Hublot is a brand that has long endured scrutiny for its bold and out-of-the-box approach to watchmaking, and frankly, I’ve never quite understood why the industry and the collector sphere has relentlessly put the brand under fire. In many other instances, brands have been revered for being a disrupter, so why not Hublot?

The inaugural design that launched the brand back in 1980 was the first to combine a precious metal case with a rubber strap, laying the foundation for what the brand now calls the “Art of Fusion.” However, you have to understand that at the time, this was both risky and revelatory – rubber straps weren’t nearly as prevalent as they are today, and pairing one with a precious metal as opposed to stainless steel was unheard of.

Now, we see rubber straps in most brands’ repertoires often combined with a precious metal.…