Hublot Manufacture Officially Inaugurated


Hublot's New Manufacture

Yesterday Hublot officially inaugurated is new manufacture and offices. Hublot CEO Jean-Claude Biver welcomed LVMH Group Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault and Philippe Pascal, President of the LVMH Timepieces and Jewellery division. Various celebrities, friends of the brand, partners, as well as representatives from local authorities and the press attended the celebration.

The festivities took place 2 years after the first stone was laid. The building has been operating at full capacity since April. The building, which overlooks Lake Geneva and the Alps, measures about 65,000 square feet and houses 300 employees. The machine and assembly shops occupy the first two floors, along with after-sales service, technical departments and purchasing divisions. The 3rd floor is set aside for management, marketing, sales, accounts and a large showroom, as well as the Hublot TV studios. When workers return after the August break in 2010, the building will also serve as a training center, welcoming apprentice watchmakers into its workshops.

Hublot CEO Jean-Claude Biver, and the new manufacture
Hublot CEO JC Biver

Hublot's new manufacture

The building will house production of the UNICO movement, a chronograph developed by Hublot’s Research & Development department that will be in its “functional prototype” stage until the end of 2009. It will eventually be housed inside the King Power, the latest model to be launched by the brand this year. The workshop is currently producing bridges, main plates and assorted steel components, which will be assembled by fifteen or so new employees to be specially appointed in January for production of the UNICO. The aim is to produce 2,000 UNICO movements in 2010, and close to 20,000 in the medium term. A special feature of this flyback chronograph is the position of its mechanism and the famous “column wheel” on the side of the dial. Another innovation is the removable platform escapement, on which the watch owner’s initials can be engraved by special request. The escape wheel and pallet fork are made from silicon, a light, durable material that resists wear.

Hublot’s UNICO movement, and its new home, the Big Bang King Power
Hublot's UNICO movement

Hublot King Power

Technical Specifications
Hublot calibre HUB1240

Developed and manufactured by Hublot

Hublot UNICO specifications
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