enough that specific references can be located relatively quickly.
We authenticate every Hublot before it changes hands. Serial number verification, movement confirmation, strap and clasp assessment, and case integrity checks are all standard. For limited editions, provenance documentation adds value, and we disclose it fully.
If you’re selling a Hublot, bring us the reference, year, condition details, and any accompanying documentation. We’ll value it accurately against current market data.
Watch Avenue is a Sydney-based watch expert and advisor specialising in luxury pre-owned and grey-market watches. We work with clients across Australia to buy and sell high-end timepieces. Get in touch with the team to see how we can help you.
