Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo: The Watch the Trade Ignored for Two Days Is Back in Gold
Hublot rebuilds its 1980 gold and rubber original as the 38 mm Classic Fusion Tributo: CAD 38,900, automatic HUB1711, twelve bezel screws and a founder story that sells.
The Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo is a 38 mm remake of the very first Hublot from 1980, in 18k yellow or white gold on black rubber. In Canada it sells for CAD 38,900, runs on the automatic HUB1711 calibre and is not a limited edition.
The year was 1980, at a Swiss watch fair that no longer runs. Carlo Crocco stood at a small stand directly across from Cartier and waited. For two full days, almost nobody stopped. His watch put a solid gold case on a black rubber strap, and the trade read it as a provocation. On the third day, word finally travelled through the halls. By the end of that first year, the young company had reportedly booked about US$2 million in sales.
Now, 46 years later, Hublot has rebuilt that watch. The brand announced the Classic Fusion Tributo from Milan on October 16, 2026, and Crocco himself wears it in the campaign photography. For the trade, this launch is more than nostalgia. It hands every Hublot showcase in Canada a founding story that clients can repeat at dinner.
Why did gold on rubber shock the watch trade in 1980?
At the time, Swiss luxury meant a gold bracelet or a leather strap. Rubber belonged on inexpensive sports watches built for the water. The industry was also fighting the quartz crisis, and few houses wanted to gamble on anything new.
Crocco came from the Italian Binda family, the group behind Breil. Then, in 1976, he left to build his own Swiss company, MDM Genève. The watch it launched took roughly three years to develop. The strap alone was the hardest part, because nobody yet worked rubber to luxury tolerances. So Crocco turned to Italian engineer Guido Gamberini, a maker of rubber for wheels, who spent two years on it. The finished strap carried a steel insert and a faint vanilla scent.
Twelve exposed screws held the bezel, like the bolts on a ship’s porthole. In French, porthole is hublot. The model name soon became the brand, and LVMH later bought the company from Crocco in 2008.
How does the Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo compare with the 1980 original?
Hublot kept the face and rebuilt everything behind it. The case grows by only two millimetres, and the dial still carries no hour markers. Instead, the twelve slightly domed screws on the bezel do that job, exactly as they did in 1980. The standard Classic Fusion uses six, so the full count of twelve is the detail collectors will notice first.
| Detail | Original Hublot (1980) | Classic Fusion Tributo (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 36 mm | 38 mm |
| Thickness | 6.5 mm | 9.5 mm |
| Movement | Swiss quartz | HUB1711 automatic, about 50 hours of reserve |
| Water resistance | 5 atm | 100 metres, screwed crown |
| Bezel screws | 12 | 12 |
| Dial signature | MDM Genève | MDM at six o’clock |
| Strap | Black rubber | Black lined rubber, no One Click system |
| Case metals | Gold | 18k yellow gold or 18k white gold |
Inside the Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo, the quartz movement gives way to the HUB1711. Time and Tide reports that the calibre uses the Zenith Elite as its base. Hublot states a power reserve of about 50 hours, although a few outlets have published 60. An openworked rotor shaped like the Hublot H turns behind a sapphire caseback.
The two metals also carry different moods. The yellow gold version stays closest to 1980, with a black lacquered dial, a faint charcoal finish, a gold rotor and a gold MDM print. By contrast, the white gold model uses a polished black onyx dial, black screws and a black tungsten rotor. Hublot describes it as the more formal of the pair, drawn from Italian tailoring.
What does the Classic Fusion Tributo cost in Canada?
Hublot’s Canadian website lists both versions of the Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo at CAD 38,900. The price stays the same whichever metal or dial a client picks. That parity makes the conversation simpler at the counter, because the choice becomes purely about taste.
| Market | Suggested retail price |
|---|---|
| Canada | CAD 38,900 |
| United States | US$30,900 |
| Switzerland | CHF 25,000 |
| Eurozone | EUR 30,200 |
| United Kingdom | GBP 23,600 |
Take a client who walks in asking about a gold dress watch. At CAD 38,900, the Tributo competes with established gold icons from much older houses. Its real advantage is the story. Few watches at that price can point to a single day in 1980 when one design changed what luxury materials could be.
Where will Canadian clients find the Tributo?
Hublot sells in Canada through Hublot Canada, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hublot SA. According to the brand’s own supply chain report, the subsidiary employs eight people and runs two company boutiques. An independent authorized centre handles after sales service. Hublot also works with a network of authorized retailers across the country.
The Vancouver boutique came first, opening in 2017 at 1080 Alberni Street in a 2,800 square foot space. Then, in September 2019, Hublot opened its first corporate store at Yorkdale in Toronto. Hublot also sells the Tributo online at hublot.com.
Canadian allocation figures for the Tributo were not available at publication. Globally, Robb Report says Hublot will first build 400 pieces, split evenly between the two metals. Since the model is not a numbered edition, production can continue after that first run.
Why does a reissue of the first Hublot matter at the showcase?
Heritage reissues sell on memory. Many clients who now buy at this level remember the first wave of gold and rubber Hublots on European royalty and the jet set. Their children know the brand mainly through the Big Bang. The Tributo gives both groups a reason to talk about the same watch.
Service creates the second opening. Watches bought from January 1, 2026 carry a five year warranty, and owners can extend it by five more years through the Hublotista program. That ten year horizon keeps a client returning to the store that sold the watch. Our recent report on watch repairs for jewellers shows how much that return visit can earn.
Finally, there is a cause attached. Hublot will donate CHF 100,000 to the Main Dans la Main Foundation, which Crocco started in 1998 to support vulnerable children. On the dial, MDM now reads two ways at once: the founder’s first company and his charity. For a client buying a gift, that detail often closes the sale.
Hublot CEO Julien Tornare framed the launch as respect for origins, “not by freezing it in time, but by keeping it in motion.” The brand marked the design’s 40th anniversary in 2020 with a trio of Classic Fusion models. Since then the line has kept moving, as our report on Hublot’s Champions League Classic Fusion showed. This time the founder stands in the pictures.
What should retailers do this week?
- Confirm your Tributo allocation and delivery timing with Hublot Canada before promising a date.
- Pull clients who bought gold sports watches in the past five years and send them the founder photograph.
- Train the floor on three facts: twelve screws, the vanilla rubber strap, and the MDM signature.
- Register every sale for the Hublotista extension, then book a service reminder in your CRM.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo in Canada?
Hublot lists both the yellow gold and white gold versions at CAD 38,900 on its Canadian website. By comparison, the US price is US$30,900.
Is the Classic Fusion Tributo a limited edition?
No. It is a regular collection model. Robb Report says the first production run totals 400 watches, with 200 in each metal.
What movement powers the Tributo?
The watch uses the automatic HUB1711, which Time and Tide reports is based on the Zenith Elite. Hublot quotes a power reserve of about 50 hours.
What does MDM on the dial mean?
MDM Genève was the name of Carlo Crocco’s company in 1980. Today it also refers to his Main Dans la Main Foundation, which receives CHF 100,000 from Hublot.
How big is the Tributo compared with the original Hublot?
The Tributo measures 38 mm across and 9.5 mm thick. The 1980 original measured 36 mm and was much thinner, since it ran on quartz.
Sources: Hublot SA via CNW Group, Hublot Canada, Hublot supply chain report, Luxe Digital, Time and Tide, Robb Report, Haute Time, Monochrome Watches, Retail Insider. Photos courtesy of Hublot SA via CNW Group.
Author: Olivier Fel.
Olivier Felicio is the founder and publisher of Canadian Jeweller Magazine, Canada's jewellery business publication since 1879. He writes on retail strategy, market data, trade policy and the commercial side of the Canadian jewellery and watch trade, and hosts Time and Shine, Canada's jewellery buying event. Contact: olivier@canadianjeweller.com.
