Hublot vs. Omega: Which is the Better Luxury Watch Brand?

Hublot vs Omega luxury watch brand

Today, we’ll look into two reputable luxury watch brands, Hublot vs. Omega. The question of which is the better brand can be answered differently, depending on how the question is asked.

Both brands are very prominent and are often considered when looking for a luxury watch from reputable Swiss watchmakers.  You may be considering a purchase but be too confounded to choose between Hublot and Omega as both brands produce great watches.

This article will discuss the main questions you will probably ask yourself when comparing Hublot and Omega. But first, let’s take a look at each brand’s history.

Brief History of Omega

This famous luxury watch brand was founded in 1848; the year of its establishment alone will give you a clue of how reputable the brand is. As such, Omega is mostly considered as an upper echelon of the watch industry.

Throughout the 1800s, Omega concentrated on building and spreading its brand by producing high-quality handy mechanical watches. The company had managed to maintain a rise in its customer trust and prestige in the watch industry.

 The brand is renowned for perfecting watchmaking and delivering the most outstanding watches in the market, both in functionality and aesthetics. In 1932, the brand further welded its name by being the Olympics game’s official timekeeper in Los Angeles, California.

 During their 100th anniversary in 1948, the brand introduced one of their most prominent watch series: the Seamaster. The Seamaster is considered one of the most outstanding watch models to date.

In 1962, the brand introduced Speedmaster, another famous watch line and the first to reach outer space, when Wally Schirra, an astronaut, wore it during the Mercury Sigma 7 mission. In 1969, the Omega brand earns more fame when an astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, wore the Speedmaster during the historic moon landing.

The brand’s reliability and resiliency were further reinforced when the Speedmaster watch played an integral part in the Apollo 13 crew’s rescue mission. Nevertheless, the brand didn’t hit mainstream popularity until the ‘90s. At that time, Omega became the authorized watch of the 007 franchise, and it was used in the James Bond films.

This significantly helped in spreading the brand of Omega. Today, Omega is one of the most reputable Swiss watch brands globally.

Brief History of Hublot

The Hublot brand was established in 1980, making it a comparable newcomer in the watchmaking industry. Hublot came into existence after an Italian watchmaker, Carlo Crocco breaks the tradition to develop this reputable watch brand.

 Carlo Crocco was the heir of his uncle’s company, The Binda Group, a highly respected and reputable dynasty known for producing specialized Breil watches. At the age of 32, Carlo became zealous to actualize his watch design dream.

Carlo defied family tradition and set out to be on his own; in the next four years, he raised $4 million, most of which is his wealth. He then established a simple watch factory in Switzerland, the epicenter of the watch industry. In 1980, Carlo Crocco started MDM Geneva and introduced the Hublot watch at the Baselworld Watch Fair. The watch became a sensation at the fair.

 Unlike other watches with gold, leather, and other exotic materials as their band, Hublot’s band was made from a precisely tempered, lightweight, and durable rubber, which Carlo spent more than 1 million in developing.

The Hublot watches at the time were elegant with a high end straddled design. The new watch quickly became popular in the luxury watch space, but in commercial space, people were slow in buying the unique design of Hublot.

 The Crocco’s sales team spent the 1980s marketing the new radical design of Hublot and convincing customers to invest in the new design. The Hublot brand spread slowly across Europe and the United States, as competing against long-established and reputable watch brands is a huge task.

In 1993, the company won the uphill sales battle. It hit a milestone as its watches were recognized and used by celebrities like Candice Bergen, Prince Albert of Monaco, Elton John, and Giorgio Armani. In the early 2000s, the company’s popularity started dwindling until Clade Biver became the brand’s CEO in 2004.

He introduced the Big Bang Chronography at the 2005 Baselworld Watch Fair. The Big Bang thrilled the Baselworld fairgoers; most of them were delighted in the new design that differed from the known traditional designs.

This oversized watch brought Hublot into the limelight and increased their sales. It also received many accolades and awards, including the Prestigious Design Prize at Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix.Today, Hublot is firmly rooted in the luxurious watch industry with its groundbreaking design.

Hublot vs. Omega Comparison: Which One is the Better Luxury Brand?

As mentioned earlier, these two brands are all well recognized, prestigious, and produce great watches. Still, when we compare Hublot and Omega, one must be the best, even if it’s by a small margin.

Hublot vs. Omega: Which Brand is More Recognized?

The difference in year of establishment alone will give you a hint of the recognition of the two brands. While Omega was founded in 1848, Hublot was founded in 1980. Omega is the second most recognized Swiss watch brand.

It’s also the seventh most recognized Swiss brand worldwide, while Hublot is the 40th most recognized Swiss brand. Omega has worldwide recognition of about 70%, while Hublot has something significantly lower than that.

 This, however, doesn’t mean Hublot isn’t a great company; it is a great brand that produces superb watches and has attained many achievements in the watch industry. But still, their watches and achievements cannot be compared with Omega’s.

There are different compliments when you wear each watch; you’ll hear more “What a nice Omega timepiece” more than “What a nice Hublot watch” as people that aren’t wristwatch zealots will tend to remember Omega more than Hublot.

Hublot vs. Omega: Which Brand is More Prestigious?

Hublot makes all types of watches, but it’s not as famous as Omega, which has few iconic models such as the James Bond watch and the Moonwatch, which are considered by watch lovers as one of the most prestigious collections in the world.

Hublot offers impressive precision mechanical calibers for their timepieces though they’re not viewed as unique as mechanical watches. Hublot has also attained other outstanding achievements, making them a more prestigious brand and boosting their craftsmanship.

Some of the watches that promote their prestige include MP-02 Key of Time and the Big Bang Unico Ferrari, which uses an in-house Caliber like the Hublot UNICO HUB1241.

Hublot vs. Omega: Which Brand Holds More Value?

Though most of those that can afford Hublot or Omega watches will hardly have reason to sell it, it’s good we look into the resale value of the two watch brands. Omega is a renowned brand. Most of its watches have a high resale value because of their iconic status and rarity.

However, when compared to the original price you originally paid for an Omega or a Hublot watch, you will get a higher resale value when reselling a Hublot watch compared to reselling an Omega watch. But it’s crucial to note that the better the brand, the better price you’ll get when reselling their product.

This is a general rule that applies to all products. This means that you might get more value when reselling your Omega watch because it is more reputable, more recognized, and more prestigious.

Conclusion

Comparing Hublot and Omega isn’t easy, as they are both distinctive and luxurious brands. But Omega is the better luxury brand when compared to Hublot. This is because they have more output production than Hublot. In terms of recognition, Omega has a brand value almost seven times that of Hublot, and it is recognized 70% internationally.

Their watch model, Speedmaster that’s designed for astronauts, was the first watch ever on the moon. This adds to their reputation and prestige. With thousands of models to choose from, the mechanical movements of Omega have been certified by both METAS and COSC.

Omega also has many quartz watches that offer more accuracy and require less maintenance than the popular mechanical watches. In short, we have to admit that Omega watches have more value than Hublot watches, and they’re more luxurious. So if you want compliments on a beautiful timepiece, consider an Omega watch.

Comparing Hublot and Omega isn’t easy, as they are both distinctive and luxurious brands. But Omega is the better luxury brand when compared to Hublot. This is because they have more output production than Hublot. In terms of recognition, Omega has a brand value almost seven times that of Hublot, and it is recognized 70% internationally.

Their watch model, Speedmaster that’s designed for astronauts, was the first watch ever on the moon. This adds to their reputation and prestige. With thousands of models to choose from, the mechanical movements of Omega have been certified by both METAS and COSC.

Omega also has many quartz watches that offer more accuracy and require less maintenance than the popular mechanical watches. In short, we have to admit that Omega watches have more value than Hublot watches, and they’re more luxurious. So if you want compliments on a beautiful timepiece, consider an Omega watch.