Change in leadership marks a defining moment for any watchmaking Maison, especially for one as dynamic as Hublot. Having welcomed Julien Tornare several months ago as its new CEO, he is steadily leading the ship to new horizons. With a career deeply rooted in fine watchmaking and a reputation for strengthening global market presence, he is poised to steer Hublot towards its next chapter.

Tornare stopped by Southeast Asia recently as he shared an update on the future of Hublot as well as the type of leadership he will bring to the table.

Julien Tornare: It's super exciting, super motivating. I'm probably one of the happiest people in the watch industry because joining Hublot is a honor and it's a pleasure and I think we can do such great things with this brand, which is so open to the future, open to being innovative, creative, dynamic. That makes me feel tons of energy, so very happy.

JT: The first few days, it was quite easy because I mean, in a way, I knew quite a few people working at Hublot already, and I had been quite a few times in their Manufacture. So when I got there, I felt literally, immediately at home. I felt literally part of it, and I had a very warm welcome from the people there immediately.

There wasn't any kind of apprehension or stress you can have for the first day. I didn't get it, no. It felt very natural and that's when you know the fit is right, you know, between the people and the brand. And that's what I really experienced.

JT: It's different because the brand is different. It's different because Hublot is only 45 years old. Most of those brands, you always have the inspiration from the heritage, but sometimes you also have the constraint. Hublot is great because you look much more ahead of you than behind, which means that creativity is limitless.

You can come up with any concept, any kind of watch, any kind of material, and any kind of development at Hublot. The response is never going to be, "No, no, no, this is not the brand." We can go very far, and that's something I find very exciting for Hublot. It's different from the other brands because you are here to create the future. You are not here to repeat the past and that's something I love.

JT: I think it's the strength because you don't have any constraints. But, on the other hand, you cannot use your past. Sometimes, it's easy to go and take a watch you made 30 or 40 years ago; for some brands, they only do that. If you take a look at their portfolio, they only go to pick up something form the past so it's very convenient and easy. For Hublot, they don't have this kind of facility so we have to do it a different way.

JT: In a very short time, Hublot has already become one of the top players in the industry. The ambition is to become the undisputed leader in high watchmaking. It's about being disruptive, innovative, a bit crazy, and fun.

But we have to take this position. We are in the high-end market, but we are a very entertaining brand so that makes it different. We should be within the top five or top six players in the world.

JT: Certainly. First off, Hublot is a very big brand, we have more than 1,000 people. Hublot was also very strong when it was first a start-up and having that start-up spirit—we have to keep that. What this means for a hands-on approach is that I'm ready to listen to anyone in the company that has a good idea. I am able to put my hands into something if I need to do it, I have no problem with it as I can do any kind of job.

It's not because you are at that level of the hierarchy that you cannot go there and do something by yourself. That's the spirit I want to nurture and push within Hublot in that we have a very horizontal way of working. And that works very well.

Sometimes, I have young people knocking on my door and saying, "Julien, I have a great idea. We could do that watch, or we could do that collaboration, or we could do that particular launch." I like that. That is what I call hands-on. Everybody has their hands in the engine and that's a very cool spirit. It creates a boost in both the mood and environment.

JT: They can expect to have a brand that will go even further, that will bring even more innovation, more creativity, and new ideas. This is not only on the watches, but even for the brand as a whole. Because when you buy an Hublot, you don't only buy the object. You also buy the values of the brand, you buy the culture of the brand, you buy all that.

I would like the clients to feel that Hublot is really responding to their feel of willing to be different than the others. If you buy an Hublot, you're not going to see 10 people with the same watch on the plane. Personally, it's not reassuring me; it's scaring me when I see too many people with the same watch. I think it's boring. Hublot is not boring. With Hublot, you assume yourself by showing that you have a different watch than others. And that's something I really enjoy.

JT: I think so. I think the collaborations have helped with the awareness, which allows more people to know about the brand. Once people start to know about the brand, there is the next step, which is important—how the brand becomes more desirable. First, you need to know. Then, you need to have a desire for it. Only then do you need to get people to buy it. That's really what we are working on with the brand.

JT: Yes you will. There will be some that we will develop and work more with. There will also be other new people that we will work with. When you have collaborations, sometimes you arrive at the end of the partnership and you have to have new blood.

JT: Quite a lot. I will tell you, we are strong in sports, in art, and I really want to reinforce and go back into the music world. Music is a fantastic, emotional driver for the brand and this is one aspect I want to develop in the future.