In 2008, Hublot agreed a sponsorship deal with the football club Manchester United, worth £4 million a year. In March 2010, Hublot was appointed the Official Watchmaker of Formula 1™. In April 2010 Hublot became the official time keeper of the 2010FIFA World Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
The Jean-Claude Biver era
Carlo Crocco, preoccupied by his own design work and many activities for the Hand-in-Hand Foundation, a charity helping deprived children all around the world, set out to look for the man who could oversee his watchmaking business. In late 2003, Jean-Claude Biver met Carlo Crocco, and in May 2004, Jean-Claude Biver assumed his duties as CEO, becoming a board member and minority shareholder in Hublot watches.
Subsidiaries
Hublot owns two subsidiaries, one in the United States and the other in Japan. It continues to produce “Classic” watches in parallel to the “Big Bang” collection. The number of pieces produced stood at 24,000 in 2007 and is estimated to reach 30,000 in 2008.
With the arrival of Jean-Claude Biver in 2004, the brand’s sales hit 24 million Swiss francs. By the end of 2006, sales were bordering on the 100 million Swiss franc mark.
The brand has grown since the arrival of Jean-Claude Biver and forecasts show sales of 150 million for the end of 2007 and 220 million for 2008. A new manufacture is planned for the beginning of 2009.
Hublot stores
In February 2007, Hublot opened its first mono-brand store in Paris, in the Rue Saint-Honoré. The second was opened in the summer, in the Hôtel Byblos, Saint-Tropez.
Hublot WiseKey
At BaselWorld 2009, Hublot released a new way to detect counterfeit watches. Using a WiseKey smart card the system authenticates watches on Hublot’s servers. It will appear in August of 2009.
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