by Kyle Stults on February 09, 2010
Hodinkee and Horomundi Share Good Insights In Recent Interviews With Hublot’s Jean-Claude Biver
In October 2009, I wrote an article “Beyond the Big Bang – What’s Next for Hublot?” in which (among other things) I stated the following:
…I do think that Hublot Big Bang has and continues to be a very desirous watch right now. But…… I am concerned. I am concerned that Hublot has now effectively become one watch, and one watch only – the Big Bang. Not only that, but I also see that the appeal, the allure, the magic, of the Big Bang is at risk of fizzling due to the number of variations that Hublot continues to introduce. Seemingly every month a new “limited” or “special” edition Big Bang is released, but in reality these are nothing more than Big Bang’s with a new color scheme or with a special logo on the dial….My point here is that it is too much – it is getting tiring – and I think it is starting to dilute the credential of the Big Bang. Audemars Piguet found itself in a similar position several years ago with its Royal Oak Offshore watches – too many variations and one-off special editions – and some watch enthusiasts started to turn away. Thankfully for AP, it was diversified – offering a much broader lineup of watches than just the Royal Oak. Hublot is not in this position.
While my position hasn’t really changed – and in fact Jean-Claude Biver very recently acknowledged the validity of my position (which I’ll get to in a second) - it is noteworthy that (anecdotally speaking) Hublot continues to defy the watch slump by being one of the better performing watch brands in the marketplace today. I can believe this because Hublot makes very cool watches – watches that people want – and it creates a very special aura around owning a “Big Bang” through its often personal and hands-on marketing efforts from Jean-Claude Biver himself.
Fast forward to the present. Earlier this week, watch enthusiasts were treated to two very interesting encounters with The Man himself. I’ll excerpt a couple tidbits here, but I do highly recommend reading each one of them. First Hodinkee.com, at a Hublot sponsored event at a swank New York restaurant, gleaned some great insights as can be read in “A Glance At The New Hublot: Jean-Claude Talks Giving Back, BNB, & The Future of the Big Bang“. Most notable for me was this exchange:
[Hodinkee asked] When will we see something from Hublot that’s NOT a Big Bang? Mr. Biver had this to say, “Asking me that question is like asking a Porsche engineer in 1990 when we will see something besides the 911. It is a benchmark for the brand and right now we are going to continue with it for many years to come. I say 1990 because years later Porsche released the Boxster (a less expensive sportscar), the Cayenne (an SUV), and now even the Panamera (a four-door), but in 1990, Porsche had only the 911. In ten years, I may have something else to say, but the Big Bang is our Porsche 911.”
OK, good point JC Biver makes – overall, the Big Bang is working, so why not continue to drive that for all its worth. Even so, Porsche had to broaden its portfolio eventually! There is another good picture and discussion with Hodinkee about Hublot’s new UNICO movement family and where the fit in the overall Hublot pyramid – so be sure to check out the full Hodinkee article here.
Next, Revolution Magazine’s Wei Koh penned “The Luxury Übermensch: An Interview with Jean-Claude Biver” – posted in its entirety for your enjoyment also at Horomundi.com. The interview is very good, very insightful and by no means coddling:
Have you made any mistakes or failed in anyway at Hublot? [Biver:] I would say that I have made mistakes but fortunately, none that have impacted me in a major way. I think I expanded the collection too fast. I think I have too many references, and I abused limited editions. So that is already quite a few mistakes, but they did not do any lasting damage and we had it corrected.
In what way did you go wrong with limited editions? [Biver:] The idea was correct but the quantities related to limited editions were wrong. The idea was correct because if you are a mono-product brand, you have to ask yourself how many of the same watch is a consumer willing to buy from you. He can buy one watch ultimately. If I make the same watch in three materials, in theory, he can buy three. But how can I get him to buy the fourth one? You see, when I have a customer with my watch on his wrist, I never want him to quit my brand. But if he is buying three or four watches per year, I want to remain in consideration. How do I achieve this? How do I get these people? I make a limited edition in memory of Ayrton Senna because it has a great emotional story or I make one related to Alinghi or Manchester United because this will strike a different emotional chord. So you see, limited editions are a necessity. But between the necessity of making a few and the evil of making too many, there is a fine balance! We lost this balance but have corrected it.
My point exactly (!) and I am heartened to hear JC Biver speak candidly on this. Now these 2 questions were only a small part of the broader interview – there is a wealth of great insights throughout the rest, including more discussion of Hublot’s move towards being a manufacture, the importance and meaning of the “in house movement” moniker, the [possible] classic-ization of the Big Bang, and much more….if you are interested it is very much worth the read.
So what’s my point in all this? Well, first it is Not hear to say “I told you so” – rather I am glad that Hublot realizes that while there may be lots of runway left for the Big Bang, it is a bit overextended in terms of references, limited editions and colors. This is the best thing about a great leader and visionary like Jean-Claude Biver – he is not so hung up on his own accomplishments (of which there are many!) as to think that he can do no wrong. He comes across as being constantly introsepctive and adaptive. And this is why, even though I have not met him, I admire Biver and in my own actions try to emulate qualities such as these. Still, while Hublot is now mostly focused now on its new UNICO movements and becoming a manufacture, as well as continuing to extend the success of the Big Bang, I still think that the top of the mountain has already been reached for the Big Bang and I hope that Hublot will be ready for the next ascent.
Related posts:
