Hublot’s Tactic With The Blackeyed Bernie Ecclestone Watch

The first thing that came to mind when I first saw this image in an e-mail from Hublot was "wait, what?" I didn't get it. What was this? At first I thought the image of Bernie Ecclestone was some type of painting. IÂ am not familiar with his face, but I do know of his work as the guy who runs Formula 1 racing. The British Billionaire's face was distorted with a painful looking black eye and other facial bruises. The 80 year old was recently violently mugged, and among other things, his Hublot King Power F1 watch was stolen.

None of this information was placed in the above image send out by Hublot. In fact, it is entirely cryptic in its messaging. The point of it is simple I think. A beaten up elderly man along with the statement of "See what people will do for a Hublot." Furthering the concept that the watches are so in demand, you'd punch your grandpa for one.

Since the release of this image a few days ago, the media has been all over it. Mostly admonishing Hublot for its audacity and lack of good taste. While this is happening, Hublot CEOÂ Jean-Claude Biver is likely reading such commentary from his desk in Switzerland with a big smile on his face. I am sure that he could not be more pleased.

He couldn't ask for a better response. The Swiss brand is known for its unconventional tactics for getting media attention - and this move secured a healthy volume of mentions from many forms of popular media that would never spend time discussing the luxury watch industry.