I bought a Hublot, I sold a Hublot.
Watchlist | Jaeger-LeCoultre, a Super Eterna KonTiki, and more affordable and fun eBay finds.
Good afternoon. In today’s newsletter:
I bought an old Hublot, I wore it, I sold it.
A Rolex lawsuit, and are Swiss brands doing better now than they were during Covid?
For paid subscribers: The Watchlist featuring an Eterna Super KonTiki, two very different Jaeger-LeCoultres, Swatch, and more affordable finds.
I bought a Hublot, I sold a Hublot.
Earlier this year, I finally tried it: I bought a Hublot. An MDM Geneve Hublot from the 1990s—the original.
In 1980, Carlo Crocco left his family’s watch and jewelry business to start MDM Geneve in Switzerland. His first design was a watch named the Hublot, French for porthole. In addition to the design inspired by a ship’s porthole, it featured the first natural rubber strap for watches. Depending on which legend you believe, it took 2-4 years to develop.
At first, the buttoned-up Swiss industry wasn’t sure what to do with a gold, quartz watch on a rubber strap. But it was a quick commercial success, blending high-end materials with a casual vibe, a natural evolution of those Genta ‘70s sports designs. Crocco renamed the brand Hublot after its flagship model.
Originally in gold, Hublot soon added steel, then GMTs, chronographs, and a larger automatic version to the collection.
I’d always been curious about this early MDM Geneve era. 36mm, slim, quartz—they sound great on paper. So I picked up an original Hublot ref. 1521 for about $1k (I think ref. 1523 is the successor and basically the same).
The rubber strap is custom-fit to your wrist and can’t be adjusted. Supposedly, it’s one of the first things Jean-Claude Biver changed when he took over the brand in the early 2000s. But Hublot still supports them—you can get one sized at a Hublot AD for ~$200. Factor that in if you’re gonna buy one. Once you get the strap, it’s an easy wear, and the lugs have a quirky, hooded style.
Nowadays, Hublot’s cultural importance and impact seem underappreciated by so-called serious enthusiasts. I like that. And this design feels so opposite to most of modern Hublot. Even elegant.
It was a fun watch to own, but not to keep. But I’m glad I tried it. So much of “collecting” is just experimenting—figuring out what works for you. Taste develops through ownership, through noticing the details: What you like, what you don’t, and how that shapes future decisions. No more hooded lugs for me, but I came to view the quartz movement as a feature. Not just for obvious timekeeping reasons, but because of how thin the case is. I’m more interested in quartz Royal Oaks from the ‘90s than ever.
Much more important than the movement, I love these overlooked corners of history. They can tell the story not just of a brand, but of culture, and how watches fit in.
MDM Geneve was so clearly of its time. After Genta, the Royal Oak, the Nautilus, and just before the TAG Heuer Formula 1, Swatch, G-Shock. A rubber strap, especially on a gold watch?
An effortless, Italian answer to the ‘80s excess to come.
MDM Geneve challenged convention, but now these mostly sit in the corners of forums and dealer trays, waiting to see if someone will care again. Got any other forgotten chapters in watch history that deserve a second look?
The Roundup
Rolex won a lawsuit against a company making ‘Rolex’ watch winders. Pinel & Pinel made watch winders with cases that looked like Rolex bezels, calling them Sub and GMT. The case was in France, where courts are more prone to protect the precious IP of luxury houses, its prized industry. More importantly, you don’t need a watch winder, and especially not one that looks like a GMT-Master. (The Fashion Law)
Are Swiss brands using reduced hours more than during Covid? When times are tough, Swiss companies can give their employee reduced-hours work, with the government covering a portion of salaries to make up any difference. Economist Brendan Cunningham took a look at these reduced-hours filings from watch companies, finding:
“The current slowdown is more modest compared to the severe downturns caused by Covid and the Great Recession.”
The Watchlist
A monthly feature of some of the best under-the-radar watches from around the internet in hopes of scoring you a deal. This month: Auctions are slow, so we’re focusing on accessible, fun summer finds.
👽 Pierre Cardin ‘Espace’ by Jaeger-LeCoultre. In the 1970s, French fashion designer Pierre Cardin designed the Espace collection, a line of space-age wristwatches that use Jaeger-LeCoultre movements. This ref. PC107 is an exaggerated, 3D bubble. In total, there are 26 models in the Pierre Cardin Espace collection, and they’re relatively accessible, which means collectors are prone to a gotta catch ‘em all attitude. They’re all design objects and not exactly wearable, but the bubbly PC107 is one of the line’s more subdued shapes.
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