A few partnerships reach decades-long milestones. One such collaboration has been between Swiss watch brand Hublot, known for its bold, avant-garde designs, and Kapoor Watch Company, one of India’s foremost luxury watch retailers. This year, the two are celebrating 20 years of successfully establishing the brand in the Indian watch market. Marking this occasion is a collaborative watch - the Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph Ceramic King Gold, limited to just 30 pieces. The special launch shares its two-decade anniversary with Hublot’s iconic Big Bang collection.

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Measuring 45 mm, the watch is crafted in polished and satin-finished black ceramic, accented with 18K King Gold 5N pushers, crown, Hublot’s signature six ‘H’-shaped screws, and gold elements across the dial, including the hands, sub-dials, and indexes. Inside beats Hublot’s in-house automatic HUB1155 calibre, offering a 48-hour power reserve and a 4 Hz frequency. The case is flanked by a black rubber and alligator strap, secured with a stainless steel deployant buckle clasp and a gold screw. Water resistance is rated at 50 metres.

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Exclusively available at Kapoor Watch Co., the Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph Ceramic King Gold is priced at INR 20,08,800.

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To learn more about the timepiece and Hublot’s 20-year journey in India with Kapoor Watch Company, we sat down with David Tedeschi, Managing Director of Hublot (India, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America), and Pratiek Kapoor, Director, Kapoor Watch Co.

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Chitra Lohani Saharan (CLS): How has 2025 been for Hublot - from a brand’s and a retailer’s perspective?

David Tedeschi (DT): I would say a remarkable year so far. You know, this year, 2025, is very special for Hublot because we’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of our Big Bang collection, which, as you know, is one of the icons in the watch industry of the 21st century. So we are very proud of launching this new collection in 2025 [the Big Bang 20th Anniversary Collection], and I must say that it’s quite an achievement for us.

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Pratiek Kapoor (PK): For us, overall, it has been a phenomenal year - very good in terms of growth and partnership with the brand. And it’s a special year because we celebrate 20 years with the brand, and we’ve done a limited edition to mark that. So definitely, it’s a ‘big bang’ year for us. It’s a partnership we’re celebrating, and we look forward to taking it ahead strongly.

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CLS: How do you think the brand has grown over the years in India?

PK: That’s an interesting question because we were one of the first to partner with the brand 20 years ago, in 2005. So we’ve seen the journey of the brand - how it has evolved and how the market has evolved. Overall, I feel the brand is super strong. The perception of clients toward Hublot is exceptional. When it comes to watches ranging between 10,000 and 20,000 Swiss Francs, I think the brand stands tall. Our focus has also been on that segment. We try to do events and experiences for clients that position the brand even higher. It’s a super strong brand for us - it’s in our top five.

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CLS: What were your goals for 2025? Have you been able to achieve them?

DT: Our global goals were to successfully launch the 20th anniversary Big Bang collection, which we did during the Watches and Wonders exhibition back in April, and to expand and stabilise our mono-brand boutique network worldwide. In terms of brand image and development, mono-brand boutiques are key to strengthening our presence in local markets. Another major objective this year was to extend our partnership portfolio. Hublot is a dynamic brand when it comes to partnerships and marketing, and we recently announced a global partnership with Patrick Mahomes, a legend of American football. Of course, client centricity is very important for us - we’ve always been a product-focused brand, but experiences built around the client are key to growth.

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CLS: Globally, which has been the best market for the brand?

DT: On a regional level, the biggest market remains Europe, as it’s quite large, followed by the Americas. The U.S. is our top-performing market on a standalone country level. Our biggest market for the past 15 years, and still today, remains Japan.

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CLS: What was the design philosophy and inspiration behind the new special edition timepiece?

PK: The design process started about four years ago, in 2021, when we began planning something special. Initially, we debated between ceramic and titanium. We had done a 50-piece special edition in ceramic in 2017 when Kapoor Watch Co. completed 50 years. So Hublot has been very special for us. At every milestone, we collaborate with them. This time, we thought about titanium versus ceramic, but ceramic is super strong for Hublot, especially in our market. We decided on ceramic and wanted to do an Aerofusion instead of a Classic Fusion Chronograph. Bicolour works really well for the Indian market, and the gold-and-black combination is striking - strong yet balanced. It took some convincing, as doing retailer-specific editions isn’t easy, but we finally made it happen.

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CLS: What elements of this watch signify the partnership between you two?

PK: We’ve called it the “Special Edition,” and the caseback carries this inscription. That’s Hublot’s design philosophy - they include it on all their special editions, even the India Edition, and we’ve followed that tradition.

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CLS: 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the Big Bang collection. How has the collection evolved over the years?

DT: It has evolved a lot. When the Big Bang was launched in 2005, it was an immediate success because it was completely different from anything else in the industry. We’ve kept the Big Bang original in our collection, creating different versions with new materials. Later, we introduced our first manufacture movement - the Unico - and launched the Big Bang Unico collection. We even developed the Big Bang with an integrated bracelet. Hublot is well known for pairing rubber with precious metals, and most recently, with the Big Bang 20th Anniversary models, we’ve refined the case design and introduced our in-house chronograph movement, the Unico 2. This evolution, both in design and movement, has made a big impact among our Hublotistas.

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CLS: Hublot already has a strong market standing in India. What are your plans to expand further - in boutiques or partnerships?

DT: We’re working on every opportunity to develop the brand. India is central to Hublot’s strategy - it’s one of the markets with the greatest growth potential. Strengthening partnerships with key retailers like Kapoor Watch Co. is vital. We’re also focusing on expanding our boutique presence. Less than a year ago, we opened a boutique in Bengaluru at Phoenix Mall of Asia. Currently, we don’t have one in Delhi - but who knows what the future holds.

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CLS: What are your goals for the coming year, 2026?

PK: The goal is to grow, but sustainably. Growth should be organic and backed by experience. That’s been our focus and will continue to be.

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DT: I completely agree. The potential for growth in India is tremendous, and I believe in this market. I took over in May, and this is already my second visit - while I haven’t yet visited some of the other markets I manage. So yes, we’ll put a lot of focus and effort here to strengthen and develop the brand for the future.

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CLS: What excites you most about the future of Hublot over the next 3–5 years?

DT: A lot, actually. We have a new CEO, Julien Tornare, who recently visited India to celebrate the launch of the Classic Fusion India model for 2025. New leadership brings fresh ideas and strategies, and our management is very open to innovation. We’re also building a third manufacture building, more than double the size of our current one, to deepen our in-house movement production. The next few years will bring major advancements - not only in products but also in our overall brand strategy.

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