Time to get real: Julien Tornare on Hublot's human touch

Season 3 of The Luxury Society Podcast opens with hosts Robin Swithinbank and David Sadigh speaking with Julien Tornare, CEO of Hublot, who reflects on leading the brand through a period of industry reset following years of post-pandemic volatility.

The conversation explores Hublot’s strategic rebalancing, from stepping back from major football sponsorships to refocusing on emotion-led brand building through art, music and immersive client experiences. 

AI is a key theme, with Tornare sharing how it is being used for creative and strategic thinking, from early-stage design experimentation to marketing ideation, while reinforcing the importance of human judgment and craft.

The episode also offers a preview of Hublot’s new state-of-the-art manufacture, designed as both a production facility and an experiential hub for clients.

Tune in for:

• Why Hublot is rebalancing its sports strategy
• How emerging markets are reshaping luxury watch growth
• The role of AI in design, marketing, and creative thinking
• Why local clientele is critical to long-term brand health
• Hublot’s next-generation manufacture

Brought to you by Digital Luxury Group. 

Produced by Juliet Fallowfield 2026 https://www.fallowfieldmason.com/ 

Transcript

Robin Swithinbank: hello, hello, and a very warm welcome back to a new season of the Luxury Society Podcast, brought to you by Digital Luxury Group.

I'm your host, Robin Swithinbank.

David Sadigh: And I'm your co-host, David Sadig. 

Julien Tornare: not a single brand, a luxury. brand went into football back in the days

the downside is that we went so much into football

 A couple of weeks ago, I was in a plane and I started to create a watch, with, AI to have a rendering of a certain watch with a certain material and add some stones and things, and I was like, okay, that's cool. I can do it myself. never count on tourist flows to do your business in the market. Improve yourself on local client, the rest will come. Never forget who you are, where you come from, and keep grounded.

Robin Swithinbank:  David, good to be back, isn't it? After the break, how are you?

David Sadigh: I am good. Uh, thanks, Robin. Uh, it's been a difficult start, to the year here in Switzerland, uh, with the tragic event in Cotana. I want to express our heartfelt conno to, uh, all those affected, and wishing a swift recovery for those, uh, [00:01:00] still in hospitals. Uh, so yeah, complicated. start in the year.

Robin Swithinbank: Yeah, that's a pretty sad story. And of course I echo those sentiments wholeheartedly. I mean, it's been a big story over here in the UK as well, and, um, very tragic and, So I want also to wish a speedy recovery to those who've been affected. 

So David, the Luxury Society Podcast returns, uh, re-energized and ready to head into season three. Uh, any predictions for 2026, uh, at this point?

David Sadigh: Like a prediction of uncertainty and a challenging year ahead with lots of potential black swan around making this podcast even more interesting. Robin.

Robin Swithinbank: No doubt. Yeah. We've got all sorts of things, uh, lined up as, uh, season three gets underway. Uh, we've got some great guests and we will continue to track this fascinating industry and hopefully bring you our audience, the kind of data insights and insider conversations that unpack how it's shaped for this first episode.

David and I have interviewed, Julien Tornare, chief Executive of the Swiss Luxury Watch. Brand Hublot. In fact, as this episode lands, Julian will be in Milan for LVMH Watch Week. We spoke to him a few [00:02:00] days beforehand and here's how our conversation went, 

Speaker 6: right. So with LVMH Watch Week in Full Flow. it's David and my great pleasure to welcome onto the Luxury Society Podcast.

Julien Tornare, chief executive of one of the events exhibitors the Swiss Luxury Watch Company, Hublot. But first, a quick bit of backstory. Giuliani was parachuted into the hot seat at the LVMH owned brand in the autumn of 2024 after a short stint at Sister Brand Tag Hoya. Following the retirement of Hublot's long serving chief executive Ricardo Guadalupe.

A move that came sooner than had been expected, forcing LVMH into a C-suite reshuffle. Before Ta Hoya GI had helm Zenith another of the LVMH portfolio of watch brands, where he's credited with sharpening the brand's image and story contemporising its product lineup and reinvigorating its profile. Going further back, he began his career in watches in the late 1990s with Raymond Weil before moving to Mann's specialist watch division, where he would spend 17 years working with Varon Constanta, [00:03:00] including spells in New York and Hong Kong.

His move to Hugo comes at a time when industry is under some pressure. Last year, rocketing gold prices and US tariffs added further burdens to an industry already attempting to offset the effects of inflation, rising labor costs, conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, the collapse of the Chinese domestic market and more besides.

But he inherited a brand with a big profile and a big footprint, big being the operative word, Hugo's Big Bang Watch. 20 years in the making last year is one of the defining designs of the 21st century. While Hugo's relationships with sport, particularly football. As well as in music and art has seen it take up long-term residence in the zeitgeist, but change is afoot with Hubo withdrawing from its sponsorship of this summer's FIFA World Cup and the UK's Premier League.

And then later this year, the brand will open a state-of-the-art new manufacturing facility. Julian joins us now to discuss these themes and more from the company's headquarters in the Swiss town of Ni York. Julian, we are absolutely delighted to have you here and to open this [00:04:00] new season of the Luxury Society Podcast with you.

Thank you so much for joining us. How are you? 

Julien Tornare: I'm very well. Thank you so much, Robin. Thank you, David. I'm, uh, really, really happy. You know, it's the beginning of the year and having this moment with you is, a great pleasure for me. 

Robin Swithinbank: Wonderful. Well, look, let's start with some big picture stuff because, well, LVMH watch week, uh, is now in its seventh year. So from where you are sitting, having been to all of those, how does the watch and luxury landscape look now compared to January's of years gone by?

Julien Tornare: Well, I think it's a, it's a different story because LVMH Watch Week started, if I remember well, just before or just during c. Uh, which was a very, um, weird year for the whole industry and for the whole luxury world, if not the whole world. we then, uh, evolve in a couple of years that I would define as almost a bubble.

Uh, a bubble of business, a bubble of consumption, uh, revenge buying as we tend to say. And then there are years, like 24, 25, where we've been digesting a bit the situation and getting to a new [00:05:00] norm, which I, I mean, is going to be more, Normal and healthier than those, uh, bubble years. But it's, it's super interesting because each brand has to rethink about, okay, how do we digest those crazy years and continue to move for the future?

Uh, what I love about LVMH Watch Week is that once again, we are turned to, the markets. We are, uh, doing it outside from Geneva, when the more institutional, uh, salon are happening in Geneva. So this time it's gonna be in Milan. Giving priority to, to Europe, uh, compared to the past where we were in Asia, uh, in Dubai, as well as in the us

David Sadigh: Just before we, deep dive into, Milan, Julian, when you look back at 2025, what were your highlights and lowlights?

Julien Tornare: Yeah. as Robin said, I, I took over in September, 2020, four. So I had a few months to really understand, what the situation was like for Hublot within this new context of the watch industry. Try to understand because ILO is a, is an interesting brand. It's a very young brand, only 45 years old. It probably had one of the [00:06:00] biggest growth of the last 20 years, clearly starting from very small type of business in 2004 to becoming a major player.

Um, so we had to think about how do we digest that? How do we bring a And of course, 2025 was. Mostly, taken by the celebration of the first iconic watch of the 21st century, the Big Bang. So I had a certain responsibility. So last year was a lot about focusing on this celebration and of course, working hard.

on, what 20 26, 7, and eight would be and how do we, uh, develop, uh, new things in terms of product and marketing because ILO needs to keep on going as a very innovative brand. So I would say 25 has been really celebrating this Big Bang anniversary all over the world and preparing the ground for 26 during which you will see a lot of new things starting next week in Milan.

Speaker 6: Yeah, it's interesting that we're going to Milan and that. LVMH Watch Week continues. The event, as you said, was born in a slightly strange season. Um, and uh, in that season when Basel World [00:07:00] and SIHH, the two Swiss watch fairs were sort of running outta steam, of course, they've now both gone. I mean, in these straightened times.

Why does LVMH continue to invest in hosting its own event in January?

Julien Tornare: I think it's there, there are a couple of reasons. First of all, it's interesting to have an event in January because it's a strong kickoff of the year. You know, when everybody is still kind of surfing on, on the last year's wave, uh, we are already kicking off the business properly with novelties, with new things, with new speeches, new dynamic.

In jam. So that's the kind of dynamic we like. And as I mentioned before, we go to the markets and you know, I'm Swiss myself, so I love to have all you guys visiting us in Geneva before in Basel, but the business happens all over the world. So it's, it's a great way to show different markets that we go to them.

We organize an event, a local event. We only, you know, focus on end clients, on press and on retailers from that particular region. And That's something I really like and I know people appreciate us for that. So I think it's a great tradition that we created [00:08:00] with LVMH.

Speaker: It's, uh, it's really interesting, uh, Julian, that, you guys choose, Milan. Uh, there are quite a lot of, uh, important things happening, obviously in Milan, starting with the Winter Olympics, in the city next months. but also some other brands like Patek Philippe, owning their watch Artone exhibition a bit later in the year in in Milan.

What's happening in Milan?

Julien Tornare: Well, you know, I think Milan is, becoming more and more of a hub in Europe. thinking about fashion week, obviously, which take a very big position in Milan. Uh, thinking about also Italy as a market, you know, watches. Have always been so important in Italy and, and vice versa. Italy has always been a very strong market where often trends are setting, uh, new ideas are coming from, you know, as, a Swiss brand.

But let's not forget that Mr. Carlo Coco, our founder is Italian from Milan. So, uh, there is a taste, there is a touch, there is something special in Italy that, that we love. So we believe that naturally it would be great, uh, to do it once in Milan. We've done so many events in Paris, in London, in key cities, in [00:09:00] Switzerland.

Uh, why not going to our Italian friends where there is such a strong watch culture. Uh, we believe it was, it was a great way. It's accessible, it's central. So that's nothing more than that, but I think it makes a lot of sense to do Milan for once. Yeah.

David Sadigh: And I guess you will bump into some like, uh, former British resident that also probably like, uh, relocated to Milan.

Julien Tornare: absolutely. We have a lot of clients, uh, from all over the world based in Milan. We are doing a very good business there as well. So I think it's, uh, yeah, it's a, it's, it's a good opportunity to, to do something in Italy for once. Yeah.

Robin Swithinbank: We have to be quite careful when we're talking about Brits, um, expanding the population of, uh, this beautiful nation into other corners of the world. But, uh, one of the things that David and I were talking about just before we started recording was about, the rise in interest for Hubo in India.

now of course we're moving, going to Milan, as you said, it's an important place and there's a lot happening there at the moment, but are there other places around the world such as India or indeed any other territories where you are seeing a significant growth in interest and sales for your brand?

Julien Tornare: Yeah. India, you mentioned India. India is an interesting [00:10:00] market because I've been in industry for 28 years. Uh, and more or less since I started, I was always hearing that India would be the next China that we have to go there. Then we all realized that it's not so easy. There are taxes on luxury goods.

 the infrastructure was not there. The context was not really there for top end brands. And to be honest, I didn't know India much. Until I joined Ulo and I went to my first trip in India a few months ago, and I realized first of all Started very early in the India, so we have a very strong position.

We already had a boutique, in Mumbai. I went there to basically open a second boutique in India, in Bangalore, and I'm looking for a good opportunity in Delhi. So we already have a strong position. We are way ahead of most of the competition, and I believe it's important now to go. Why now? Because India is finally ready.

I've seen great shopping malls. Where you have top brands, luxury environment, and you have the right conditions to open up a boutique. so yeah, India is clearly a key market and I don't think it's [00:11:00] gonna be the China boom we knew in China, uh, 15, 20 years ago and over the last years. But I think it's a key market where we need to invest.

it's gonna be one of my top market, and obviously we have other markets, that are upcoming that we are, getting, more and more present and, and stronger. I'm, I'm thinking about Indonesia, I'm thinking about Malaysia. Obviously South Korea is booming, so we are investing a lot there. Some Latin American country, et cetera, where we need to explore, alternatives.

To,  this huge China, which is now, as we all know, a bit more of a challenge for luxury. goods 

Speaker 6: Yeah. As indeed as Europe, of course, Europe has taken a bit of a battering in, uh, the last, uh, 24 months or so. What are you doing to try and reinvigorate the business in, what is a very traditional market

Julien Tornare: Yeah, yeah. I mean, Europe is clearly, uh, characterized by, two things. I mean, we have great local clientele in Europe and Europe. Remains, of course, a key destination from tourists for all over the world. Uh, so IBO is really playing on both sides and we are, I think, in key locations with beautiful boutiques, uh, [00:12:00] able to welcome tourists as well as local client in a good way.

So in in Europe, our focus would be more on our local clientele and how do we activate these local communities, you know, is very well known. If I may mention a competition brand, I would say Panerai, with the panty used to be very strong. I iStar very strong as well. And it's our responsibility today to continue to capitalize on this community.

So I'm doing a lot of, um, uh, events and, and, and, and brand activation, uh, with those communities in Europe because that's basically the healthiest, you know, never count on tourist flows to do your business in the market. Improve yourself on local client, the rest will come. That's the guideline we give to every single market.

Speaker: We know the Ulo brand, uh, was and is still actually quite strong in South America, uh, but also in the Caribbean and so on. and it's true that Robin and I do not cover that often, uh, this region of the world. 

Julien Tornare: Yeah.

Speaker: 

Julien Tornare: Join me, join me. I'll invite you to an event over there please.

Speaker 6: See you there. I'm, I'm there [00:13:00] on.

Julien Tornare: What, what's your view, Julian, on, uh, south America, the Caribbean, et cetera? Isit's a great question, David. Um, yes, it's true. You blow back in the eighties and nineties, became pretty quickly a very strong and recognized brand in Spain. And we know, of course, the influence that Spain can have on, uh, Latin America. That's probably the historical reason why Ulo is strong in that particular region.

Why Ulo was strong in Spain, because the royal family, were all wearing ulo. It became like, uh, it spreads like wildfire, literally in, in Spanish, uh, watchmaking, culture. And, and then it went all the way to Latin America. Plus of course, the fact that Ulo is a very Latin brand. Ulo is about colors. He's about shape.

He's about daring different things. We are not really, I would say. A conservative brand. We are the opposite. So we are very meaningful to these Latin countries. And naturally when you go to Mexico, when you go to Argentina, when you go to Brazil, uh, in those countries, ILO resonate a lot. They want something [00:14:00] that's, you know, very much alive, daring.

So I think it makes a lot of sense. Let's take the US for example. As a market, we will be naturally stronger in markets like. Florida, Texas, California, then we would be in, let's say Boston, which is a very conservative northeast, uh, market. So that's, and so logically, yes, we are strong in this region and we are investing a lot.

Yeah. Yeah. We are, we are really developing in the Caribbean as well as in, uh, in Latin America in the big way.

David Sadigh: Uh, let's talk about marketing and storytelling. Uh, two strands of the hubo story that have been very strong, really strong for the past couple of decades. As I mentioned in my intro, you've, been very involved in sport and in music and in art, uh, this year as, as has been discussed previously, you've stepped back from these two major sponsorships with the World Cup and the Premier League, while well still keeping a foot in the sport by continuing to work with Champions League and, uh, the French Superstar killing mba. Many will be surprised to hear you've, you've moved away from the World Cup particularly, uh, given that it's in, uh, north America, uh, the US being the watch industry's largest [00:15:00] market, uh, that remains prize marketing real estate. So what's your thinking here?

Julien Tornare: Yeah, it's, it's quite clear, you know, um, ILO dare at some point, and it was such a great move to go into football. Let's get back to those years where football was considered a popular sport, uh, but not very luxury, oriented and not a single brand, a luxury. brand went into football back in the days and let's give credit to Jean-Claude Biver and his team at that time that had the idea to break those barriers and get into football.

And it became great. And now we can see many luxury brands as well, entering football as often. And here I give credit to my predecessors. People tend to follow ILO on that kind of moves. So It's been a great success. I would say the downside is that we went so much into football that. We cannot be only football. And when, I mean, when I say football, I I should say the American Way. Soccer oriented. Why? Because by being so much into European football, uh, we forgot a bit, some other, presences we had in different markets. Especially [00:16:00] in the US where, soccer resonates less than other sports.

So the idea is more to rebalance. Ubl is not only about soccer, about football, it's about other things. And I want to rebalance between, drivers that are, uh, how can I say, emotion drivers. You know, UBL is an emotional brand. We all know we sell beautiful watches, like old watch brands, but we don't sell, um, goods that are A necessity. Good. We sell emotion, so you need to create emotion. And sport is definitely a fantastic driver, but music and art are also incredible drivers of emotion and that's why I want to rebalance a bit. Uh, so we will continue to be the main brand into football, but we decided to focus on, champions League, Euro, of course, um, uh, Europa League, et cetera, the different Europe competition as well as.

Kylian Mbappé, maybe new players will join, maybe clubs will join, but we wanted to move a little bit away from all those competitions because it was too much and difficult to activate. So it's basically [00:17:00] better focus and have also some bullets to do other activities next to football. That's really the idea.

But football remains a key, uh, key element of our marketing strategy.

David Sadigh: Speaking of those other activities, art and, , music, and your moves towards them, how does this reframe the way Ulo will be marketed to consumers and why following that path, uh.

Julien Tornare: it's quite clear. Ilo, is known today as a very strong marketing brand, being very disruptive, innovative. We have brought, as I mentioned earlier, with football, but I have tons of examples of being the first. To bring such marketing activity, direction, strategy, et cetera. We are also very well known for bringing new materials.

Today, many brands are using Sapphire, are using ceramic, but let's put it in those days, HUblot was the first one. Developing and daring to get out of the only steel, gold and platinum approach, but is also a fantastic watchmaker. And this we should never forget and I won't talk about it because. Me coming from very purest [00:18:00] brand between Zenith and vacheron constantin

I was amazed when I joined iot to see the level of knowledge in watchmaking and the amazing developments we've had from a technical point of view in a very short time because it's, we're talking only 45, uh, years of age. Now, coming back to your question, ULO is about emotion, is about offering something special to our clients, and I believe that.

you are into sport, when you are into music, when you are into art, you also give the opportunity to our clients to have a real experience, a real, way to live what we call the Ulo vibes in a way that's not just a marketing statement, but we really want our clients when they buy a new blow, to say, okay, first I'm buying a very serious watch, a very serious watchmaking product.

With a good movement, with everything that goes with it's creativity, it's innovative but it's also a brand that will offer me  belonging to a certain community that are going to have fun, that are going to enjoy great moments. And you know, when you offer [00:19:00] that to your clients in terms of brand loyalty, there is no way to do it better.

So that's why it's important for us. Of course, there is brand awareness. Football gave us, for example, great visibility. Some people didn't know ilo, they saw it on the, the signage, uh, during football matches or in different ad campaigns. And they realized that ILO was a watch brand and is kind of a cool brand. But when you invite your clients to attend a football match, to get to meet Killian and Mbae, or to watch a match, uh, next to a Louis Figo or people like that, it's the money cannot buy experience. 

Today everybody's talking about experience, but the experience is not just the glass of champagne and the, you know, the credit card machine in the boutique.

And that's it. We really go far beyond that. And, uh, in his introduction, Robin mentioned the new manufacturer we are building, It's gonna be the best hospitality and experience, tool in the watch industry. serious, and you guys will be among the first one to come.

We are building this in a, in a big way to offer our clients, our visitors, something very [00:20:00] unique in the watch industry because at the end of the day, that's also what people wanna buy.

Speaker 6: Yeah. And this brings us to sort of thoughts about connection and, and actually I want to steer the conversation briefly if I may, because normally this is David's, uh, favorite subject and not mine, but steer it towards the theme of artificial intelligence, ai. It's one we come to regularly on this podcast as listeners will know.

I, I wonder is this focus on art and music and sport as well, um, and the human connections that these inspire, is this in some way the antidote? To the growing influence of artificial intelligence, not just so much over the industry, but but over our lives as a whole.

Julien Tornare: Yes, again, it's a, back to concrete and reality that we offer by using these three channels, you know, in a world where. I mean, my kids that are much sharper than I, every time I look at the video and I'm surprised they say, Hey, daddy, come on.

This is ai. You know, it's not true. And I'm like, really? And I'm kind of disappointed. So I'm, I'm trying to keep up. I'm not as, uh, as good as David on that. But I think people need also now to have real experiences and to enjoy just with your heart, with your soul, with your heart, to get [00:21:00] into a brand and to have a, a special moment.

And in today's world, I think it's going to be. More and more important, that's what we hear from our community, from our clients, , not later than uh, December, where we organized the last celebration of the 20th anniversary in Miami and we had, um. 50 cent performing for private group of our clients.

So that was a moment. I mean, you can imagine how many people came to me during the night or after the night or send me a note in the next days telling me, Julian, we love you HUblot. We love other brands as well. But I have to tell you that the night you offered to us like this privately in such an environment is one of the best moment of the year, and I'm so happy to have lived this thanks to ieb. Uh, many people would say the same about attending a football match or attending a, a concert with a Lang Lang or with any kind of performer And, and I think that's what we lead for. So, AI should be used for many reasons, and we are more and more using it.

But at the end of the day, I feel people need to keep on being in the real world. and what we offer here is really a [00:22:00] real world experience.

Speaker 6: Yeah, it strikes me this is one of the pillars that the industry needs to be leaning on in the, uh, not just the watch industry, but the luxury industry as a whole needs to be leaning on it as time goes by. Anything that's real, anything that's tangible, and anything that's human, uh, has an extraordinary power to connect with, uh, with.

Thin consumers, um, not just today, not just in 2026, but for all eternity, I would imagine. and I wonder if the industry is gonna be leaning on that much more heavily as it evolves. And I st I still wanna ask, I still wanna think a little bit more about artificial intelligence. And as you said earlier in our conversation, um, HUBO has often been the first, it's been disruptive, it's moved into churches where others have.

Perhaps previously feared to tread. Um, what influence can we expect, uh, artificial intelligence to have over hubo design, over hubo storytelling, over marketing? Um, your posture has been to do things differently. Are you gonna be leading the way with AI in the, creative disciplines in watchmaking?

Julien Tornare: Yes, I am. I mean, I was, I was a real beginner, uh, a while ago and now I'm really getting into it. And for me it's it's another partner that we have to count [00:23:00] on, that we have to keep around us and everything we do, we can challenge ourselves. In a much easier way than, uh, in the past.

I mean, AI for me is more, something that you need to push yourself to think differently, to bring new ideas, uh, without believing everything, because AI will not always and systematically tell you the exact truth and the real truth for your. Good and for your own brand, but it's going to force you to think it's like, uh, developing a critical mindset in a way.

For me, I use it this way, so when it's a design and not later than a. A couple of weeks ago, I was in a plane and I started to create a watch, with, AI to have a rendering of a certain watch with a certain material and add some stones and things, and I was like, okay, that's cool. I can do it myself.

Before that, I would've had to go through the product department and it takes a while and all that. So I use it really up to 360. And if I have a marketing idea, I will definitely use AI to give me a first opinion. Am I right? Am I [00:24:00] not right? Why would you do this? Why don't you do that? And it gives me kind of a mirror effect with my own thinking before heading to other people.

And I, I think that's a pretty good way we are using it at the moment. it's a fantastic tool.

 it's like when you read the, back in the days, you read the book, then you read on internet, and now you have ai. Keep your critical mindset. Don't take it for granted. Don't take it like this is the reality. ' cause then you might do quite a lot of mistakes.

Speaker 6: Yeah. Fair.

Speaker: It is interesting. Uh, the story you mentioned about the plane and the sketch, did you end up like, uh, sharing them with your product team?

Julien Tornare: yeah, of course,

Speaker: What. 

Julien Tornare: So, uh, sometimes they're like, okay, do you think you are, uh,

Speaker 6: Chief Design Officer Hugo has a new Chief design officer. We would like to introduce Mr.

Julien Tornare: that, no, but that's a great question because today I could, bluff you with a. Uh, theory on, uh, nuclear physics, you know, just going on AI here on my cell phone. You have to be careful staying who you are with your own knowledge. But yes, of course they like it because it's, it's part of everything.

And, uh, you know, without waiting for ai, I've been [00:25:00] always, I was doing it at Zenit and I'm still doing it to. Organize small groups of people from very different backgrounds within the company, uh, and asking them to give their opinion on X, Y, Z subject because you can have a polisher having one of the best idea in terms of marketing and vice versa.

And that's something I want to cultivate in NE's uh, culture. So I'm pushing people to bring new ideas on the table with or without ai. But anybody can have a great idea. We just did a. Initiative that I haven't talked a lot about yet because it's in process, but it's called, and it's a team of people from different backgrounds within the company working on how pushing the limits of creativity and innovation.

In many different fields, and we did a contest. They had to make proposals. We made a first selection. Uh, they have a guy leading the whole project and, and they are going to propose me absolutely incredible initiatives on the brand. and that's exactly the way I like to work. So yes, ai, but you can always use people's brain for that.

David Sadigh: Well, at least Robin, I think we are quite [00:26:00] sure that it's the real Julian Turner that we have and not an AI right now.

Speaker 6: Yeah, Julian, we, we must move away from AI and back into the real world, um, bricks and mortar and buildings. You've already, uh, referred to this new facility that you're about to open, and it's clearly gonna be, uh, quite something, a hospitality venue as you've described. Uh, we can assume that that was of course, commissioned in better times to the industry.

But, uh, tell us, uh, a little bit more about what it's gonna do for you as a manufacturer, as a maker of watches.

Julien Tornare: so It is definitely going, uh, to be an amazing production tool. we're multiplying by 2.5, the current, surface of activity. So it's going be big, it's going be for the next 20, 30 years of the brand clearly. we are going to be able to improve our, production at all levels.

Quality wise a lot. we'll be able to integrate, uh, more functions than we've had in the past. and obviously it'll be an incredible hospitality tool, in which I will first of all put focus on our current expertise. So the watchmaking aspect of Hublot [00:27:00] will be put on stage like. in no other, uh, visit you could have done with the brand, you will have a great, of course, uh, place.

Also given to R&D Because People when visit Hublot in the past, they always remember the Sapphire, the ceramic, and how we are growing our own Sapphire inside the company. No other brand is doing it, so this we will clearly put on stage and emphasise on that, but also we'll show what Hublot is all about in terms of experience.

Today we have a small showroom of 80 square meters. Tomorrow I'm going to turn this into a 400 square meter Space dedicated to clients, able to adapt to any kind of crowd, any kind of nationality, culture, any kind of event. If you guys want to celebrate your birthday at Hublot I'll be able to turn this 400 square meter room in the best birthday party place.

You can imagine

Speaker: Careful, you might have Robin like coming back to you.

Julien Tornare: I know. David is a great [00:28:00] singer. So he could, he could imagine to have a karaoke room. Uh, you can play, you will be able to play a football match if you want. You'll be able to play piano with Lang Lang if you want. It's gonna be totally customizable, but dedicated to client experience.

I'm talking 400 square meter. Next to that, you're gonna have, um, something dedicated to art. I mentioned sport, music, and art. The place. Dedicated to ILO and art and its relationship between the two will be absolutely amazing. Uh, you will have a place where sport will be also, focused on indoor outdoor.

You'll be able to practice, let's say if I have one of our celebrity coming, you'll be able to have a clinic with this celebrity, whether it's football, tennis, basketball, any kinda sport. So we are really creating this manufacturer around something that will. That will go far beyond, uh, any kind of manufacturer visit.

You can do myself. I've seen five or six manufacturers among competitions or friends brand that I like. Uh, [00:29:00] this will be way different. So we, we are going to make a big statement with that.

Speaker: indeed no, but, uh, you are selling it Well, I think the experiential part is something that Robin and I have been covering for, quite a while. 

David Sadigh: I think making sure that people really feel something genuine and important is like key. So,the idea of experiential manufacturer that is not just a manufacturer facility, but also an experience center I think is very compelling. Just speaking on that, there are plenty of misassumptions around the Swiss watch making, obviously one of which is that brands make every component of their, in their watches, uh, which is rarely true.

So particularly of brands with higher volume like, Rolex Omega Ulo. Uh, answer the question like how important, it is therefore, uh, to bring like production capabilities and capacities under one roof.

Julien Tornare: it's been a great debate over the last couple of decades. Uh, people tend to forget that, uh, 20 years ago, even the biggest names of this [00:30:00] industry were not basically, first of all using only in-house movements To go back to that. Not even talking about components. Um, it has changed.

Integration has been the way to show you as a serious brand, as a really watchmaking brands going into every single details after I'm not going to comment. I mean, you know, the rules from the Swiss made, uh, the 60%, uh, ratio that you need to comply to, et cetera. it's important to, Be able to say that your watch movements are first of all of the highest level of quality and that are made mostly with Swiss components.

There are still some components that are made abroad for many, many brands that are of the top quality. And I think as long as you are respecting the rules Then you comply. it's not so much about, what percentage you go to or, uh, what level of in-house movement you have.

It's about the level of quality that you are, uh, willing to provide, and how you will make sure that our suppliers in Switzerland are also, surviving [00:31:00] because they, they're part of the tissue. Of the Swiss watchmaking industry, and that's extremely important. Ulo is known for a brand that has been working with probably one of the biggest share of Swiss and local suppliers.

Uh, it has a cost, yes, but it's also a way of maintaining a great level of quality. It's also a way to maintain a great level of relationship. ' cause you know. When you work with some partners for years, they are the ones that will help you the day you need something, uh, in a quick way, in an emergency way, because you need this, you need that.

We have a fantastic relationship with our suppliers and we'll continue. So yes, for us it's more about upgrading our movement, and of course maintaining a hundred percent Swiss made, uh, policy for. So we have a, we have basically everything to be a hundred percent, Swiss delivered in terms of components.

Yeah.

Speaker 6: I I wanna ask quickly about, um, design and specifically about the Big Bang. And we mentioned it earlier in the conversation. Um, it is this sort of icon, you focused on it last year during its 20th anniversary. at the same time, of course, a, a brand [00:32:00] whether in any field of luxury, can become too heavily reliant on its hero design on.

Signature design. what's your view of that, where the Big Bang is concerned and how is that gonna impact your product strategy? Is it a case of stick or twist?

Julien Tornare: I think we are lucky at ILO because we are, we have two icons. One is the Big Bang and one is the classic fusion. In terms of volume today, uh, we sell slightly more classic fusion than Big Bang. You know, classic fusion is really, really big and the classic fusion design is clearly inherited from, the Carlo Coco years.

Even if it's been modernized. And the Big Bang is obviously, uh, Jean-Claude BIver's, uh, baby. So we have these two icons that we can play on, that we can develop, uh, playing on a big bang that is clearly, uh, much, uh, bolder, uh, daring where you can play a lot with colors and design and new materials with almost no limit when the classic fusion is innovation, because originally it's rubber with gold, but it's also.

Classicism that, uh, we [00:33:00] have in our own brand, our own DNA and that I want to put back, in the front, during the year, you will see it later in the year, capitalizing on this design. Uh, with an Italian touch from the eighties, the nineties, people tend to forget because of the big bank that, The, Carlo Coco watch became an iconic watch in the eighties, nineties.

it's a watch that was on everybody's wrist. It was a cool watch to wear. A guy like Andy Warhol uh, started his watch collection with six watches. Among them there was a classic fusion. So we have to go back to that and play on the two levels.

Having, of course, an identity that goes across the two iconic watch. But each of them has its own specificities, and that's a great opportunity. So this year you will see, of course, an established original. Big Bang that we will present next week in, uh, Milan. Then you will see a totally new Big Bang coming later in the year.

That will be a new, how can I say, a new development, a new way of, of thinking [00:34:00] about Big Bang. And later in the year, you will see our own reinterpretation of the Classicism at Ulo. People had forgotten sometimes about it because they only thing Big Bang, but ILO can make a very thin, elegant, super cool and trendy watch to wear.

Uh, and I know you guys appreciate also that kind of watches.

Speaker: before we let you go, on a more, like a personal note, I've been following your career for quite a while, obviously I think, lots of people in Switzerland, French speaking part of Switzerland are. Very proud and happy because a few of you, uh, the CEO of Rolex, obviously yourself and a couple of others are originally, uh, from, uh, ADO Geneva or the region, uh, which is like a kind of a cool, I, I wondered now that you have been a CEO for a couple of years and you know the industry really well, what's the best piece of advice you have received?

and how have you applied it in your career? maybe it'll, uh, also inspire some of our. listeners.

Julien Tornare: Yeah, of course. Uh, I mean, one advice I always keep in mind, is one I was given at the very beginning of my career when I was at Raymond [00:35:00] Wild before even joining Richman Group. I, I literally, I was literally finishing my studies and I joined and the guy told me, you know, um. You're gonna be in a luxury environment, you're gonna be surrounded by people with huge financial means, spending a lot of money.

Uh, you're going to experience incredible things like we all have in this industry. We're lucky to have experienced incredible moments, Never forget who you are, where you come from, and keep grounded. and that's an advice I got when I was 25 and. Today what makes me happy is when a friend of mine or someone who've who's known me for years in the industry, they tell me, you know what? Whatever your position has been, whatever your age has been, your evolution, you are the same and you are happy to have a gastronomic dinner one night and the day after.

I can have a, a great British. Sandwich and enjoy it the same way. And that's really who I am. I mean, among my friends, among my, my taste, my kind of trip that I do when I travel. And I think that's so great advice because you can lose ground. And I've seen [00:36:00] people losing ground because of this industry, because we are in the media, we are on tv, we meet celebrities and sometimes it can create a lot of mental, uh, pollution.

 for me, um, uh, an important one. And then of course about the, the Swiss tooth that you mentioned earlier.

You know, in Switzerland we don't have so many, um, highlighted industries as watchmaking, and I'm always proud to say, um, Swiss, I'm representing one of our top key industries and it gives me a little advantage. When I go to Paris and I talk with my management, I'm showing my French side, and when I go to see some suppliers in the Swiss mountains, I take back my Swiss accent.

And they like it. And sometimes I might give a, a little priority thanks to this. So you have to, you have to be able to play this Swiss Ude, uh, uh, which is so important in our culture. We all know that whether you are, uh, Swiss French, Swiss, German, Swiss, Italian, it's important. Unfortunately, a recent, uh, tragic events in [00:37:00] Ana showed us that despite our different cultures and different languages, there is a strong unity. And I, I'm very happy and proud about it. 

Speaker: Thank you. 

Speaker 6: that's, Yeah, Thank you for sharing. That's a, a very interesting insight and we share, those condolences for all those who were affected by what happened in, uh, in Crime Montana. It's, uh, been a big story over here and we've been desperately sorry to see it. But, uh, Juno, before we let you go, I just wanna ask you about, uh, well, what the future 2026.

Look ahead for us. What, what do you see happening? Uh, I don't wanna cast a cloud, but, uh, I read something, in a McKinsey survey recently saying that 46% of fashion luxury executives expect market conditions to worsen this year. So what's your mood looking into 2026? Is there room for optimism? Give us something to cheer.

Julien Tornare: Uh, first of all, I would love to have a crystal ball and to, to know exactly what's going to happen. I think what characterized today is uncertainty. So I'll be very humble on my prediction, but I believe. With everything that's happening today, we really don't know what will be the next month. It depends so much on, , yeah, global, uh, political context.

Uh, obviously impacting a lot on the economic [00:38:00] context and it's difficult to say, but I'm, I'm, I tend to be a bit more, optimistic and I believe that 2026 might be better than what we had. You know, I really say 21, 22, part of 23 we're kind of a bubble. Pretty positive. We all believe. The sky's the limit.

We were brought back to a certain reality a bit tough. 24, 25 was not easy, but I'm, I'm still confident that if brands are focusing on what they do best, if we bring, uh, creativity, innovation, there's still a lot of people loving beautiful watches. 

so I, I wanna be positive. I've been working on, um, make the brand shine more than ever in the next couple of years, but I'm also working on the fundamentals of the business to be careful.

that's our job as a CEO. You have to be able to anticipate. And today, honestly, anticipating is, is a lot about guessing because we don't have much visibility. So I will push hard on the brand to develop in the next few years as if the sky was totally blue.

But I'm also ready to [00:39:00] press The emergency buttons in case, uh, bad things happen in the world. So that's, that's the way I'm anticipating the year, but I'm, I'm pretty much optimistic.

David Sadigh: Well, Julia, thank you so much for sharing all those insights with us. Um, I think, uh, the Luxury Society Podcast will join you in being o optimistic where possible, but certainly in trying to be human and in being real as we look ahead to 2026. It's been wonderful talking to you, and we're so grateful to you for coming on to the podcast.

Speaker 6: Thank you so much. We wish you all the best with, uh, LVMH Watch Week.

Julien Tornare: It's a pleasure. Thank you both of you. My pleasure, really to exchange with you always. good questions, good discussion. So I enjoy my time. 

Speaker: you, Julian. 

Julien Tornare: cia. 

Robin Swithinbank: david, we've, both known Julian for a while and, we recognize his natural energy and enthusiasm, but even so, it was good to see him on such great form and apparently really quite optimistic about the future. What did you take from that conversation?

David Sadigh: A couple of, uh, things, but, uh, as you like, the positive, contagious energy of Julian, which I think make him the perfect guest for the first episode of, 2020, uh, six. [00:40:00] And beyond that, I think the experiential manufacturer is something quite, intriguing and, uh, fascinating. Uh, we have seen many brands are trying to push the limits of like experiential marketing, trying to build money, can buy experiences, and trying.

To build memorable, uh, uh, souvenir for their like clients. Uh, now what Julian has been referring to is something kind of new that I didn't hear before. This idea of like blending a manufacturer with like real experiences, uh, that can go around music, that can go around sports, potentially key moment in life like wedding and so on.

this makes me think as a. New approach, compared to maybe, uh, brands who have been like, uh, refurbishing their museum using a well-known architect or other brands trying to, uh, work their HQ in a more contemporary manner. Uh, so I'm like very intrigued and looking forward of like, uh, hearing more about this new manufacturer.

Robin Swithinbank: Yeah, I think he has to be a little bit careful what he promises. there was a suggestion there that if I wanted Lang Lne to come and play the piano with me before I buy my watch, it would happen. I [00:41:00] dunno whether that's gonna be very easy to

David Sadigh: I already sent him an email to say, I'm like waiting for the invitation.

Robin Swithinbank: yeah, I'd love to have a kick about with Louis Figo.

Um, I think, uh, nonetheless, I mean, the principle behind it I think is really sound and no doubt they will be able to arrange something similar to that, if not that for certain clients. Um, I think it's also really interesting that, uh, they, they will be integrating that with this idea of creating, uh, bespoke watches, which is a, I think it's gonna be a big trend in the industry over the next five years or so, as brands look to the very high net worth customers to try and, uh, generate big sales.

But, um. One of the things that he and I have talked about, um, not just in our conversation today, but in the, in the last few months, is, is about this, this, this idea of creating bespoke watches. because it's not about volume at the moment. I mean, this is, this is clear, uh, that all the industry statistics over the last 10 years have shown that volume is less and less important and value is more and more important.

so, uh, I think, uh, this is a, is very much a long-term project. I suspect that when, uh, they broke ground on the building three years ago or something like that. Uh, they weren't expecting to find themselves in the position they're in now in the industry, in [00:42:00] the position it's now, but, they've gotta think for the long term.

There, there is, as we said in the, in the interview with him, value in the real, the tangible and the human. And this facility has the capacity to deliver that for them.

David Sadigh: The other point that, uh, I found quite, interesting is, the only brand he mentioned as a competitor was like Panerai with the Panist, uh, analogy, 

Robin Swithinbank: Yeah, that was interesting. 

David Sadigh: a, you know, it was kind of well known that, uh, when Jean Claude Beaver was, uh, at the helm of, uh, ULO. He was making some unexpected moves.

One of them is a anecdote that has been circulating around probably from 2006, 2007, maybe we mentioned it during the podcast at some point was that, uh, there were like some people having, uh, expensive, uh, lunch in San Roee. and, uh, apparently, uh, Jean Claude be there, noticed that one of the guests had, so he went and paid the bill.

Uh, without them knowing. And everyone started speaking about the fact that I got invited by Jean-Claude Beder because I'm a Uber owner, and I think what is very clever is all this idea of huba and people who are [00:43:00] passionate about the brand and so on. It seems that Julian is really uh, uh, moving forward with this idea of a community driven approach.

For blo, uh, and this idea of like developing blo and developing like money can buy experiences around the different like celebrities and so on. And I think if that's executed well and I'm pretty sure they will be able to execute it well, it has some obviously important potential.

Robin Swithinbank: Yeah, I liked what he said about the internal community too, and he talked about this. Uh, it doesn't, I dunno whether it's a division or whether it's just an idea or a concept that he's introduced, um, with his employees. But, uh, that, that would be Hubo doing what it does best. Uh, I think there's a difficult balance to strike here.

I think Hubo needs to find his happy place, which. It's probably somewhere between the excesses and at times borderline vulgarity of the first 10 years of the Jean Claude Beaver area, and the rather more sober version of the brand we've seen in the past few years. And Hubo is at its best when it's disruptive, when it's a bit rebellious, when it's doing things differently and when it's being unique, as be ve always used to say.

[00:44:00] Uh, and yeah, there are too many brands that do Swiss conservatism very well. We don't need any more of those really, but the industry does need a brand that attracts the entrepreneurs, the visionaries. In some cases, the loose cannons. People who are going to move fast and break things as as, um, as often been said.

so I'm interested to see what ideas come out of, and I think it could be quite an interesting season.

David Sadigh: And who knows, maybe some of the new project product and so on will help them to, uh, consolidate the advance that Julian mentioned there had developed in, uh, in India. Uh, I think that was like kind of an interesting, uh, element as well to see that, uh, he was also looking further to, uh, new potential door, I think in Delhi.

Uh, And that's obviously quite a recent development for him, isn't it? And they, he's obviously clocked that, uh, India has a lot of potential for the brand and that it's growing quite quickly out there. I think you've got some fairly interesting data around interest in Hubo in India that you at DLG have gathered.

Robin Swithinbank: What have

you Yeah. And no, basically the growth of, ULO in India, uh, seems to be, uh, uh, strong. And it seems that, uh, [00:45:00] the brand is getting some momentum in India. So I was not fully surprised to see that, uh, Julian is going to, uh, capitalize and the brand is going to, uh. Capitalize even more on this,on this market,

Yeah. Yeah. And I think, uh, there will be many other brands that follow. One of the things that's interesting about Hubo, I suppose as far as India is concerned, is that it makes watches, from materials which have this lasting, enduring quality, which as we've discussed on the podcast before, particularly with the CEO of Titan last year, uh, it really works in India the giving culture is very strong out there.

And if you are giving a watch which is made of a ceramic, or in Hugo's case of a gold, which is designed never to lose its allure, then it has enormous potential to be very successful.

David Sadigh: And I think, you know, one of the things that have made Ulo also the success, it, uh, it became beyond obviously like the talent of, uh, Jean-Claude Beaver and, uh, different element linked to the fusion of materials is also the fact that this was a watch that was highly recognizable. It was extremely easy to spot someone with a new blow.

So, uh, my guess is that, uh, in some [00:46:00] markets that are like still very status oriented, there is like an important potential to, uh, make sure that the big bang, uh, become again, I would say, the cult object that it used to be, and it has the potential for that.

Robin Swithinbank: It sounds like they've got some plans to revamp it this year, but also to focus quite heavily on the classic fusion. Um, and to introduce some watches that could be considered as more typically sophisticated, I suppose. and, uh, but you're right to have a, have an icon like the big Bang in your collection.

There aren't many CEOs out there who would, uh, decline the opportunity to have something like that in their arsenal. LVMH Watch week, uh, is just around the corner as well as we record. Um, and we'll be in full flow by the time we land. what's your expectation of an event like that?

Do you think it matters? Do you think it's necessary?

David Sadigh: I think ideally, my expectation would be one of the new AI design Watch by Julia and see how does a CEO Infields watch look like. But, uh, maybe that's not going to be released, uh, uh, that soon. Now, on a, on a more serious note, uh, I think it's, uh, very interesting that they. Selected Milan [00:47:00] for the different reasons that were discussed during the pod.

I'm the impression that, uh, being at the Sun Center of like cities such as Milan that are really at the crossroad between like fashion and obvious luxury, uh, are something extremely important. And, uh, I'm quite interested in seeing because he's absolutely right about the love relationship between the Italians and, watch brands.

And I think there is a question of how a brand like Ulo. can get more traction into the Italian market.

Robin Swithinbank: Where it was, as he said, originally, always very successful because of its Italian founder. Yeah, for me of MH Watch week arrives at quite a difficult time for the group. Um, I mean, we can't really add much to the story today. Um, but there of course has been, uh, there've been rumors and there's been gossip about what's happening at a C-suite level in the group.

Um, rumors of potential sales of various brands and bits and pieces of the group. we're not gonna add anything to that, but, uh. It's, uh, nonetheless, it's, it's a good time to have a, an event because it hands the impetus to LVMH and to its brands in a season where actually there's not a huge amount [00:48:00] going on in the industry.

Um, but it's interesting too because as we discussed on this podcast many times before, and as, as will be known to people who follow the industry, sales are down, profits are down. The horizon is not exactly broken by beams of light at the moment. And, uh, I'm, I'll be in Milan and I'm gonna be very interested to, uh, read the Air Dubai Watch Week.

As we noted at the end of last season, captured some, a very different spirit and it was the spirit of the region really. This front foot can do, let's go out and make some money sort of spirit that we, uh, that we recognize in the Middle East and in Dubai in particular. Um, it didn't have help, of course, that it was held outdoors in November.

that was very nice too. But, uh, Butan and January will be different. but the event is much smaller and really only targets the trade, the press, top customers and so on. But, how the group and its leaders present themselves and the notes that they strike, will set the tone for their year and even for the industry's year.

It's a big pressure moment for the group, I'd say. I think they need a good year and they need a good LVMH Watch week. 

David Sadigh: David, before we go, any final thoughts from you?

 let's, uh, enjoy this contagious, positive energy 

Robin Swithinbank: [00:49:00] from this interview and, on with the show.

yes on with the show. David, it's been a pleasure as always. I will, talk to you soon.

 Thank you for listening to the Luxury Society Podcast. If you've enjoyed this episode and would like to hear more, don't forget to subscribe. And if you want to go deeper into any of these topics, check out luxury society.com where you'll find stories, insights, and profiles that unpack what's going on in the world of luxury right now.

I've been your host, Robin Swithinbank, and this has been the Luxury Society Podcast available on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.