TIMEPIECES
Hublot and Marc Ferrero celebrate the
21st Century Woman
In turn, wife, mother, friend, lover, businesswoman, femme fatale, fashion icon, or a night owl, for every hour of the day, the modern woman sets herself apart as unpredictable, multifaceted, and unique. Artist Marc Ferrero finds his muse in the multifaceted and headstrong woman of the 21st Century to epitomize his creations in collaboration with Hublot.
It wouldn’t be false to say that the Swiss luxury brand has redefined luxury and its definition with some of the most interesting ventures since its inception in 1980. Deriving its name from the French word for ‘porthole,’ the brand has brought a newer perspective to style, horology, and art. From the concept of fusion to creating a smart system to detect counterfeits, Hublot has always been innovating and reinventing. The Swiss brand was also the first brand that used natural rubber straps for a gold luxury timepiece – a result of three years of research and development and $1 million to find the right method to reduce the chances of cracking or staining of the rubber strap. The first watch created by Carlo Crocco, founder of Hublot, which was showcased at the 1980 Basel Watch Fair, failed to attract a single potential customer at the fair but later on went to be a commercial hit making over $2 million worth of business. Not only did it become an integral part of the sports watches, but it also got a respectable stature in the world of luxury timepieces. This very rubber strap was the founding stone of the ‘Art of Fusion’ literally as well as metamorphically! Combining various contrasting elements became synonymous with Hublot’s ethos.
EXCITING COLLABORATIONS
While there have been many partnerships with brands in the art, automobiles, music, and more, the brand further went to be the first luxury watchmaking company to be soccer and sponsor the Swiss National Soccer team in 2006, a bold move that might have raised eyebrows within the watch world. Still, it proved to be a smart move as the players wore their Hublot Big Bang ASF bringing the Swiss watch brand into the limelight.
The brand has had a keen eye for artists and creators that could add a possible vision and parallel thinking to the world of art as well as be integrated into the world of horology and craftsmanship. The collaborated with Carlos Cruz-Diez in 2015 highlighted Cruz-Diez in kinetic art - a disruptive art form that places the spectator’s perception at the center of the piece to question the purpose and status of a work of art. The collection brought an array of colors in constant motion, changing in potentially infinite combinations. Beyond the purely visual effect, the horological color composition changes and evolves with the passing of the hours, minutes, and seconds, mirroring other works by the late artist.
THE BIG BANG COLLECTION
When Jean-Claude Biver joined Hublot in 2004, he wanted to take the brand to reach a new level. Reaching back to Hublot’s roots
and created a watch was represented the true essence of Hublot – the fusion of unusual materials together and emphasize the Art of Fusion. Fifteen years later, the Big Bang still holds the title to be one of the most desirable watches and has been recreated in various versions. Last year, Hublot collaborated with Marc Ferrero, the artist behind Storytelling Art, to create a collection of watches that glorified the spirit of womanhood in the 21st Century, who distinguishes herself through the multiplicity of her roles. With the spinels in shades of red, and topazes for the turquoise version, forty-two fine stones decorated the bezel of the 39-mm case. The dial was where all the magic happened. The artist finds the modern woman to be in black shades and bright lipstick, that she is confident in her skin yet mysterious. With one touch of its “One Click” patented fastening system, the collection was limited to 50 pieces per version. The leather strap for this version was in alligator and rubber, adding a touch of sophistication appropriate for the moment.
THE BIG BANG ONE CLICK MARC FERRERO 2.0
For its second edition of the artistic collaboration with the master of Storytelling Art, Hublot invites ‘Lipstick’ ones again but this time in a monochromatic look. In the form of two 100 limited-edition numbered models, with a lacquered dial and calf and rubber strap and one in satin-finish polished steel and resin, all in white. The other is black ceramic with a lacquered dial and calf and rubber strap, in a combination of black and white. Both the versions have the artist’s representation of the headstrong woman on the dial with dark sunglasses and a flashy red lipstick – the only element that has color. The dials of both the watches are set with two diamonds that elevate the presentation of the watch. These versions of the Big Bang are introduced with the One-Click technology. The straps of the watch carry the artist’s creations, adding a chic yet spontaneous and fun spirit. Like the other members of the Big Bang Collection, these watches also have interchangeable straps in matching alligator skin and rubber.
«I love the power of black and white. Shade and light. Yin and Yang. One is profound, unclassifiable, eternal. The other is subtle, ethereal, timeless. They symbolize antitheses and complementarity. Choosing black and white means getting straight to the point without an excess of tonalities. The black and white make ‘Lipstick’ even more graphic and its red lipstick—more magnetic.” – said Marc Ferrero.