Hublot launched the first luxury watch combining a gold case with a rubber strap in 1980.
The design was created by Carlo Crocco, who founded Hublot and presented its first watch at the 1980 Basel Fair. Pairing precious gold with natural rubber was unusual because luxury watches traditionally emphasized leather, metal bracelets or precious stones.
Hublot called the model “Classic Original.” Its nautical-inspired porthole case and rubber strap became central to the brand’s identity. The rubber strap was also intended to be comfortable and durable.
The innovation is sometimes confused with Hublot’s later “Art of Fusion” marketing language. That phrase refers broadly to combining contrasting materials and technologies, while the specific gold-and-rubber concept belongs to the brand’s original 1980 watch.