When it comes to co-branding, it’s all about relative integration.
Here’s how Hublot got it right with the Big Bang Ferrari Magic Gold

By Adrian Herscovici
Photos courtesy of Barge



Corporate partnerships, brand tie-ins and product placements – all ubiquitous strategies in contemporary marketing. Too often it seems these cross-promotions are superfluous exercises in matching obvious commonalities between two or more products.

This is not to exclude the value of such tie-ins, but in every case consider: how are the values and ideals of the companies integrated, or, what is their “relative integration”? Asking this question provides an excellent way to gauge the level of sophistication that exists behind closed doors in the boardrooms of marketing executives and brand managers.

When Hublot announced its partnership with Ferrari in November 2011, another such co-branding opportunity was born. The initial parameters of the relationship sounded promising: the exclusive partnership would encapsulate all of Ferrari’s activities and special events, which indicated a holistic strategy that would go beyond co-branded watch designs. Still, Hublot enthusiasts anticipated the release of the first Hublot-Ferrari watch knowing it would speak volumes about the partnership going forward. Hublot introduced the Big Bang Ferrari Magic Gold in Baselworld in March and, at least in terms of relative integration, the result was a homerun for Hublot.

To understand the importance of relative integration it is useful to compare the Hublot Big Bang Ferrari with previous co-branded Ferrari watches made by Panerai. The results of the Panerai-Ferrari connections were underwhelming, and not because the products were somehow substandard, but because the relative integration was lacking. The watches were based primarily on design, pairing Panerai’s style and stock movements with Ferrari’s iconic colors and emblems. The common link between the two products, other than outstanding quality in their respective fields, was the two brands’ Italian roots. Panerai didn’t push any boundaries, and for the sophisticated modern consumer, this lack of depth fell flat. The error in the Panerai approach was forgetting that the watch was, first and foremost, a Panerai, and the appeal to buyers rested in the ability to create a Panerai watch that integrated Ferrari’s values innately, which it did not.

Hublot, on the other hand, has always had a solid grasp of this concept. The brand’s first watch, released in 1980, had a gold case paired with a natural rubber strap. At the time this combination of precious metal and rubber turned heads. Was it fad or innovation? The answer is apparent in modern watchmaking with brands in every segment of the marketplace working with mixed materials including rubber.

Hublot’s vision of “fusion in watchmaking” took a giant step forward with the Big Bang Ferrari Magic Gold. CEO Jean-Claude Biver knew that to design a Hublot-Ferrari watch that was successful by the company’s own standards, they would have to infuse their avant-garde approach, and to do so they would have to come up with something truly new: the result was, literally, a fusion in watchmaking.

Magic Gold

Magic Gold is a high-tech gold alloy that is significantly harder, and thus more scratch-resistant, than 18K gold. Its colour is slightly deeper with a surface luster that is more even than 18K gold due to the cohesiveness of the alloy.

The production of Magic Gold began three years ago when Biver met Professor Andreas Mortenson of the Lausanne Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL). Biver explained that he was looking for a new material – a gold that wouldn’t scratch – the creation of which would be an extraordinary accomplishment both inside and outside of the watchmaking world.

Professor Mortenson selected a young materials engineer by the name of Senad Hasanov to assist him with the project. Because EPFL already had the ability to inject metal into ceramic, the basic parameters for creating Magic Gold were worked out in six months. In short, the process entailed fusing tiny grains of boron carbide to form a single mass into which gold ingots were melded. The result was a ceramic-based material that contained 75 percent gold (equivalent to 18K) but because of the ceramic component, had a Vickers rating of approximately 1000 – too hard, even to stamp.

Hublot announced its new “magic” alloy in late 2011 and, after acquiring the necessary machinery, began production in the Hublot factory in Nyon.



A Big Bang, inside and out

The notion of relative integration is also significant in the design of the Big Bang Ferrari. Here, Hublot shows maturity by practicing restraint, choosing to create an inventive new Big Bang – the quintessential Hublot model – rather than a watch that attempts to take on the look and feel of a Ferrari.

The case, at 45.5 mm, is larger than previous Big Bang watches and the cylindrical bezel is taller. The indexed crown has the Hublot logo and the elongated chronograph push buttons resemble car pedals. A quick-change system makes it easy to switch between the two interchangeable straps that are included with the watch: the primary strap is inspired by a seat belt and features tone-on-tone stitching like that used on Ferrari upholstery.





Ferrari’s famous prancing horse has prominent placement at left-center on the dial but is subtle in appearance because it floats above visible movement components. The downside of this placement is the sacrifice of a perpetual seconds hand. Red and white indexes are used in the chronograph seconds track; otherwise, the only place where Ferrari colors appear on the dial is in the 60-minute counter at 3 o’clock, which has a yellow background to highlight the date, and a red hand and indexes inspired by the dashboard of a Ferrari. This minimal inclusion of Ferrari branding aligns the design with Ferrari without giving up its Hublot identity.





The Ferrari wordmark logo appears in red on the chrono reset pusher. This is the only element of the watch design that is perhaps too overt, yet because it is only visible from the watch profile on the crown side, it isn’t immediately apparent from most angles. Carbon inserts appear on the opposite profile.





Now, to discuss a Ferrari-inspired watch without considering the movement is an immediate dismissal of what is essential to the success of Ferrari; it is, after all, the innovative engines of the mid-1900s for which Ferrari gained its initial success. The skeletonized dial exposes Hublot's Unico manufacture movement, offering a good look under the hood. Hublot likens its Unico chronograph movement to a Ferrari 12-cylinder engine, like the one in the Ferrari 599 GTB. Both are in-house engines. The Unico has no fewer than 330 components and revs at 28,800 vph. The column wheel and dual horizontal coupling appear on the dial side. A custom rotor shaped like a five-point wheel cap winds the 72-hour automatic movement when the watch is in motion.





Hublot’s clear vision allowed it to deliver a watch that represents the values of Ferrari without sacrificing its own identity. The watch is befitting of both brands because in conceptualizing and designing the watch, Hublot used a sophisticated approach to relative integration. The invention of Magic Gold typifies Hublot’s commitment to its fusion in watchmaking philosophy and, when incorporated for the first time into the Big Bang Ferrari, offers more than just a co-branded sport watch – the watch is inherently innovative, just like Hublot, and just like Ferrari.

AH