In an interview with Time+Tide, Carlo Crocco recalls founding MDM Hublot in 1980 after developing the idea from 1976: a gold watch on a rubber strap, a radical pairing at the time. He remembers 'absolute silence' during the first two days of its Basel presentation, before King Constantine of Greece ordered two pieces after seeing a Time Magazine advertisement, one of them for King Juan Carlos of Spain. Crocco says his team created the gold-and-rubber idea, which Jean-Claude Biver later turned into the 'fusion' concept after 2004. The original measured 36mm; the new Classic Fusion Tributo re-edition is 38mm and comes with a CHF 100,000 donation to the MDM Foundation.

Why it matters: The founder's own account of one of modern watchmaking's best-known design ideas, published as his original design returns.

Source: Time+Tide — https://timeandtidewatches.com/hublot-founder-carlo-crocco-on-the-birth-of-fusion-royal-customers-and-the-return-of-his-original-design/