The question: “Which watch is better, Hublot or Rolex?” can be heard much more often than many people think. Depending on the context, this can be answered in different ways. In this article, we will try to analyze in detail all the pros and cons of purchasing watches from these two brands.
To begin with, it should be noted that both brands are very popular among fans of luxury watches. These are the ones most often considered by people thinking about purchasing luxury Swiss watches. And each brand has very attractive model options if you’re looking for something. Below we will try to figure out which ones are best suited for you.
If you want to see what the watches of these brands are like, you can go to the catalog of our store and get acquainted with the assortment.
So, which is better than Rolex or Hublot?
The list of the 50 largest Swiss brands includes 16 watch companies. This demonstrates how important this industry is to the country and how large these companies are. In terms of popularity, Rolex ranks third among Swiss brands around the world, right after Nescafe and Nestle, which makes it the most famous Swiss watch brand, with almost 100% recognition.
Hublot in this ranking ranks only 40th among all Swiss brands and 14th among watch manufacturers. Therefore, like Rolex, the Hublot brand is among the leaders, but is inferior to it in popularity.
Therefore, with a high degree of probability, we can say that the remarks “Oh, your Rolex is cool!” you will hear much more often since even people far from the watch world are familiar with this brand much better than Hublot. However, anyone who knows about watches knows very well that Hublot is an excellent watch brand, albeit a relatively young one.
Comparing prices for Hublot and Rolex
Rolex prices are about $500 higher than the cheapest Hublot models. Currently, the most affordable models are the men’s Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39mm and women’s Rolex Datejust 33mm, the latter also costing about $500 more. They use mechanical self-winding calibers.
Hublot prices are lower than Rolex. The most affordable include the women’s Classic Fusion Lady 33 mm and 36 mm, as well as the men’s Hublot Classic Fusion Automatic 42 mm, which is about $150 more expensive than the women’s 33 mm version. These versions of Hublot watches use more budget-friendly battery-powered quartz movements.
However, like must be compared with like. And Rolex doesn’t make quartz watches. They pride themselves on producing exclusively mechanical watches, which are considered more prestigious among hobbyists and collectors. Yes, there used to be quartz Rolexes, for example, the Rolex Oysterquartz, which could be found in the catalog until 2001, but since then the brand abandoned this idea and focused entirely on producing high-precision, luxury mechanical calibers for its watches.
Based on this, let’s look at what determines the cost of the most-budget Rolex calibers and the most affordable quartz movements from Hublot. This logically leads us to another question:
Which of the two brands holds its value better?
Are Hublot watches good? Undoubtedly! And there is a direct relationship between brand value, its popularity, and prices on the secondary market. Although some watches have a higher selling price due to their rarity or special status, the generally accepted norm is that the more famous the brand, the easier it is to sell. This rule applies not only to watches.
As for the prices of used Rolexes, the pattern of their formation cannot be described in a nutshell. However, if you take the percentage of prices at which you bought and can sell your Rolex or Hublot, it will almost always be higher for the former. Almost without exception. Are there any watches that can be resold more easily and for more money than a Rolex? Hardly.
Without going into detail about why people might want to sell their Rolex or Hublot, let’s ask ourselves what the pros and cons are when buying these brands.
Pros and Cons of Buying a Hublot Watch
FOR
– The brand produces fashionable watches that are very noticeable on the wrist, for example, the cylindrical Hublot Spirit from The Big Bang collection;
- Hublot has several unique models that are real works of art in watchmaking, such as the MP collection;
- – Basic watch models are much more affordable than Rolex;
- Hublot has a huge number of bright and expressive models;
- Many watches are unique in terms of the use of many different materials and types of straps;
- Hublot has a wide variety of rubber straps. Rolex, on the other hand, offers only a few models with Oysterflex rubber bracelets, which carry the Yachtmaster 40mm, as well as some Daytona versions.
- Hublot produces quartz models, which are distinguished by higher accuracy and less maintenance requirements compared to mechanical calibers.
AGAINST
- These watches belong to the world’s leading brands, but are not as famous as Rolex;
- On the secondary market, they are not valued as highly as most Rolex models;
- The brand does not produce as many super-expensive brilliant models as Rolex, although the choice of such versions is quite wide;
And while many appreciate Hublot as a brand that offers both mechanical and quartz watches, for others it is very important to be able to enjoy micro-mechanics. Such purists usually prefer brands that produce exclusively mechanical watches. This cannot be called a disadvantage of Hublot, since quartz models also have their fans, but it is worth mentioning.
As follows from the pros and cons listed above, thanks to its unique product line, the Hublot brand has gained a strong place in the luxury watch market, as a manufacturer of very stylish models for those who value uniqueness and “unconventionality” in every sense of the word. Hublot is a fairly avant-garde brand whose watches are often seen as a “marketing ploy”; it is much younger than many of its competitors, less tied to history, and its product promotion strategy is often assessed as aggressive, which, however, only benefits it.
Hublot prides itself on its ability to skillfully fuse different materials, including some of the most unusual ones in the watch industry, into a single whole. The brand also offers a large number of different straps, case shapes, and colors. It has very competitive prices, and in recent years Hublot has started producing its in-house calibers instead of using ETA ébauche movements, further strengthening the brand’s prestige in the market.
Pros and Cons of Buying a Rolex Watch
FOR
- This is the most famous brand among luxury watches all over the world;
- They tend to have a higher value on the secondary market;
- The brand offers a large number of exclusive expensive models with a bezel and dial decorated with diamonds, in a case made of precious metals of all types;
- The brand has many patented innovations, including the Parachrom hairspring, Osterflex bracelet, Everose gold alloy, Cerachrom bezel insert, Triplock crown guard, and much more;
- Rolex produces some legendary models, including the Rolex Submariner, Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, Rolex Explorer, Sea-Dweller, and many others;
- All mechanical watches are certified as Superlative Chronometers and are highly accurate with deviations of -2/+2 seconds per day.
AGAINST
- In most cases they are more expensive than Hublot watches;
- Compared to Hublot, the choice of straps is much more modest;
- Rolex doesn’t have many special limited editions;
- Hublot offers a much wider selection of rubber straps than Rolex.
