Hublot – Etched In Time

When luxury watch brand Hublot announced its first collection with tattoo artist Maxime Plescia-Büchi back in 2016, eyebrows were undoubtedly raised. What could the LVMH-owned Hublot, which sells watches for tens of thousands of dollars, possibly have in common with the world of tattoos, more readily associated with subcultures and a DIY ethos? Three watch designs and almost a decade later, the partnership has proved a successful one, bringing together two traditional art forms where craftsmanship and surgical precision are paramount.

Plescia-Büchi’s collaboration with Hublot was not the only one uniting the worlds of luxury watches and tattoo art. Dr. Woo, the L.A.-based tattooist, famed for his celebrity roster —Miley Cyrus, Drake, and Justin Bieber all sport his ink — unveiled two watch collaborations with Swiss watchmaker Roger Dubois. The timepieces, which retail for an eyewatering $158,000, are inspired by the cosmic journey of life and feature three celestial bodies on the dial: the sun, the earth, and the moon.

Mo Coppoletta, owner of the London-based The Family Business Tattoo Parlour, was tapped by luxury jeweler Bulgari, having previously designed for Geneva watchmaker Romain Jerome before it shuttered its doors in 2021. What was once an unusual pairing has become normalized as luxury brands seek to capitalize on the adoption of tattoos by mainstream culture.

“The watch industry, like many other industries, is always in search of new, interesting, and compelling storytelling. That’s why many launches of new releases are associated with either outside collaborators or other worlds like automotive, art, design, etc.,” Coppoletta explains. “If you couple that with the intent to appeal [to] a younger audience that will hopefully remain a faithful customer base for the future, the reach out to the world of tattooing, amongst others, is just an obvious move, considering how influential tattooing has been in the last 25-30 years in popular culture.”

The passing of time has been a perennial feature in tattoo art. Along with skulls and roses, the hourglass has long been a favorite motif in more traditional ink work, though it was briefly surpassed in popularity by the old-fashioned pocket watch, which became one of the most frequently requested designs of the 90s. Often chosen to symbolize the passage of time and the transient nature of life, the artwork serves as a reminder to appreciate every moment.

In prisons, clocks and watchhands have been routinely inked on prisoners to signify time in their sentence or for some, a handless face, synonymous with serving a life sentence. But scratchers in a prison cell with makeshift tattoo guns are far removed from watches that cost three times the median American salary and don’t explain how and why these seemingly unorthodox mashups came about.

Collaborations between brands and artists have been a mainstay of the fashion industry’s marketing for decades — Adidas’s Yeezy collection with Kanye West reportedly netted the sports giant $2 billion in annual sales before ending in 2023. There’s no easier way to reach a new customer base than to forge a partnership with an influential figure and tap into their pre-built audience. And with the rise of both celebrity and tattoo culture, watch brands, taking their cue from fashion, spotted a unique opportunity to both evolve their designs in line with changing customer tastes, and to reach a new, predominately younger clientele.

For the luxury watch customer, the collaborations allow them to own a piece of artwork by the world’s most in demand tattoo artists, without committing to the pain and permanency of an actual tattoo. It’s notable that, like Dr. Woo, Plescia-Büchi and Coppoletta have celebrity clients, no doubt a contributory factor in the brands’ decision to work with them. Strong social media followings — Dr. Woo boasts over 1.7 million followers on Instagram alone — also provide a powerful marketing tool for brands hoping to reach a new demographic.

For the artists themselves, watches provide a new medium to execute their art as well as, one presumes, providing a lucrative income stream. For Plescia-Büchi, the collection with Hublot felt both organic and natural. Growing up in Lausanne, Switzerland, the watch industry was omnipresent and a major employer in the area —he likens it to the car industry in Detroit or southern Germany. And, as a long-time lover of watches, he had an appreciation and understanding of the world in a way that others might not. His name was initially put forward as a potential collaborator to a marketing executive at Hublot by the head of the art college in Lausanne where Plescia-Büchi had previously studied and taught. Coincidentally, he had also inked the son of Jean-Claude Biver, Hublot’s founder.

From a creative perspective, designing watches and tattoos are much more similar processes than is immediately obvious. In a world where everything is mass-produced in factories in China, watches and tattoos remain two forms of art that still require skill and handcraft, and retain many of the elements of traditional handcraft.

Hublot watches, the latest of which sells for $47,100, are unmistakably the work of Plescia-Büchi, famed for his geometric tattoo art which he adapted for the collaboration. The complex designs feature geometrics that create a 3D effect and octagonal rotating discs on the dial replace traditional hands. The result is a unique timepiece that looks and feels more akin to a piece of abstract art.

For the average tattoo enthusiast, the idea of spending over $100,000 on a watch is nonsensical. Even the $10,000-plus mark at which the Hublot is sold, many of us are priced out. However, Plescia-Büchi does point out that many clients will spend as much on actual tattoos, considering the number of sessions for a full back piece or elaborate work covering arms or legs might take. Nonetheless, there wasn’t much cross-pollination of customer base, he says, and it was the luxury brand’s pre-existing customers who bought the limited-addition timepieces.

“My requests to work on the price point and look for ways to make the pieces more accessible is the only thing that fell on deaf ears,” Plescia-Büchi says. “For most of my peers, the price point just didn’t make sense.” He says this is his one regret about the collaboration.

What might make more sense then, for those of us not in the financial position to indulge in five- and six-figure timepieces, is the more reasonably priced collaboration between The Camden Watch Company and London-based tattoo artist Rebecca Vincent. Based in the north London town famed for its vintage markets and vibrant subcultures, the brand operates in the affordable luxury space with watches retailing at around the $200 mark —expensive enough to feel like a treat, but not one that will drive the average person into bankruptcy.

Those familiar with Vincent’s botanical-based work will immediately recognize her stamp on the watches. Inspired by the Victorian language of flowers, the watches feature beautiful, intricate florals in exquisite detail, synonymous with her tattoo style. Unlike the luxury collaborations, Vincent’s clients have been enthusiastic about the project, and many have purchased watches, some even requesting the design itself be inked on their bodies. Others, she says, have purchased them because while they appreciate her design aesthetic, they perhaps don’t want to commit to a tattoo just yet.

The collaboration was a career highlight for Vincent, appreciating the avenue now available for others to access her artwork. Notably, she adds, her art is now something tangible that can be passed on to future generations, something that’s just not possible with tattoos. And who doesn’t want to leave behind something for the grandkids to fight over?