In such a calm, it would seem, world like the production of genuine Swiss watches, everything should be calm, as in a reputable Swiss bank. But time spurs even the most experienced watchmakers and makes them take a fresh look at such a familiar and familiar subject as a watch. An exclusive interview with Russian Emirates magazine during his visit to Dubai was given by Jean-Claude Bivet, Chief Executive Officer of the Swiss watchmaker Hublot, which is expanding its presence both in the markets of the CIS countries and in the Middle East.
- We know that the Hublot brand was presented in Moscow a couple of years ago. Now do you present your new watch in the Middle East?
- In fact, Hublot Big Bang watches have been sold in the countries of the Middle East for two years. We launched this brand in September 2004. Prior to this, the Hublot brand was considered a "sleeping" brand, and in order to "wake it up" we changed almost everything. A new team came, a new brand was launched, a new distribution network was created. That is, I can say that we started all over again and almost from scratch.
- Then tell me, please, what's new in this line of watches? What has been changed in it?
- Our new product is called Hublot Big Bang and is a unique blend of tradition and modernity. This genre is now called fusion. This means that in this model we do not repeat traditional Swiss watches, we create a new interpretation of watches aimed at the 21st century. In these watches we used some materials that were immediately in demand by the market. And this gave us the opportunity for a new start.
We started selling our watches in Moscow two years ago through a network of Mercury stores, as well as in Dubai in the stores of the Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons group, introducing just a new brand, a new company. Why am I talking about a new start. We decided to introduce the Hublot brand so that it is recognizable. Everywhere. To do this, you need to show yourself. This is exactly the same as if you check into a hotel and do not show yourself from your room during your stay. Nobody knows that you are in the country and in this hotel. The same thing happens in business. Want to be recognizable, show yourself!
- Do you think today that a period of two years is a sufficient period of time to become recognizable?
- Yes, that’s enough. Because Mr. Jake Tedechi has been working in the watch business for forty years, and I have been working for more than thirty years. And when you do something for a long time, you don’t have to spend a lot of time “promoting” a new brand. Starting a business is much more difficult for young people, because they do not know what awaits them tomorrow. For us - the elderly, such as me and Jake, everything is simpler, since we are already masters, veterans of watchmaking, and we know much of what young people have yet to comprehend from their own experience. We are the two oldest people in the Swiss watch industry.
“Have you worked with anyone else?”
- Yes, yes, of course. We know this industry, we are professionals. And when you are a professional and work in one area for a long time, you can choose a shorter way to achieve your goal. Therefore, in two years we have developed the Hublot brand. And we can do a lot, because the capabilities of our production allow us to produce ten times more hours than we produce now.
“And are you going to release more?”
“No, we're going to get enough.” I am happy with what I am doing now. Our position more than suits me. I am generally a happy person. Of course, we want to do more, but this is not expressed in the number of hours released. We want to become more famous all over the world. We want to expand our presence in Moscow, enter the markets of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. We want to be more widely represented in Dubai, and for this we plan to open our own store here, and not just sell our products through official agents. We still have a lot to do. Therefore, we are happy with what we managed to achieve, but we have many plans for the future.
- Where will your own watch store be located?
- We plan to open it in the Wafi City shopping center.
- At the beginning of our conversation, you said that you completely redesigned your watch. What for?
- We decided to move away from the classic watch canons. Our watches today have a more sporty appearance, since we believe that such a watchmaking artwork is needed by the modern dynamic business community. Classic Swiss watches are represented by many brands. We try not to compete with those who already exist, but to offer the market something completely new, which no one has. We also focus on the consumer. If you take Russian people, for example, then they like watches. Therefore, they already have a couple of watches that they constantly wear, but they always want something new. There is a Hublot for this.
- Who are your main customers? How can you characterize the fan of your watch?
- Usually these are young men and women. At the age of 25 to 45 years. These are people who have many different watches and who are happy to wear them. In addition, these are people who have a craving for collecting and leave the most interesting of modern watches as a keepsake. Our watches emphasize the individuality of those who are not afraid to change their image depending on the circumstances.
- How much is your watch? Who can they afford?
- Prices for our watches, depending on the design, start at ten thousand dollars and can reach one million. Of course, a million dollar watch is something special, encrusted with diamonds, and so on. But such models are custom made. And in a year we produce only two of these watches. In many other models, we also use precious stones: sapphires, rubies, tourmalines. This attracts modern consumers.
- Many of your models use rubber. Is it a fashion statement or something else?
- Rubber is another hallmark of our collections. We are pioneers of using this material in the manufacture of watches. Natural rubber is a very comfortable and flexible material and fits many styles. In addition, this unique natural material, which is produced in Malaysia on rubber tree plantations, does not cause allergies, does not leak water, does not moisten itself, is not subject to aging and has many other properties that make it indispensable. If you want to change the rubber strap to a leather or metal bracelet, you will understand after a while how comfortable the rubber is and return to its use.
Of course, we offer watches with leather straps and with bracelets made of steel or gold. But 90% of our sales are rubber models.
- Does your watch have a “face”, as is now customary, to invite celebrities to promote a new brand?
- Of course, many famous people are the so-called "ambassadors" of our brand, but unlike other watch brands, our "ambassadors" purchase Hublot watches and advertise them on hand every day. For example, Cindy Crawford received $ 1.8 million from an Omega watch ad. And the Hublot brand does not pay for advertising to people, we are simply grateful to all our customers, among them the King of Spain Juan Carlos II and other outstanding personalities. The advertising that people make to our brand is invisible, but extremely effective. If you appear at a presentation and see our watch on the other person’s wrist, then we don’t need any other advertising. We are for indirect advertising. Our philosophy is not to use specific celebrities as promoters of our watches. People who love to wear the Hublot on their wrists make us a name. Thanks to them.
/ Interviewed by Irina Ivanova /
