Marking The Hours With Julien Tornare, CEO Of Hublot On Innovation, Growing India Market And More!

With 27 years in the luxury watch industry, Julien Tornare has been at the forefront of horological evolution, shaping brands with his strategic acumen and deep market understanding. Before taking the helm at Hublot in 2017, he played a pivotal role in revitalizing Zenith, expanding its global footprint, and driving innovation. Under his leadership, Hublot has pushed the boundaries of watchmaking with groundbreaking materials, bold designs, and an ever-growing presence in emerging markets.

Now, for the first time in his career as the CEO of Hublot, Julien Tornare visits India—a nation with a rising luxury consumer base and an increasing fascination for high horology. In this exclusive conversation with Karishma Karer, Founder of The Hour Markers, he delves into Hublot’s strategic vision, the significance of this milestone visit, and what lies ahead for the brand in one of the world’s most promising luxury landscapes.

Julien has always been passionate about the brands he heads. What changes can one expect to see at Hublot? Sharing his insights he said, “Hublot has been a great success as a brand when it started in 2004-2005. It came from being a small brand to now a major player. However, when you reach a certain size it’s very important to remember the key ingredients to success. Hublot now needs to focus on reinforcing its innovation and creative dimension in materials and dynamic marketing more cohesively. I would also like to work on the watchmaking aspect which is not known enough at Hublot. On a fun note: I’m actually working for a brand that’s younger than me for the first time!”

Hublot as a brand is very innovative and makes watches that give us a peak into the future of watchmaking. Several brands are innovative and have been in existence for years because of which they always draw inspiration from the past and we see re-editions from them. However, Hublot is changing that. But, Hublot being a hyperactive brand - would we see a change in its tonality or approach? “No, it’s part of the DNA of the brand. If Hublot becomes a normal brand then you may attract more people but lose ground”, he added.

The brand is also about cultivating a family like the Hublotista. Sharing more about this he said, “Hublotista is one of the best owners watch community for me. It was very strong years ago and I would like to restart it. And so, I’ve been touring as part of this to meet with the landlords where we would need space but also the end-clients in Switzerland, China and now India.”

Moving on the conversation shifted towards how market perception is changing and minimalism has become the new theme of the watch industry. Would the Classic Fusion shine brighter than the Big Bang this year? “The Classic Fusion has experienced great growth for the past few years and the Big Bang too was a majority of our sales but now there has been a balance between both. The Classic Fusion will be more about bringing more value and substance to the dial while remaining classic. As for the Big Bang - it will focus on being sporty and bold and bringing new things. Our high-end jewellery pieces are also bringing innovation to the forefront so we have a very well-balanced collection.”

What can one expect from Hublot at Watches And Wonders 2025? He said, “We displayed beautiful watches at LVMH Watch Week 2025 in February and continuing that at Watches and Wonders 2025, we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Big Bang with watches themed around that. Additionally, the booth will also be dynamic. One can expect to see a few limited-editions, special editions, and more!”

The conversation ended with Julien giving us an insight on the Hublot India edition!

Watch the full interview here.