hublot genewa

The story of Jean-Claude Biver and how he has shaken up one sleepy Swiss watch company after another is a great one, but today I’m only going to focus a small part of it, and that will be how he revolutionized Hublot, a tiny company, with his Big Bang watch. Everyone who has met Mr Biver knows that he is a character who is far larger than life. So after leaving the Swatch Group where he had done various jobs including overhauling the Omega brand,? Mr Biver seemed to have gone to ground. When he emerged it was as a part-owner and manager of Hublot.Now Hublot was a relatively new Swiss watch producer. It was only formed in 1980. But it was one that had been incredibly creative and had innovated from the very beginning when Carlo Crocco , its founder, introduced rubber straps on expensive gold watches. The idea seemed mad to most people in the industry but it soon picked up a dedicated following. For one thing, people were attracted by the fact that the rubber didn’t cause allergic reactions to some people who struggle with traditional watch straps and materials. It is also not quite clear why, but the Spanish royal family soon took a liking to the early Hublot watches. That started a craze in Spain where the watch has been popular ever since.In 2004 when Mr Biver took charge of Hublot he thought that its line up had become a bit stale and he wanted to make a huge impression while still keeping with Hublot’s tradition of using innovation. His answer was the Big Bang, which took unusual materials such as gold and ceramic and fused them together with a bang. All sorts of strange materials are used. While titanium watches have become quite popular in recent years,Hublot takes things 10 steps further by combining materials such as Kevlar, red gold, magnesium, titanium and carbon fibre. Mr Biver describes it as a fusion of traditional Swiss Watch making with the Twenty-first century.These are big and bold watches that are designed to stand out on the arm, not to blend in. Hublot has also crafted a large number of special editions such as the million dollar watch which is covered in diamonds, or a bright red valentines day Big Bang (which would match nicely, I suppose with a pair of red earrings).Hublot has continued to expand and to innovate on the Big Bang. It recently opened in big new factory and has started making and designing its own mechanical movements, a move which sets it apart from quite a large number of other Swiss Watch companies that simply build the case and buy a movement to go in it.Some of those who watch the industry closely worry about whether Hublot is too focused on a single watch, even though it comes in many variations, but for now it is doing well. Mr Biver is a consummate marketing expert and keeps finding new ways to innovate and promote his watches. Among his recent moves were to sponsor Manchester United football club and to get involved in the Americas Cup yacht race. The man whom the Economist magazine called a “salesman of the irrational” seems likely to keep coming up with ideas and designs that should keep Hublot a trend-setting Swiss watch producer for years to come.A bright red watch to match the season

Paris, 24 April 2008 LVMH Mo?t Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world's leading luxury group, announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire the Hublot group, a top of the range watchmaker enjoying very strong growth. LVMH will acquire Hublot from Mr Carlo Crocco, who founded the group in 1980, and a company controlled by Mr Jean-Claude Biver, who has managed Hublot since 2004. Hublot is a brand that is highly complementary to LVMH's existing watch portfolio comprising TAG Heuer, the world leader in prestigious sport watches and chronographs, the Swiss Watch Manufacturer Zenith, Dior Montres, Louis Vuitton watches sold exclusively in Louis Vuitton stores, and the watch collections of jewellers Chaumet, Fred and De Beers. STRONG GROWTH POTENTIAL Hublot, which has its headquarters and workshops near Geneva, has started building a factory at Nyon to accommodate its expansion plans. Having grown at a rapid pace since 2004, the brand achieved net revenue of more than CHF150 million in 2007 with an excellent profitability. A very significant increase in revenue is expected in 2008. Today, Hublot has a very selective and efficient distribution network which is limited to 300 stores worldwide. Hublot has a well-balanced geographic footprint spanning Switzerland, Spain, France, Germany, the US, Latin America, Middle East, Russia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore... The brand has recently been launched in China and India and has strong growth potential in Asia, Japan, North America and in certain European markets.EXCEPTIONAL WATCHES AND CHRONOGRAPHS Hublot offers ranges of exceptional quality watches that are innovative, very differentiated and combining fusions of materials, precious metals, (gold, platinum,...) technological metals (titanium, tantalum...), ceramics, diamonds and natural rubber. The renowned Big Bang collection includes models equipped with automatic movements whose prices range from �8,000 (steel and ceramic) to over �300,000, integrating precious metals and technical complexity. A new Big Bang collection for women was launched at the last Basel watch fair with great success. Finally, the traditional classic line has been recently redesigned using natural rubber, zircon, gold and ceramics. Carlo Crocco, founder of Hublot, said : "I am happy that Hublot, an innovative brand since is creation, is joining the LVMH group, the world leader in luxury goods, whose creative passion is without any doubt a value that I have always shared." Jean-Claude Biver, the architect of the success of the Big Bang collection and the recent strong growth of Hublot, commented: "I am delighted that Hublot will be able to benefit from LVMH's support and strategic leadership in the luxury goods industry and so maximise its growth potential in the years to come. I am happy to be pursuing this adventure and to be able to contribute to the development of LVMH's watch*** division alongside Philippe Pascal." Philippe Pascal, Chief Executive Officer of LVMH's Watches & Jewelry business group, added: "Hublot is a strategic and very complementary acquisition. Its high-end positioning, selective distribution, financial performance and growth potential make Hublot a 'rising star'. Hublot will strengthen our Watches & Jewelry business group which, over the last three years, has been growing strongly. We are very happy that Jean-Claude Biver will, along with the management team of Hublot, continue on this remarkable journey and contribute his considerable expertise to our development in this promising sector." About LVMH LVMH Mo?t Hennessy Louis Vuitton is the world's leading luxury goods group. The Group is represented in Wines and Spirits by a portfolio of brands that includes Mo?t & Chandon, Dom P��rignon, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Krug, Ruinart, Chateau d'Yquem, Hennessy, Glenmorangie, Ardbeg, Belvedere Vodka, Chopin, 10 Cane, Chandon, Cloudy Bay, Terrazas de los Andes, Cheval des Andes, Green Point, Cape Mentelle, Newton. Its Fashion and Leather Goods division includes Louis Vuitton, the world's leading luxury brand, as well as Celine, Loewe, Kenzo, Givenchy, Thomas Pink, Fendi, Emilio Pucci, Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Berluti, StefanoBi as well as eLUXURY, the authoritative online source for luxury goods on the Internet. LVMH is present in the Perfumes and Cosmetics sector with Parfums Christian Dior, Guerlain, Parfums Givenchy, Parfums Kenzo, Perfumes Loewe as well as other promising cosmetic companies (BeneFit Cosmetics, Make Up For Ever, Acqua di Parma and Fresh). LVMH is also active in selective retailing through DFS, Sephora in Europe and the United States, Le Bon March�� and la Samaritaine. LVMH's Watches and Jewelry division comprises TAG Heuer, Chaumet, Christian Dior Watches, Zenith, Fred and De Beers Diamond Jewellers Limited, a joint venture created with the world's leading diamond group.