Julien Tornare, CEO of Hublot: “Hublot Will Rebalance Its Investments”

Met at the manufacture’s headquarters during the intense year-end sales period, Julien Tornare nonetheless displays a broad smile and undiminished energy despite the pressure. There is a palpable appetite to rapidly turn the ambitions he has set for Hublot into reality. Founded in 1980 by Carlo Crocco and owned by the LVMH Group since 2008, the brand—set to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2030—seems tailor-made for this Geneva native, whose watchmaking career has unfolded without interruption since 1997. Seventeen years at Vacheron Constantin, six years at Zenith, and since July 2024 at the head of Hublot, Julien Tornare is deeply passionate about fine watchmaking, while openly fascinated by the brand’s creative freedom—a rare asset he intends to bring into a world of high watchmaking that is often too conservative.

Before taking the helm of Hublot, what was your view of the brand?

Julien Tornare. Hublot is a brand I have always greatly admired for its extremely innovative and creative spirit, and for the dynamism of its marketing. What I did not expect, however, was the very high level of its watchmaking. I cut my teeth at Vacheron Constantin and then at Zenith—houses with a long heritage, very traditional, and strongly focused on movements and watchmaking savoir-faire. When I arrived at Hublot, I discovered remarkable work. The brand does not yet receive the recognition it deserves for its watchmaking skills. My role will be to highlight these far more clearly, while preserving the start-up spirit that defines Hublot, but adding more organization, processes, and structure in order to move to the next stage.

You are taking over the brand at a time when it has lost momentum in terms of revenue and sales. What resources is LVMH providing to help you relaunch the dynamic and guide the brand toward high watchmaking?

I would nuance that. Between 2005 and 2022, Hublot was among the two or three brands that experienced the most spectacular growth. Credit must be given to my predecessors for that. Then came Covid in 2020, followed by the euphoria of 2021 and 2022 with so-called revenge buying, when demand exceeded production capacity and the watch industry overheated significantly. Today, I believe the entire sector has too many watches on the market. Added to this are economic and geopolitical difficulties. For the past 18 to 24 months, the industry as a whole has been struggling. Hublot’s two historic engines—innovation and creativity—have slowed somewhat, while other competitors have come on very strong behind us. That is precisely what I am in the process of correcting.

You have stated your ambition to make Hublot one of the five major players in high watchmaking, even though the brand is not spontaneously classified in that category. Do you really have the means to do so?

Yes, clearly. What is missing is not watchmaking expertise, but the visibility of that work. In just a few decades, Hublot has developed the Unico, the Meca-10, and all its major complications in-house. We already have a solid watchmaking foundation, but one that is largely unknown to the general public.

This move upmarket relies heavily on the manufacture. You are about to inaugurate a new unit, nearly doubling the surface area. Why?

Indeed, by regrouping Hublot within the “H2” building and the future “H3” building, connected by an underground passage, we will almost double our working space. The historic “H1” unit will be vacated but will remain the property of LVMH. It could host other brands or start-ups, with the idea of creating a kind of mini-campus—a research and innovation laboratory that will further fuel Hublot.

Why double the manufacturing space?

Because we want to significantly develop our watchmaking capacity: new movements, new grand complications, and a higher level of finishing. We have a product and movement roadmap mapped out through 2030. In terms of volume, however, we remain cautious.

What are your production volumes exactly?

Hublot currently produces around 40,000 watches per year, and we could increase to 45,000–50,000 within three to five years, but no more. The goal is not a race for volume, but the elevation of the brand. This new manufacture will also be a tool to enhance the visitor experience. These visits will reach a level that does not exist today in watchmaking, with several completely different customer experiences. The goal is for visitors to discover not only the watchmaking trades, but also the entire Hublot universe in all its richness. We master almost all métiers in-house, and it is time to show and communicate that.

More movements and complications also mean new skills. What profiles are you looking to recruit?

We already have very strong teams, but we are reinforcing them. We will continue to recruit watchmakers, finishing specialists, decoration experts, and strengthen the entire product chain.

What image do you want to give Hublot?

If you look at brands in the very high-end segment, most occupy fairly classic territory: heritage, traditional codes, sobriety. Very few players combine high watchmaking and high-level finishing with a modern, bold, sometimes unconventional expression. I believe that is exactly where Hublot should position itself. Hublot is only 45 years old. It’s the first time I’ve worked for a brand younger than myself! That is a huge advantage—we have a creative freedom that others do not.

High watchmaking demands impeccable after-sales service. What room for improvement do you have there?

After-sales service is a topic I have always followed closely. When I arrived at Hublot, I was actually pleasantly surprised: strong teams, solid operations, and very low return rates—around 3%, which is difficult to improve upon. Once again, the issue is less the actual quality than the perception. Hublot has not always had the reliability image that truly reflects the reality of our products.

This move upmarket also implies an evolution of the in-store offering. What will you do with Hublot models that no longer fully reflect this image?

We will evolve the collection gradually. Sometimes through buybacks, sometimes by letting pieces sell through naturally. 2026 will be a transition year: we will clearly explain Hublot’s new positioning, and the collection will align with this ambition. You will see much greater overall coherence.

Concretely, what will change on the product side—between the Big Bang, the Classic Fusion, and women’s pieces?

In 2025, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Big Bang with a special anniversary series. This year, we will anchor this evolution with a “post-anniversary” Big Bang, which will remain the brand’s icon but in a modernized version. We also launched the Big Bang Joyful during the 2025 summer—very colorful, gem-set pieces in a price range of around CHF 12,000 to 14,000—which performed extremely well. This is a foundation on which we will build in 2026, particularly for our female clientele. The Classic Fusion, which dates back to the 1980s and that Italian elegance, also deserves renewed energy. At the time, it was the “cool” watch everyone wanted to wear. We will draw inspiration from that spirit to rethink its evolution. Finally, we are working on new materials—notably a completely unprecedented material that we will unveil next year—as well as on ergonomics.

Moving upmarket in high watchmaking often implies an increase in the average price. Do you confirm this?

Yes. Today, the average price is around CHF 17,000, and it will evolve as the product mix moves upmarket. We will notably strengthen our women’s offering, which already represents 38% of our sales. This is enormous potential that we intend to activate. We are also strongly reactivating the Hublotista community, which has been one of the best in the watchmaking world.

Mbappé, Djokovic, Usain Bolt… What role will ambassadors play in this more watchmaking-focused strategy?

Major celebrities help create awareness and desirability. At Hublot, we have always chosen personalities who are the best in their field, who love the brand and who have strong character: Kylian Mbappé, Novak Djokovic, Usain Bolt… These profiles are fully consistent with Hublot’s DNA.

What will Hublot’s presence in football look like? Is it still compatible with a high-watchmaking image?

We will remain present in football, but in a more targeted way—through UEFA for the Euro and the Champions League—but we will no longer be involved at the World Cup level. We will rebalance our investments to serve the major emotional pillars: sport, art, design, and music.

In 2030, Hublot will celebrate its 50th anniversary. How will you approach this symbolic milestone?

We are working on projects that will mark history. I cannot go into detail, but the idea is to offer a piece—or a “machine”—that brings something genuinely new to the measurement of time. It will also be an opportunity to bring together everyone who has contributed to Hublot, to celebrate the brand and its 50 years of audacity.