<\/p>\n including Calvin Klein<\/p>\n
<\/a>. As a Hublot ambassador, he joins a high-profile roster which includes Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt, Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic and Chinese classical pianist Lang Lang.<\/p>\n
Mr Tornare says: \u201cThere are a lot of pop idols here, but there are not so many who resonate all over the world.\u201d <\/p>\n
For him, creating buzz in South Korea \u2013 or even across Asia \u2013 is only part of the story. The real prize is tapping a cultural wave that now ripples far beyond Seoul. In Mexico City, he says with a chuckle, President Claudia Sheinbaum recently asked her South Korean counterpart, Mr Lee Jae Myung, if he could help arrange more BTS concert dates in the country.<\/p>\n
Hublot\u2019s courtship of Jungkook took about 18 months, beginning just weeks after Mr Tornare joined the company in September 2024. The attraction, he says, goes beyond commercial appeal.<\/p>\n
\u201cDancing, singing, performing the way he does on stage \u2013 for me, that\u2019s a fusion of skills,\u201d says the watch industry veteran, who spent 17 years at Vacheron Constantin and six years at Zenith. \u201cThat\u2019s exactly what we have at Hublot.\u201d<\/p>\n
The announcement also marks the watchmaker\u2019s deliberate return to music as a core brand pillar. Mr Tornare has identified three emotional engines he intends to push at full throttle: sport, contemporary art and music.<\/p>\n
Hublot was the first watchmaker to step onto the football field in 2006 and remains the Official Timekeeper at major tournaments. <\/p>\n
But, while the sport continues to be important, Mr Tornare is candid about the need to rebalance the mix.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmotion is not only football,\u201d he says simply.<\/p>\n
By luxury watchmaking standards, Hublot is still a relatively young brand. <\/p>\n
It was founded in 1980 by Italian watchmaker Carlo Crocco, who scandalised the industry by pairing a gold case with a natural rubber strap, a radical combination that took three years of research to perfect. The French word for porthole, \u201chublot\u201d, proved an apt name as the brand offered a new window into what a watch could be.<\/p>\n
When industry titan Jean-Claude Biver took over in 2004, he supercharged that spirit of creative disruption. Under his watch, the now-iconic Big Bang collection was born, along with a philosophy summed up in three words: \u201cfirst, unique, different\u201d. <\/p>\n
![\"Mr](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/035228c4ee32d3d934b7ab5dd16dcf82c823eba1377aac3b49b200d3cbcb1859.webp\")
<\/p>\n
BTS singer Jungkook (left) embodies the fusion of disciplines that defines Hublot, says Mr Tornare (right).<\/p>\n
PHOTO: HUBLOT<\/p>\n
Hublot soon became synonymous with bold materials \u2013 Magic Gold (an ultra-hard 18K gold alloy developed by the brand), sapphire crystal and high-tech ceramics, as well as a marketing playbook built on spectacle.<\/p>\n
Mr Tornare inherits this legacy with evident pride. But he is keen to add another dimension to the story: technical credibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t get enough credit for that,\u201d he says, leaning forward. \u201cWhat we have achieved in such a short time \u2013 just 46 years \u2013 is remarkable. We have built real expertise in watchmaking.\u201d<\/p>\n
He is about to make that expertise visible. A new, significantly expanded manufacture in Nyon, on the shores of Lake Geneva, is in the works. More than doubling the brand\u2019s capacity, it is designed not just for production but also as an immersive destination.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to create a manufacture experience that no other brand has done,\u201d he says, adding that art, sport and music are woven into the journey from the moment visitors step inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For now, though, the details remain under wraps. \u201cI put pressure on myself,\u201d he adds with a grin. \u201cBecause I have to surprise you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He has also unveiled plans to revisit Hublot\u2019s origins, with Mr Crocco \u2013 still sharp at 81 \u2013 set to speak publicly about how and why the brand was created.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mr Tornare says: \u201cFor the first time, in September, you will hear someone at Hublot speaking about its history.\u201d <\/p>\n
Not everyone loves Hublot and he knows it. The brand has its passionate detractors in horological circles including critics who find it too flashy, too loud and too nouveau.<\/p>\n
Instead of hiding behind a public relations firewall, he says he engages with detractors directly: \u201cAnybody who hates me or the brand \u2013 they can call me. I will have lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hate, he argues, is often fear of what one does not know or the laziness of choosing an easy target. Hublot is \u201cunique by essence\u201d, which makes it an easier punching bag than a traditional brand that blends into a conservative crowd, he adds.\u200b<\/p>\n
He does not find that frustrating. In fact, he enjoys it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more the stadium boos, the stronger some athletes become,\u201d he says, adding that he relishes the challenge of converting haters into lovers. <\/p>\n
![\"Hublot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/c03d618274336b0b2fe0063b43fa9bc7df25d214763d3ad2cf3562631c82f3e3.webp\")
<\/p>\n
Hublot is known for its creative use of bold materials, including sapphire crystals and high-tech ceramics.<\/p>\n
PHOTO: HUBLOT<\/p>\n
His invitation to sceptics is straightforward: Come and see the manufacture, then decide. \u201cI want you to decide for a real reason,\u201d he says. \u201cThen I\u2019m fine. We can shake hands, we kiss each other.\u201d\u200b<\/p>\n
And perhaps that is the essence of his pitch \u2013 not that the brand must become less itself to be taken seriously, but that it must become more itself, with better explanations.<\/p>\n
He wants three \u201cengines\u201d running at full throttle: innovation and creativity, seen in Hublot\u2019s bold materials and disruptive ideas; emotional marketing, driven by cultural moments and star power; and watchmaking expertise \u2013 movements, complications and finishing \u2013 which he says will finally receive equal prominence.<\/p>\n
He believes this combination can carve out a unique position in the high-end landscape: contemporary and modern, but also legitimately high watchmaking, not conservative for the sake of it.\u200b<\/p>\n
Mr Tornare is measured but unbothered by the watch industry\u2019s macro environment, which remains uncertain with tariff pressures, geopolitical turbulence and uneven regional demand.<\/p>\n
He notes that Hublot is well diversified globally, with no single market carrying undue weight. He expects 2026 to look much like 2025 and wants to focus on what he can control.\u200b<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople will always love luxury, love beautiful brands, beautiful things,\u201d he says. \u201cMy job now is to emphasise Hublot\u2019s strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEOUL \u2013 It is a cold February morning in Seoul, but Mr Julien Tornare feels as though it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316113,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[156,157,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-316112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-music","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"As](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/e0e83470d169490537ae7e450173810cdddfd95d82baa0cc8db1d8134fab2807.webp\")
<\/p>\n