Following the bankruptcy of BNB Concept announced in January, Hublot took on BNB Concept’s managing director, Mathias Buttet, as well as around thirty of its watchmakers and mechanics. These highly skilled staff specialise in the production of watchmaking complications and will work in the Hublot Manufacture, where they will be directly responsible to Mathias Buttet and under the general direction of Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot’s Managing Director. Hublot has also acquired BNB Concept’s entire machine base. This investment will allow Hublot to independently produce not only its standard in-house movements (based on the UNICO movement), but also its high-end tourbillon, tourbillon chronograph and tourbillon minute repeater movements, among others.

Hublot and BNB Concept had been linked since 2004, when the company specialising in making watch complications was founded. BNB Concept manufactured Tourbillons for Hublot, which was one of its biggest customers.

Hublot had begun its verticalisation policy just over two years earlier with the acquisition of a machine base costing several million Swiss francs and the construction of a new Manufacture covering more than 6000 m2. The brand has since gained ever more autonomy through the appointment of watchmakers and the acquisition of latestgeneration machinery, first enabling it to produce its UNICO chronograph movement, and now the full range of watchmaking complications. It is now possible that, depending on its production capacity, Hublot will also be able to begin supplying third party customers.

Established by Mathias Buttet, the "Confrérie" concept (similar to a guild), to be renamed the "Confrérie Horlogère Hublot", will also be adopted. This will enable the confrérie to continue its development and production. Hublot is very proud to be able to sustain and develop Mathias Buttet’s idea, and will open an Ecole des Confrères de l’Horlogerie (watchmaking guild school) in the autumn. The "Confrérie Horlogère Hublot" collection will be exhibited on the Hublot stand at Basel and on sale through Hublot’s distribution network.