A new breeze is blowing at Swiss watchmaker Hublot. This became evident at a media briefing held last Monday by Julien Tornare, who has been CEO since September 2024.

Tornare, who has spent nearly 30 years in the Swiss watch industry – including 17 years at Vacheron Constantin, primarily in Asia – represents a markedly different leadership type from his predecessor Ricardo Guadalupe, who ran the company from 2012 following the departure of Jean-Claude Biver.

«Outgoing» qualities

Guadalupe is an aristocratic and distinguished Spaniard whose courteous reserve was not universally understood. Tornare, by contrast, shows a level of «outgoingness» and enjoyment of public presence that at times recalls the qualities of Jean-Claude Biver.

Just over 50 years old, Julien Tornare grew up in Geneva and moves confidently on the international watchmaking stage, displaying the distinctive charm often associated with Romands of Italian descent. In his local community in the canton of Vaud, he is also active in municipal politics.

Significant news

And Tornare had a major announcement to make: Hublot will not renew its long-standing sponsorship partnership with FIFA. In other words, unlike at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022, Hublot will no longer be part of the tournament when it takes place in the United States next year. Asked by finews.com about the reasons, Tornare primarily cited cost-benefit considerations.

He was quick to stress, however, that football remains a core commitment for the brand. Tornare pointed to Hublot’s partnership with UEFA as well as intensified activities in Latin American football, particularly in Mexico. Latin America, he noted, is a key market for the brand.

Boosting «street credibility»

More broadly, Tornare emphasized his intention to strengthen Hublot’s «street credibility» in the field of watchmaking. He announced an in-house push for proprietary movements, to coincide with the opening of the company’s expanded production campus in Nyon. The project will also include a 400-square-meter customer experience area.

Tornare’s goal is to further establish Hublot, with confident cultural independence, as a top-tier brand alongside Rolex and Patek Philippe.

Sport, art, music

In addition to the technical offensive, the CEO cited partnerships in sport, art and music as key strategic tools. In this context, he said, groundbreaking announcements can be expected next year.

A first milestone is already set for the «LVMH Watch Week» at the end of January, when the watch brands of the LVMH group – in addition to Hublot, these include TAG Heuer, Zenith and Bulgari – will unveil their latest product innovations. At Hublot, Tornare said, a reinterpretation of the «Big Bang» is on the agenda – the model with which Jean-Claude Biver once launched a success story of unprecedented scale.