The watch brand, in tandem with tattoo artist Maxim Pleschia-Bushi, has released a special limited edition of Sang Bleu steel models. This is a women's watch in a recognizable faceted 39 mm case with a turquoise dial, against the background of which you can see an original geometric pattern inspired by the art of tattoos by Maxim Pleschia-Busha. 50 watches from the limited edition are available exclusively in Hublot boutiques in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
- Let's start with the Russian market. What is his share?
- We have been present in Russia since 2006, and we already consider this market mature. However, one must be careful with the numbers, since the Russian market is not only about sales in Russia, but also what Russians buy around the world.
- What can you say about Russian taste?
- I think that the Hublot concept itself is close to Russian buyers who like strong expressive designs, large, noticeable watches such as the Big Bang. Russian clients are always waiting for innovations and are ready to pay for them, for example, for bright ceramics or sapphire glass. They love original things - this is exactly what the Sang Bleu line belongs to. As for women, this segment is very strong in the Russian market - it accounts for over 40% of Hublot's sales in Russia.
Sang Bleu watches © press service
- Is that why you made a special model for the Russian market for women?
- Of course! And this is really a rare case. Most of the other limited editions include men's watches, including last year's "Russian" watches dedicated to the World Cup.
- Is turquoise the idea of a Russian winter?
- Not really. Rather, it's just a pretty shade that women love and associate with. We did not change the canonical design of Sang Bleu, but we needed a new shade - bright, fashionable, interesting. We also discussed the color scheme with the Mercury team. Turquoise is not that often found in watch collections, even in ours - we worked with sky blue.
- The model presented at the Only Watch auction was a similar shade.
- Yes, but that was the corporate color of the auction itself. And it was a male model. I can say that lately men are not indifferent to unusual creative shades. For example, white watches are very popular now.
- What do you personally like about cooperation with Maxim Pleschia-Bushi?
“Our collaboration demonstrates how watchmaking can be inspired by other art forms, thus transforming the watch itself into a work of art - whether it is about high technology, complications or the visual embodiment of another kind of craft in watches, such as tattoos. After all, what we do: we reimagine the art of tattooing, which has never happened before. It is important that we do not lock ourselves within the borders of Switzerland, but cooperate with the Italian automobile concern Ferrari, with the British rock group Depeche Mode, with artists around the world.
- What was the most difficult part of creating this watch?
- We decided that it was not enough just to put the Sang Bleu logo in the form of a tattoo - the art of tattooing should come to life. Therefore, we have developed skeletonized arrow discs that rotate around their axis. They are heavier than the classic hour and minute hands. Obviously, the arrows have their own weight, that their movement must be precise, that they must not touch each other - we have solved all these technical problems.
- What is the percentage of limited editions in Hublot production?
- About 15-20% of our sales. This means that the remaining 80-85% are regular collections. Limited editions are talking, iconic things that help us tell stories. And stories are what makes people dream. Limits are always created in collaboration - all Sang Bleu or Ferrari collections are produced in limited editions that will never be repeated. All 50 watches Big Bang Sang Bleu Steel Turquoise Special Edition will be sold exclusively in Russia. Their price is 1.3 million rubles.
- How will you celebrate the 40th anniversary next year?
- We are planning to organize exhibitions traveling all over the world. But we do not want to limit ourselves to the chronology of these 40 years. Hublot watches, created in 1980, have remained more or less unchanged for 24 years. But since 2005, the concept Art of Fusion has appeared, the art of combining the incongruous - and this is the essence of Hublot. By the way, in the 80s we were the first to equip a gold watch with a rubber strap.
- What is the strength of Hublot?
- We know how to create icons - beautiful and recognizable things that appear in very different guises, but always remain themselves. This is our Big Bang watch, released in 2004 - its very strong design was a real breakthrough for the brand. For 15 years, the Hublot brand has become one of the five most important watch manufacturers in the world, today we produce about 60 thousand pieces a year.>