How Hublot’s Rick De La Croix is Changing the Way You Buy Luxury Timepieces

Can Rick De La Croix tell the future? It sure seems that way. Hublot’s savvy distribution partner of the Americas has made all of the right moves when it comes to expanding the luxury watch brand’s ubiquity outside of its Swiss homeland. So when he proclaims that the Miami Design District is the future of Magic City, we’d be crazy to dismiss him.

Miami’s new it-neighborhood has transformed into a beguiling mix of art, luxury and fashion, mashing together haute European fashion labels with trendy street art to create a scene that’s wholly original. Right in the middle of the neighborhood’s tectonic culture shift stands the new Hublot Galerie, a boutique that dares to put a new spin on the traditional watch-buying experience. A brainchild of De La Croix, the new Hublot Galerie has the special distinction of being the only store in the world that solely sells unique and limited edition pieces. While De La Croix owns more traditional boutiques in Atlanta, Dallas, Orlando and across the Americas, the Hublot Galerie is something very different.
“The idea was to create a concept store,” says De La Croix. “It’s not so much a boutique. We’re in the Design District, so we wanted people to come in and enjoy the art in a more relaxed manner and appreciate these very special pieces. This is the only store in the world that is dedicated to unique pieces and limited editions. We have limited editions from around the world.”

And while Miami has a host of other luxury watch boutiques, and even enjoys another Hublot boutique in nearby Bal Harbor owned by De La Croix, he promises that the Hublot Galerie is a singular treat for both Hublot devotees and fans of haute horlogerie in general. “Our focus is to really offer pieces that are not in any other boutique in the world. The Bal Harbor location would be very similar to New York or LA, while this [the Hublot Galerie] is really a one-of-a-kind store in the world. It’s really focused for the Hublot aficionados to come in and see very rare pieces.”

So why do luxury timepieces deserves such a special space? For De La Croix, watches aren’t solely a fashion accessory, but something altogether greater. They’re an essential part of modern manhood. “A watch is a very personal product. Especially as a man, we don’t have jewels. We don’t have bags. We only have shoes, belts and watches, so that’s my passion.”

De La Croix views the purchase of a fine timepiece as something more meaningful than a simple transaction, and he has found that unique and exclusive experiences are his most potent incentives when selling costly pieces to clients.

“What we try to do is offer emotions,” explains De La Croix. “It’s so easy to say ‘we’ll offer you a discount’ as your motivation to buy. What Hublot is trying to do is really give a different experience. “

And that different experience sometimes includes trips to World Cup matches in Brazil, or private tours of Hublot’s factory in Switzerland. One year, Hublot flew a client and devoted Depeche Mode fan to Russia, where the band was playing the last show of a world tour. The client ended up spending two days hanging out with the band and has since bought over 50 Hublot pieces, a majority of them being unique and limited editions.

During 2014’s World Cup in Brazil, Hublot pulled off the biggest marketing investment in company history, inviting over 1000 potential buyers to a five-day event that included access to the tournament’s biggest matches.

“In this type of marketing experience Hublot has no competition.” says De La Croix confidently. He want’s to give his clients not just a one-of-a kind timepiece, but a one- of-a-kind story to go with it. “We flew a guy out two years ago, put him courtside with the Lakers, and after the game, Kobe [Bryant] came out and gave him his jersey and signed it. Afterwards, the guy bought a $350,000 watch from us. He didn’t believe we could do that, but that’s what Hublot is all about. We really want to go out of the box.”

De La Croix wants to imbue his customers with the same emotional connection that he shares with his most prized pieces. He talks about his first watch, a fondly remembered steel Bulova given to him by his grandfather, with a heavy heart. The timepiece has been lost, but the memory lingers. He also mentions a humble Super B piece in gold given to him by Hublot Chairman Jean-Claude Biver. To De La Croix, the feelings imbued in the watch are worth more than the precious metals and stones that comprise it.

“When I started with Hublot ten years ago, the Chairman [Biver] and I had lunch after I signed the distribution contract, and he offered me a gold watch,” remembers De La Croix. “Every time I wear it, it brings back a lot of nostalgia. This is where we started. It’s not that it’s an overly eloquent watch, but it has sentimental value. I think that’s what watches are about. These days, for the time, you look at your phone. You give a watch as a gift, and that’s a meaningful gift.”