In 1980, the first Hublot watch saw the light of day. Created by the Italian entrepreneur and founder of the brand Carlo Crocco, it gave form to a powerful idea: designing a practical watch that could resist the elements. It had to be simple and comfortable, a classic, sporty timepiece boasting an immediately recognisable design. By combining a precious traditional material – gold – and a modern material – rubber – for the first time in modern watchmaking, the Classic Original dispensed with the established codes, imposing a new vision of luxury that signified the beginnings of Hublot’s “Art of Fusion”. Its strong personality emerged through the blend of materials and in the characteristic design of its bezel with 12 titanium screws, inspired by a ship’s porthole (a ‘hublot’ in French‘). Its strap in natural rubber, combined with a gold case and a minimalist black dial, would become the aesthetic signature of Hublot watches. Decades later, it is the standard for high-end sports watches.