Dear Mr.Margolis,

“Only graduate watchmakers who are employees of (and not independent contractors for) our Authorized Agents are invited to participate in one of our training class. Again, this helps us keep the quality of the repair and the integrity of the watch at the highest level possible.”

Your above statement would make sense if you really were searching for the most qualified watchmakers.

Watchmakers graduated from the Famous Technicum Neuchatelois de La Chaux-de-Fonds have been included in your parts restriction, so have a lot of others certified by different schools; even if they are independent it should be of your interest to have them repair your product, again if quality was your concern.

Therefore Mr. Margolis it is obvious, your policy of restriction has nothing to do with quality.
When you propose that watchmakers have to be trained by your company only, do you insinuate that companies like Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Nardin etc. Utilized watchmakers not able to repair Hublot watches? or that the most famous Swiss Technical School have no clue of what they are doing?

I hope you will clarify your statement and let us all know where your watchmaker,s, instrutors graduated from.

Andre Fleury
Swiss Watch Co.

Are luxury watches overpriced? For what you pay to physically manufacture them, yes, however the lines are not so clearly drawn with luxury goods (as is their nature). A Rolex, JLC, or Patek Phillipe movement would most likely incorporate design/mechanical elements that the average watchmaker would not be aware of, hence Rolex specific courses, etc.

Hublot is taking ETA movements, placing them in a case, and charging exorbitant prices for them. Now, personally, I think it’s criminal to charge what Hublot does for a quartz watch but, as I said, these are luxury items…

The “we don’t sell to independents” policy has two general spins in the industry (well, three, it could be a combination of the two below)

1. We want to make sure repairs are carried out to the highest quality

and/or

2. We’re afraid someone could use our parts to make a knock-off watch.

Hublot is terrified of replica manufacturers (just google it) because, quite frankly, their watches are probably fairly easy to replicate unlike, say, a Rolex Daytona with seconds at 6, asymmetrical pushers, and non-standard ETA subdial spacing.

Now, I understand this, but at the same time… $300 to replace a battery and do a WR check?! I could do that for $8, who are you kidding?

That is absurd. I was quoted $550 by Rolex to fully service a 3135 automatic movement, clean the case, buff the crystal, oil the band, etc etc. $300 is highway robbery and any attempts at forcing a customer to commit to outrageously expensive services is appalling and disgusting.

If Hublot cared so much about quality they’d produce their own high end quartz movement instead of buying them wholesale from Swatch and dropping them into fancy cases. Even Rolex makes gaskets, etc available for repairs and I know for a fact that you can order JLC gaskets, tubes, etc from the manufacturer. Are you saying you’re of higher quality than Rolex or Jaeger Le Coultre? Haha, please.

Independent watchmakers are the spirit and backbone of the watch industry. If you keep restricting what watchmakers can do, you will decrease the amount of watchmakers in demand (not like the levels aren’t alarmingly low already) and it’ll be tough to find anyone who can figure out how to shoehorn a new basic ETA movement into your next “masterpiece.”

I find it fitting that the person responding to the original post is the Sales Director and not someone who is directly in charge of servicing, etc… Says a lot when a company responds with sales spin and marketing dribble instead of an honest answer as to why someone with Mr. Peters’ qualifications does not meet your “standards” (how many of your technicians have his accreditation?).

Nick

Thank you for your comments. As the Sales Director of Hublot of America, which covers USA and Canada, please allow me to clarify and explain our position regarding selling parts to independent watchmakers.

Hublot of America’s policy is that we only sell parts to a watchmaker who has been invited to, and has come to one of our service training facilities in Nyon, Switzerland or Ft. Lauderdale, FL to become certified by us to work on Hublot watches. Many of our watches require special tooling, holders, jigs and screwdrivers in order to be properly opened, worked on, and then closed and leak tested.

In order to maintain the very high standards with which our watches are designed and constructed, we can not allow a non-certified watchmaker to work on an Hublot watch. While we can never prevent an owner from taking his or her watch to a non-certified repairer, we can prevent that repairer from purchasing parts from us.

Only graduate watchmakers who are employees of (and not independent contractors for) our Authorized Agents are invited to participate in one of our training class. Again, this helps us keep the quality of the repair and the integrity of the watch at the highest level possible.

Hublot watches are sold in a very small distribution channel in the USA and Canada. Currently, we have only two Authorized Dealers in all of Canada, none west of Toronto. So, someone in Calgary or Vancouver who has purchased an Hublot watch will have to return that watch back to either his AD, or to directly to Hublot of America for repair.

Since that owner has traveled more than four hundred miles (as you say) to purchase that watch from an Authorized Dealer, they should not be surprised to find that the authorized repair center is also some distance away.

While you as an independent watchmaker may be frustrated by our policy, we believe that our policy will preserve the high quality and integrity of our watches.

Best Regards,

Mike Margolis

Sales Director

Hublot of America

Hublot of America’s policy is that we only sell parts to a watchmaker who has been invited to, and has come to one of our service training facilities in Nyon, Switzerland or Ft. Lauderdale, FL to become certified by us to work on Hublot watches. Many of our watches require special tooling, holders, jigs and screwdrivers in order to be properly opened, worked on, and then closed and leak tested.

In order to maintain the very high standards with which our watches are designed and constructed, we can not allow a non-certified watchmaker to work on an Hublot watch. While we can never prevent an owner from taking his or her watch to a non-certified repairer, we can prevent that repairer from purchasing parts from us.

Only graduate watchmakers who are employees of (and not independent contractors for) our Authorized Agents are invited to participate in one of our training class. Again, this helps us keep the quality of the repair and the integrity of the watch at the highest level possible.

Hublot watches are sold in a very small distribution channel in the USA and Canada. Currently, we have only two Authorized Dealers in all of Canada, none west of Toronto. So, someone in Calgary or Vancouver who has purchased an Hublot watch will have to return that watch back to either his AD, or to directly to Hublot of America for repair.

Since that owner has traveled more than four hundred miles (as you say) to purchase that watch from an Authorized Dealer, they should not be surprised to find that the authorized repair center is also some distance away.

While you as an independent watchmaker may be frustrated by our policy, we believe that our policy will preserve the high quality and integrity of our watches.

I appreciate your response. I understand the frustrations at your end! I have an answer from the sales director of Hublot America- and will e-mail you personally with his comments. I understand that he had a look at your comments and post, and has sent me a comment. Some positive news in there for you mate…..

I will e-mail this copy to you asap. Cheers,

Prem